One of my favorite pieces of gear is one of the oddest.  I first saw arm sleeves when my running buddy Jeremy showed up with them for one of our lunch runs.  He took a beating from the gang over them – “why don’t you just wear a long sleeve shirt??!!”  etc.  I didn’t make much of them, but kept seeing Moeben sleeves all over in pictures from ultras, and gradually became more interested in giving them a shot.  Am I glad I did!

These have turned out to be one of my favorite layers to throw on whenever the weather is just slightly cooler than short sleeves weather.  They are incredibly comfortable, and have a very strange way of warming you up a bit when it’s cool, and cooling you down when it’s warm.  I have put them on in the early morning when leaving in cool weather for a long run, and just forgotten then were on as I finished up in the warm sun.  I love that they are easy to slip into my Camelback in case things cool down, and they are always in my running bag.

We have skin cancer in our family, so sun exposure is on my mind perhaps more than other runners.  I appreciate that the primary reason Moeben got into this market was for UV protection and they serve that purpose well.  I even bought a pair for my Mom to wear for UV protection.

The pocket on them seems a little unnecessary to me, but I occasionally throw a gel or Lara bar in there.  Hammergels are just slightly too tall so either stick out, or need to be folded in and you can barely get 2 in a pocket.  I guess if I were really trying to load down for a race or long run I would use them, but they are normally empty for me.  I haven’t had much trouble with them slipping down, which was another concern area.

One last thing that really caught my attention about Moeben is their focus on charity.  They donate a portion of all sales to charities listed on their web site, which I think is very cool.  I need to work with them to get JDRF onto that list.

I try to not write reviews after just one or two uses of something just to really give them a spin and not be caught up in a new gear crush.  I have been using a couple pairs of these sleeves for about 5 months now through Spring and Summer and they have been great.  They are definitely here to stay.

Disclosure: I have been provided products from Moeben for review.  But I have also spent my own money on their products.