Arm warmers/coolers

Any of you use either of those while running? I'm considering getting a pair so I won't have to wear a base layer for my half next month. I'm assuming the race will start off with cooler temps but as I'm moving along I know I'll warm up but I don't want to be freezing the first few miles if I don't have to. I'd hate to have on clothing I couldn't take off right away and wearing something around my waist isn't an option. I am, however not opposed to just getting a throw away top, but that just seems wasteful. I typically run in sleeveless tops and tri shorts but the temps here in the South warrant it almost year round, and even in the "winter" I'm still in some sort of short sleeve top and shorts, unless it's unusually cold then I'll wear a long sleeve top and shorts.

Pros? Cons? Favorites?

Me!

I think the DeSoto coolers are more effective through a small range of temperature and humidity, but they're shaped so oddly (they're basically a truncated cone with no tailoring at all and almost no stretch, so the opening at the top is bigger than the bicep) that they just don't stay up.

I've had good luck with the Zoot coolers this year, although with my injury I've worn them much more for sedentary outdoor events than for running. I have run in them a few times - short distances but hot enough temperatures to know whether they work, and they do.

I looooove my smartwool arm warmers. Pretty much standard for me in temps in the upper 40s-50s. I'm planning on wearing them for my marathon this weekend - if I have to walk at the end and cool off, I can always pull them back up. If they get REALLY obnoxious on a long run, I take them off and hook them through my sports bra or knot them around my fuel belt/bottle holder.

I'm such a minimalist when it comes to wearing stuff while I run, but I figure these could be easily stuffed into my shorts back pocket once I felt the need to not want em on anymore or if I was just annoyed with em. See, OakLeaf, I wouldn't want to have to keep pulling them up if they didn't stay up while I was running, I think I'll cross de Soto off the 'short' list. Do the Zoot warmers/coolers have like an elastic band or something similar on the openings that prevents them from sliding around?

Yes, the Zoot coolers have gentle elastic sewn inside the fabric, like you'd see in the waistband of shorts. It's not too tight at all, but it is effective.

Really I'm the only one who complains here about the deSoto coolers, so maybe I'm the one with weird arms. :cool: Those have silicone grippers at the top, and they definitely stay up better once I've started to sweat.

I have several pairs of arm warmers and coolers. For sun protection, I like the Specialized ones. They're very lightweight, well-tailored, and with elastic and silicone strips at the top to keep them in place. I have good arm warmers from Pearl Izumi, Smartwool, and Adidas- all slightly different, but all totally functional. It really comes down, IMO, to which ones fit you best and are the proper weight of fabric for your needs.

Thanks everyone for your input..