With all the performance clothing we’ve reviewed here, one would think that there would be at least a few good polos (or short sleeve button-ups) available. With today being the first day of summer, we’ve been searching for the best performance polos that can be taken from casual to business casual and have not had as much luck as we expected.

I’ve already reviewed the Ministry of Supply Apollo 3 Polo, but we have still been on the hunt for the perfect summer collared shirt. I’ve recently ordered (and returned) the Arcteryx A2B Short Sleeve Polo, Triple Aught Design Caliber Polo, and RYU Tech Polo.

The Arcteryx A2B Polo is made from a very thin Polylain fabric (50/50 merino/polyester). This would be a great fabric for the hottest days of summer, but Arcteryx ruined the shirt with a weird, semi-shiny and nylon-y, button placket and collar. While the shape and structure of the collar were decent, the material made it stand out from the rest of the shirt. Combined with the lines of sewing to imitate buttons and the same fabric of the placket, this shirt doesn’t blend into your everyday wardrobe. If you decide the style is what you are looking for, the sizing is very large, and you probably want to size down from the chart.

The Triple Aught Design Caliber Polo is made from Polartec Power Dry (100% polyester) with a Polygiene odor control treatment. The fit and collar on this polo were great, the fabric and the webbing attached slot buttons just made it very casual. If that’s what you are looking for, this might be the performance polo for you.

The RYU Tech Polo is made from a four-way stretch fabric called TecLayr (96% polyester, 4% spandex) with a Polygiene odor control treatment. While this material and the fit seemed great, again the collar and button placket were the issue. In this shirt, they are made from a very thin, weirdly stiff (almost like plastic), nylon-y material that gave that technical sheen. The collar also didn’t lay right — it was stiff and floppy at the same time, if that makes any sense.

Hopefully this helps if you are searching for a summer collared shirt. If you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to reach out. In the meantime, Ben has been trying out the Wool & Prince 100% Merino Polo and will share his thoughts in a full review soon.

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