Living in Satisfy
Reviewing top-tier gear, through the lens of a middle-of-the-pack dad.
Ok, so for a long time, I have shared my love for Satisfy, their attitude, their ✨aesthetic✨, and everything else they have to share.
I’ve felt a personal connection to the brand for a number of years, but to be frank, the size of my body always prevented me from copping their gear. Very expensive for something that might not fit me. I know Satisfy gets a wrap for being a ‘calling sign’ for other runners to let them know you’re cool, but I genuinely love the gear. And besides, where I live, very few runners give a fuck about Satisfy — most are still going head-to-toe Nike, unfortunately.
However, this year that changed. As I had finally headed into a place where I had begun to feel satisfied (aha) with my body, I decided to reward myself for the hard work I had been putting in to running.
For context, I’m not exactly built like your typical elite runner. I played competitive hockey growing up and went semi-pro into my early 20s. After that, I got deep into CrossFit — like, properly jacked — but I’m also a slut for KFC and sour candy. The end result? Wide shoulders, thick waist, hips to match. If body types were geometric, I’m a rectangle. (a bit smaller than this now, but I thought it was too honest to just delete).
For Context, I’m still not built like your typical elite runner. I have above-average shoulders, but my chest and waist have slimmed down significantly over the past 12 months. For the first time in about eight years, I’m officially 100kg, which I’m really proud of and excited to keep improving. In sizing, my TTS is typically an XL (no longer 2XL woohoo!), and my waist fluctuates between 34 and 35.
In today’s post, I’m sharing my honest thoughts on Satisfy Running gear — the good and the bad. Life is too short, and too expensive, to spend money on clothes you don’t even like.
I’ve acquired a number of garments and accessories from Satisfy over time. I’ve also owned their Hoka Collabs and reviewed both the Mafate and Clifton, so I’m not going to spend time on those. You can read them by clicking the links above.
Accessories:
I’ve owned hats and socks in the past. The PeaceShell 5 Panel was my first item from them, followed by their merino socks, so I’ll start there.
PeachShell 5 Panel Cap:
As I said above, this was my first item from them. I was super excited to put this on because I thought, ‘Yes! A running hat that isn’t your regular 5-panel cap!” But the reality is that they kinda fit weird on your head.
The plain product shots look clean, and they seem like a great low-profile cap, but the reality is you need a very specific head shape for them not to look a little coneshaped on your head.
If you can look past that, it’s lightweight, a cool fabric, short brim. Perfect for what I want out of a hat, but I really have to be in the mood to wear it; otherwise, it looks silly on my head.
Rippy Trail Cap:
I actually love this cap. When it first arrived, I was a bit disappointed because it looked like a tiny hat for dolls — sounds weird, I know, but the panelling was just a tad small everywhere, so I thought my head looked too big for it. Not only did I think it looked too small, but it always slid off my head when I ran!
Over time, I realised I was tightening the hat too much, so it was screaming to be relaxed and return to its original bandwidth. I learned to love this hat. It’s my most worn on running days and on casual days. It’s built up quite the sweat stain patina, and I’m proud of it!
Side note: I wrote this before I shaved my head. Once I shaved it, both hats fit real snug and nice without any lifting. Honestly, both hats are great, but the Rippy Trail is still probably my favourite cap ever.
Merino Tube Socks:
Yo, low key, these socks were straight ass. I’ve never spent so much on socks, only for them to fall apart after such a short time.
While they sucked, they looked great. I loved the height — a half crew length — and the colours were cool. Thankfully, I got them 50% off, otherwise I would’ve been more pissed!
Also, they’ve reworked the socks and added some nylon. I’m assuming this is to address the high-wear areas, but I can’t comment on that.
Clothing:
It’s one of the most expensive hoodies I’ve ever bought. Honestly, I never planned on getting one — but then Satisfy reworked their branding. They dropped the oval logo on the front and ‘running specialist’ on the back and replaced it with a plain Satisfy. Sounds silly, but I wasn’t into the new look, and I knew future self would kick me if I didn’t grab one before the switch. Pedantic? Maybe. But whatever — I like what I like.
Moving on, I have to say this is one of the most unique hoodies of all time. I love the cuffs, and I don’t think I’ve ever received so many compliments on such a small detail, but it honestly looks so sick. It’s the classic cuff you see on the bottom of the cuffed sweatpants, but you got it on the wristicles and waist.
It’s a bit of a boxier cut, so it’s incredibly roomy. As someone who bought this when they wore 2XL, I was worried it would be too tight across my chest and too short across my shoulders. But my worry was all for naught, because when it arrived, I slid it over my head, and it sat perfectly on my body. Occasionally, the waistband slides up and makes me look a little frumpy, but that’s a normal experience for someone who has body image issues.
The reality is, I thought it was going to be a one-and-done situation, but I’m itching for their new collegiate LSD sweatshirts.
Keeping it a buck, I was not expecting this shirt to feel as nice as it does. I was expecting something very similar to Dri-Fit material, but boy, was I wrong! The AuraLite fabric does not stretch like a normal polyester fabric would, which I was sceptical about at first, as I was worried that it would feel constraining, but I honestly don’t think about it at all.
In terms of performance, I’m not blown away by it. It works fine. It keeps you cool, it’s light, and that’s fine. Nothing insane. What is awesome about this tee is the pigment dye. It has a light fade on the seams, and it’s specifically designed to fade in high-wear areas. Have a look at this pic below from Out and Back’s IG.
My main criticism of the tee is that it gets heavy when you sweat, and it soaks up sweat instantly. The tee looks great and feels great early in the workouts, it’s got a great width on the shoulder, but I find the tee slim overall (kind of like the pit-to-pit is an L), which unfortunately means I gotta fight my body dysmorphic demons when wearing it, cause it makes me hella self-conscious. Not so much a criticism of the shirt, more so of myself, but keep that in mind when buying.
MothTech T-Shirt:
uhh… It’s a tee with holes.
Kidding, BUT also in all seriousness. It’s just a cotton tee. Nothing super stellar in terms of performance. Both of mine are a faded black, yet they have two different feels — they must’ve changed factories between the releases; however, they both feel very plush.
Very much like the AuraLite tee, it’s a slim fit. My body type is not that of Max Joliffe’s, so I don’t look as cool in them. I think you should wear shorter inseams with these tees. 5” and higher is too long…
As I mentioned, the performance itself isn’t anything groundbreaking, but I feel cool as sh— when I run in them. Like… cool in a café after a run energy. I wear them casually too, which works great in the right setting — but in others… not so much. Dropping your daughter off at daycare in them? Different story. The unwashed masses are looking at me like I’m the one who hasn’t seen soap in three days. Smh.
And weirdly, my relationship with them changes day to day. Sometimes they’re insanely flattering — like I could run a marathon 2:30 flattering. Other times I suddenly feel hyper-aware of my entire torso and they seem way too slim, like I’m being personally attacked by fabric. The fit is consistent… my mental state is not. Some days it’s a style. Some days it’s psychological warfare. Honestly, if they were just a little shorter, I probably wouldn’t feel as self-conscious… but instead they sit right in that zone where I become extremely aware that I have a body at all. Entirely a me problem.
Space-O 2.5" Distance Shorts:
I went with the black pair because, quite frankly, I’m a bit tired of earthy tones on everything (but I ended up acquiring the brown pair later on, keep reading to find out).
I think black was the most versatile, but the other colours look nice too!
I bought my first pair in the dead of winter. Now, if you look at the materials, these are designed to be very light, very breathable… running in these at 5 degrees Celsius with a wind chill… you’ve got some major shrinkage, my friend. BUT now that I have experienced these in the summers, I think they’re the perfect running short.
Super lightweight, airy. It feels like there’s nothing at all! These are perfect for the interval seshes where you’re just going all out and vomiting at the end.
I read that all Satisfy shorts run small, so I decided to size up, and I’m glad I did! They fit like a dream. They have a liner that doesn’t ride up or rub in uncomfortable places, and there's zero chafing — the perfect pair of pants.
Now… to the bad part… These shorts come with two waist bands (I think to prevent chafing at the waist…?). The downside is that the stitching had started coming undone after about a month. The good part is that their customer service was pretty cool, and they replaced them for free (and let me keep the original pair). I also asked if I could get them in a different colour and they said yes! Super cool on their part. But in all honesty, you don’t want to pay the amount I did and have them fall apart so quickly.
Also, the second pair has started to rip at the waistline seam. V sad.
Lastly, they removed the gel pocket in their updated model? What’s that about? literally stops me from opting for them on race day… like, why?
If I were to do it over again…
If I were to cop it all over again, I would definitely get the hoodie. Hands down my favourite garment of theirs… fighting for my damn life not to cop the heathered grey varsity hoodie… *sigh*
I would also grab their mothtech tees, as they are the quintessential Satisfy jawn, and I would keep wearing them the way I do.
And lastly, I would buy the shorts. YES, they ripped at the waist seam, but it doesn’t impact performance/running — you don’t even notice it! They’re also my favourite pair of shorts, and I will wear them on 9/10 runs. If I could, I would get the older pairs that had the gel pocket so I could wear them on long runs.
After my experience of living in the gear, the discourse it creates online (and the anti-Satisfy runners that the discourse has created), Satisfy is still a brand that I love, and will probably continue to buy throughout my life (as long as I continue to save my pennies).