Pactimo Alpine RT Thermal Arm Warmers

Pactimo's Alpine Thermal RT Arm Warmers work well in changing temperatures. They offer a snug fit, pack down small enough to disappear in a jersey pocket, and have some nice reflective detailing. But although I've enjoyed wearing them, I don't think they do enough to justify the high price tag.

I've enjoyed wearing these on the typical spring days at this time of year when the temperature is in the low single digits when you set off and into mid-20s when you get back. Not quite warm enough for the first hour or so, but very glad to be able to take them off and not take up too much space in the jersey pocket later on.

> Buy now: Pactimo Alpine Thermal RT Arm Warmers for £38 from Pactimo

For an all-day ride, I'd say they work for me from about 7°C upwards, though I do typically wear a bit more than most in cold conditions.

The arm warmers are made from a high-stretch ThermaGuard fabric with a single seam design. ThermaGuard is 'high-performance winter weight technical fabric that accelerates moisture-transfer. Ultra-soft with a slight interior loft, this supple, breathable and lightweight fabric is ideal for athletic wear in 40-70°F conditions.' (that is 4.5 to 21 in Celsius).

I found that description to reflect my experience, apart from the temperature range, as I mentioned above. That is highly subjective, and I can well imagine others would agree more with either the lower or upper end of that range.

They are side-specific, with a little tag at the top that tells you which arm they go on. The fabric is lovely and soft next to the skin, and the seam is not noticeable in use. Importantly, the outside of the fabric is also soft for any nose wiping you might like to do…

At the top, there is a wide gripper band that sits above the bicep, and in combination with the silicone dots on the inside, there's been no downward movement whatsoever.

The cuffs are made from 'Reflective Technology' (that's what the RT stands for in their name) fabric, with a reflective logo on the outside of the wrist also helping to make you visible. The cuff design flares out a little and is less tight than the rest of the sleeve, covering more of the wrist than other arm warmers I've tried.

When they are not on your arms, they take up noticeably less space than other arm warmers I've tried, too.

Sizing

Pactimo recommends buying arm warmers in the same size as you would wear for its jerseys. I know from reviewing the Summit Aero Range jersey that I'm a medium, and so these should fit fine.

In terms of circumference, they fit just right on my fairly well-developed tree-climber arms, but in terms of length, they come up quite high, almost all the way up to my armpits.

The upside of this is that the silicone gripper sits between shoulder and biceps, so there is no chance of the arm warmers slipping down. The downside is that they can feel a little uncomfortable under the armpit, so you want to sit them just right when you put them on.

This is a mild faff if you put them on before a ride, ranging to a bit annoying doing it while you ride. In general, I prefer slightly shorter arm warmers.

I suspect if I tried to remedy the arm length by sizing down, a size small would be too tight on me.

I would have liked to see a bit more detail on arm length on a sizing chart for these arm warmers. Especially at this price, it would be nice to be able to establish if they are going to work for you before you buy.

Value

At £53, these are the most expensive arm warmers we've reviewed.

Looking at the usual premium brands, Rapha's (non-merino) thermal arm warmers cost £40, as do Castelli's excellent NanoFlex arm warmers (Stu tested those back in 2015), while the Assos Evo Arm warmers (tested by George last year) are £35.

> Buyer’s Guide: 20 of the best arm & leg warmers

The 7mesh Colorado Arm warmers Neil reviewed at the end of last year only cost slightly less at £50, but they have a DWR coating and can be trimmed to length, both features that would help me stomach the price tag.

Specialized's Thermal Arm Warmers sound like they do the same thing for £20 less (read Stu's review from last year here), as do the Endura FS260-Pro Thermo Arm Warmers that Emma reviewed, which are £24.99.

Conclusion

These arm warmers are perfect for days with significant changes in temperature, are comfortable to wear and pack down small. Though they are a little long on me, I've really enjoyed wearing them, but there's no getting away from the fact that they are very expensive. There are plenty of arm warmers from other brands out there that do the same (or more) for less.

Verdict

Lovely to wear and pack down small, but very expensive for what they are