Path Projects Review: What to Know about the Men’s Running Gear Brand

I found out about Path Projects as a running apparel brand made for serious performance and solid styles. As I’ve gotten back into running this year, and I’ve been through a whole slew of running gear brands, I figured I’d try out some key products.

In this review, find out how Path Project best-sellers went for me, as I received a wide array of products from tops to bottoms, and base layers to hats, in my first order from the company.

If you’re interested in the quality and fit of this runner-specific brand, look closely at my photos and check out my opinions on how the styles compare to other clothes I’ve worn for my runs.

Thank you to Path Projects for sending me a set of the top products from the brand; all opinions and thoughts in this review are genuinely my own.

What is Path Projects?

Path Projects is, in my own words, a stylish performance apparel brand for guys who run. The company focuses on all things running: tops, shorts, base liners, pants, headwear and accessories. The products have thought-out features and fabrics, and a lot of them even fit in with my life as athleisure clothes.

The fabrics are unique, with characteristics like moisture-wicking, odor-reducing, lightweight, antimicrobial and UV-protective. In my product testing, I’ll recommend that these two collections are good to know:

• Wadi fabric collection: The Wadi fabric is “ultralight,” and actually really impressive. It helps keep you dry and it’s excellent for warm weather. It also builds in UPF protection from the sun.
• Basis fabric collection: This is a more traditional collection of “tech” fabric. It’s lightweight, breathable and really soft. Stretchy and easy to wash, it’s meant for temperatures slightly below Wadi.

And with that, I got to trying out a lot of men’s running stuff from Path Projects to see what the brand is all about. (Note: every single item I tried was a size M, in the product reviews that follow.)

Key things to know about the brand

• Made for performance: a lot of the gear I tried from Path Projects has features that runners need, from stash pockets with zippers, to hyper-light fabrics that wick sweat immediately.
• Multiple inseam lengths: I think this is one of the better qualities of the brand. While other brands make shorts or base layers in one inseam length, Path Projects offers anywhere from 1 to 3 options.
• Base liners: I actually think this is one of the reasons to try out Path Projects. They specialize in “base liners,” built to avoid chafing durning distance runs.
• Pricing: given the quality and specialty materials, I think their prices are fair, especially if you’re a frequent runner or a serious runner. While slightly more expensive than Nike, for example, they do have some sales with 25-50% off.

Shorts

I mostly run in shorts, until it’s truly too cold to be running in shorts. So, with lots of experience wearing different brands of running shorts, here are my opinions on the most popular shorts from Path Projects.

As I’m highly into running shorts (you may have seen my Nike running gear review), the bulk of this review focuses on Path Project shorts and the performance features.

Sykes PX7 Relaxed Shorts

Like most of the Path Projects products I’m trying, the material of the Sykes shorts has a soft tech feel to it. They’re 100% polyester, but a tiny bit thicker than other polyester shorts, which give it the “tech” feel.

The first feature to note: the “rear phone pocket” has plenty of room for a larger phone. If you have a bigger phone, you’ll need to put it in at an angle, though! The phone in the picture is an iPhone 13 mini, which is on the smaller side of phones these days.

Here are my photos of the Sykes Shorts “inside-out” to show how deep the pockets are and where the pocket locations are. Remember: the Sykes do NOT have front pockets, and this is the difference between the Sykes and the Graves shorts.

Impressions after running in the Sykes Shorts

I’m really used to front pockets in my running shorts. I usually leave my front pockets empty while I run, but it’s nice after I’m done with the run to slide my phone and keys into front pockets, after I take them out of a running belt. For regular training runs, I didn’t necessarily mind the lack of front pockets.

For longer runs: strangely, I’ve kept snacks like a Rice Krispie treat or some trail mix, in my front pockets during marathon training runs. Having the back pockets is a nice place to stash those snacks so that they don’t get in the way in front pockets. So, this works.

In terms of the fit (7” inseam, size Medium), the Sykes shorts are more on the snug side of how size M usually fits me. They fit true to size of a 32 waist; even then, they felt like they were on the slim side. Even though they fit me on the snug side, they didn’t ride up. They weren’t uncomfortable and felt pretty natural.

The fit

I didn’t test these shorts in situations during which I was drenched in sweat, but they did well with a small amount of sweat during a fall evening run. I’ll have to test them again in the summer to see how they deal with moisture.

Graves PX7 Relaxed Shorts

An intro to these shorts: the material has the same softness as the Sykes Shorts. They’re reinforced, so in theory, they should be durable.

First, I want to show you one of my photos of the Graves Shorts inside-out, to show how deep the pockets are. That’s what makes these shorts different from other ones I’ve tried.

The phone pocket: the phone pocket has plenty of room for a larger phone. If you have a bigger phone, you’ll need to put it in at an angle (keep this in mind). The phone in the picture is an iPhone 13 mini, which is a bit smaller than a lot of the iPhones that are oversized.

Right now, I prefer un-lined shorts, which Path Projects does well. I feel like I can get more runs out of a pair of shorts without washing them. With lined shorts, I want to wash them after every run, and this batters up the fabric.

With unlined shorts (and this is what Path Projects does well), I have my choice of what goes under: base layers, boxers, compression products. I enjoy that these shorts are unlined because of all the options from there.

Base Liners

I learned that Path Projects believes in “Separating the shorts from the liner” for better versatility and performance. This works for me, because I prefer un-lined shorts, like I mentioned above.

Lynx Base Liner

I tried this base liner in the 8” inseam because the other inseam lengths (3” and 5”) were sold out in my size. With my 7”-inseam shorts in the Sykes and Graves, they stick out a little. That’s fine, though. I always run alone (and often, at night).

What are they like? They’re soft, and extremely stretchy, because they contain 11% spandex and the rest is polyester. They’re made with this checkered stitch you see in my photos below, so they’re very breathable.

The Lynx Base Liner folds up small, as you’d expect, so you can pack several of these in a drawer or in a packing cube if you’re traveling for a run. Overall, they’re a sweat-wicking product for where you need it. I approve.

Tops

I’ve been running in cotton tees lately, so having performance tech shirts is new for me this year specifically. Let’s see how Path Projects’ running shirts went for me.

Wadi Tee

What’s unique about this T-shirt is that it is extremely thin material. Something I noticed is that the shirt tag is placed low. This means it will likely hit at your shorts, and it won’t irritate your skin as you are running (it’s a good thing). There’s no neck tag, either, and I look for this feature in athletic wear because tags get in the way.

Now, for my experience: I typically don’t wear hyper-thin tech running shirts unless I am running a race.

I gave the Wadi Tee a shot because I was curious. I was surprised how much i liked running in it versus a T-shirt. Believe it or not, I run in cotton t-shirts, which seems like a strange T-shirt choice for a runner, but I’m used to that.

How did the Wadi Tee perform?

When I put it on, it felt really dry, which might be why it’s named after a desert in the Middle East (Wadi Rum is a nature reserve in Jordan). When you hold it up with your fingers, it feels like a very “dry” and non-absorbent type of fabric.

I went on a run wearing the Wadi Tee, I sweated a bit, and during the run, the sweat wicked right away. The shirt didn’t hold onto it. Because it’s so light, there’s a limit to how much water the shirt can hold. So, if you sweat a lot, this shirt won’t weigh you down.

I ended up tucking it in to my shorts because I was running at night. I wanted quick access to my running belt (I attach lights to it, so that I’m visible, on par with my tips on how to best run at night).

For the size, the Medium felt good: it felt spacious on the top, and spacious enough in my shoulders. It felt a little tight in the chest, and was pretty tight on my hips. That’s attributed to my chest and hips being especially wide for my build. I’m not the “typical runner” shape. Good news: there was plenty of room in the sleeves.

Another issue that I have with tech shirts is that they run long. The Wadi Tee runs on the longer side, so it hugged my hips. It’ll never really “hang” off my body and it’ll always hug my hips. It didn’t bother me because I tucked it in, but it also means I won’t be wearing it on a day-to-day for lifestyle wear.

Basis Tee

My first impressions of the Basis Tee from the Basis Collection are that it is super thin. It doesn’t stop there, though: it’s soft, from the breathable fabric blend. Not only is it a running shirt, but it’s a tee that I could wear under a sweatshirt and layer in fall or winter for non-running purposes.

I got the Basis Tee in size Medium, in the Olive color.

Basis Long Sleeve Tee

It’s a quick-dry tech tee that comes in a super-light fabric with a bunch of stretch. A tee like this is a great gift for runners because it’s pretty hard to dislike! As you’d guess, it’s the long-sleeve version of the short-sleeve Basis Tee above.

I like the fact that the fabric is sustainable, made from eucalyptus wood pulp. You can get a feel for the thinness of the fabric in my photos here.

Pyrenees LS Hooded Tee

This super-thin and soft hooded tee is cool for all seasons. It’s hyper-thin and soft, with these next-level options for sleeves to keep my hands and wrists warm. Check out the photos.

There’s a deep hood for helping stay warm, even though the material is thin. Path Projects recommends wearing it in temperatures from 35 to 90 F because of its quick-dry ability to keep you both cool or warm.

Pants

I’m not much of a person who runs in pants, so I have to get used to running pants when I get them. I tried the following pair, which is the main athletic jogger from PP.

Killam PX Joggers

First, a summary on my take on these: they’re performance joggers with a cropped style. In all honesty, I’m not 100% sure that they’ll be my go-to for running pants as winter sets in. But I’m glad to try them.

They’re made of a tech-like material that’s 100% polyester, but it’s breathable and very stretchy. There’s a bottom zipper pocket built in, as well as 3 pockets in the back and 2 front pockets with an internal key pocket. One more thing: there are zippers at the ankles to zipper-up if you like that look.

Some guys might want to wear a style like this every day for athleisure. It’s one of those types of pants to have around if you try to stay fit while you work remotely and want to do a desk-to-workout switch in a second.

A note from me: Something weird happened with one of the zipper pockets, where during production, it looks like the sewing machine went over the zipper. Here’s a link to the return policy—but rather, this issue was a manufacturing defect, so we’ll probably reach out to customer service to get this fixed up!

Other accessories

I started wearing the Hagen PX Hat right away because it fit, and I like the tech fabric. Would you ever know that the fabric is a corn-based material? The fit is perfect for me and the way I wear hats.

The only thing to note is that it’s recommended to hand wash it, which is going to be tough to get used to because I throw so many of my hats right into the washer.

Next is the Ferndell PX Trucker Hat and this is more of a lifestyle hat. It’s an everyday style that I tend to wear backwards with a crewneck sweatshirt or a hoodie on my way out the door.

And that’s it! This is everything I tried from Path Projects.

Where to buy Path Projects

I’m impressed: Path Projects is a brand that has actually made their products pretty unavailable from any retail site except their own. And I like this.

The best way to get Path Projects apparel and gear is from the Path Projects website! You can get free shipping over $100, and there are options to bundle and save on things like shirts, tanks and socks.

Worth it?

So far, as you can see in my assessment of how my product testing went, I give five stars to the brand and the gear they make. I think a lot of what this brand does is in its fabrics, pocket placements and lightweight materials for the styles.

I’m always game to invest in running gear that’s “specifically” for runners, because the by-runners-for-runners type of companies are those that understand what runners need and want in their shorts, pants and shirts.