Dakine is skipping some of the more recent clothing trends for 2013, and heading south of the border for a little inspiration - namely Mexican blankets. From the new Dropout jersey, to their industry-standard Pick-up Pad, the new Palapa design can be found throughout the line.
We had a chance to spend some quality time in the Dropout 3/4 Sleeve over the last couple of months, and it quickly made it to the top of the jersey pile, if only for style points alone.
Feature-wise, the 100% quick-dry polyester material does in fact dry quickly, and its Microban antimicrobial technology kept serious odors at bay. The jersey still got stinky, but not in the traditional, painfully-potent-polyester kind of way - if needed, the Dropout could be ridden two days in a row without much heckling from friends, or the need to mouth-breathe when at a standstill. Still, it's definitely not as stench-retardant as wool.
Our pre-production Dropout didn't come with an interior sunglass wipe, but word on the street is that the production run will. Other than that, the crew neck, raglan-sleeved jersey is pretty straightforward. Dakine does get style points for an offset logo on the back, which is designed around hydration packs - always good to see companies sweat the details for specific sports, verses simply renaming a tech-T a mountain bike jersey.
The offset logo is a clever touch for rucksack users