Branwyn Essential Racerback Sports Bra Review

As a woman, taking my bra off at the end of a long day is the epitome of comfort. When hiking and backpacking, the last thing I want to be thinking about is how my sports bra is constricting my breathing or making me feel hot and sweaty. I want to look forward to camp because I’m ready to relax, not because I’m ready to take off my bra.

Whether I’m hustling down the trail or pounding the pavement, I don’t want to be aware of things that are jiggling, or even aware of my bra. I want my girls to feel supported yet secure. Branwyn has introduced a heavy duty sports bra to try and fill this need: the Essential Racerback Bra.

Branwyn Essential Racerback Sports Bra At-a-Glance

• MSRP: $75
• Available sizes: XS-XXL
• Available colors: Black, Natural, and Blue Pool
• Materials: 76% extra fine Merino wool, 14% nylon, and 10% Spandex.
• Weight: 5.6oz (according to my kitchen scale)

Circumstances of Review

I work as a backpacking guide in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This sports bra saw me through my sweaty summer season and has supported me as I’ve trained for a half marathon. I also work as a yoga teacher and have worn this bra regularly for a variety of classes. This sports bra has seen a lot of sweat and miles prior to this review.

In 2023 reviewed Brawnwyn’s Essential Busty Bra and Bikini. I was very impressed with how lightweight, breathable, and comfortable this “performance innerwear” was. I was eager for another opportunity to review one of Brawnwyn’s products. For the Busty Bra, I ordered a medium, but it felt like the band was a little too snug. When ordering the Racerback Bra, I decided to go up a size in hopes that I would feel more comfortable. For reference, I typically wear a 36-38B.

Branwyn Essential Racerback Sports Bra Features

Focus on sustainability: Branwyn’s ZQ, OEKO-TEX 100, and RWS-certified merino is regenerative and sustainable (which also means it is BPA, PFAS, and toxic-free)

Seamless design: The Essential Racerback has no seams, minimizing chafe, while the four-way stretch knit provides light compression and support without compromising mobility

Body-mapped contours: Provide separation and airflow

Padding sleeves: Sleeves allow for padding inserts if extra cushioning or support is needed (pads not included)

Racerback design: Pullover style with racerback straps for full range of motion

Why Merino? Why So Expensive?

Merino wool is all the rage these days in backcountry clothing. It is a sustainable and naturally occurring resource- it’s sheep’s wool! Before reviewing gear for The Trek, I didn’t know that “merino” is a specific type of sheep. Merino wool is known for being lightweight, breathable, quick-drying, moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating, and odor-resistant. It is quickly becoming the industry standard for natural fiber.

The popular alternative materials are synthetic, which tend to be cheaper but may not perform as well. With nicer material, though, comes a higher price tag. 

Branwyn’s prices are comparable to similar garments. One thing that sets Branwyn apart is their passion for women’s empowerment. Branwyn donates at least 1 percent of all sales to their nonprofit Empowerment Partners like Outdoor Afro and Play Like a Girl. So even though their performance innerwear may seem expensive, as a consumer, I feel good knowing that part of my purchase goes to nonprofits.

Branwyn Essential Racerback Sports Bra Pros

Highly supportive: No slipping from straps, and it was tight enough to keep everything in place. The racerback design ensures that the straps stay put, and the tight nature hugs my curves without being restrictive. For my friends with larger busts, this is essential. Branwyn’s website boasts that this bra is “built with body-hugging, compressive, seamless support for your higher impact adventures,” and boy, do I believe it. There ain’t a thing moving in this bra!

Absolutely no stink: I wore this for consecutive days during sweaty backpacking trips, and it never once emitted an odor. Even at home, I would sometimes wait weeks to wash this bra just to see if it would get stinky. I wore it daily while trail running and teaching yoga classes. It got wet and sweaty but never started to smell.

Padding sleeves: The Essential Racerback does have sleeves if you want to insert padding for additional comfort or support. It should be noted that the inserts are not sold with this bra. You could always snag some from a bathing suit or similar sports bra, though.

Machine washable: Their website recommends handwashing but does say it’s acceptable to machine wash this bra in a mesh laundry bag “with like colors in cool to warm water with a mild eco-friendly soap.” It is strongly recommended to let this bra air dry by laying it flat. I accidentally sent it through the dryer a couple of times, and it has held up well, with no stretching or tearing as a result.

Very durable: Because it was designed for high-impact activities, it is extra thick (more on this below). This thickness means that it will survive more wear and tear, especially compared to other lightweight merino wool bras.

Racerback design: This is a common sports bra design but is beneficial because it means there are no straps to adjust. This also prevents the straps from slipping off your shoulder like standard perpendicular bra straps. The straps stay put, and so do your boobs.

Branwyn Essential Racerback Sports Bra Cons

Limited size range: Branwyn only offers sizes XS-XXL. Compared to other merino wool bras, the XXL is generous. In fairness, most companies only carry XS-XL. However, these sizes are still limited and not inclusive of all bodies.

Does not dry quickly: Merino wool is praised as a magical material that dries super fast. In my experience, this has not been the case with any piece of merino wool clothing I have worn. This bra, in particular, stayed wet for DAYS. This was even after I let it lay flat to dry as recommended. After a long hike or a hard run, I felt clammy while wearing this for extended periods because the bra remained damp long after the rest of my clothing had dried. It didn’t dry lying flat, and it didn’t dry on my body either. 

Extra thick, non-breathable material: Besides drying quickly, merino wool is supposed to be breathable. This is not a quality I experienced with this bra. The Essential Racerback Bra is advertised as being “built with higher compression and heavier material than our Bralette and Busty Bras.” I think this is absolutely true. This bra is THICK, and that’s without any additional padding. Because of how thick it was, I found myself getting extra hot.

When wearing Branwyn’s Busty Bra and similar sports bras, I have never had an issue with overheating. When wearing the Racerback Bra, I wasn’t out in exceptionally high temperatures or performing strenuous workouts, but my body temperature increased noticeably. This, in turn, made me sweat even more, which saturated the bra. As mentioned above, this bra does not dry quickly, so I was left feeling wet and hot.

To play devil’s advocate, because this bra is built for high impact and was designed with higher compression, it has to be thicker to provide that support. However, I felt the negatives outweighed the positives on this one. I just found it too thick to be breathable or comfortable for long periods of time.

Conclusion

I truly feel like this bra is indestructible because it is so heavy-duty. It will keep everything nice and secure. I expect the longevity of this garment to last for many years.

As for whether or not I will want to wear this sports bra for years to come … My answer is no. Because it is so thick and does not dry well, I don’t anticipate it being my undergarment of choice for rigorous physical activities.

It’s great to keep the girls firmly in place and has served me well in yoga classes and for casual wear, but the lack of breathability and inability to dry makes me want to leave it at home for my next backpacking trip. 

Shop the Branwyn Essential Racerback Sports Bra

Comparable Bras

Smartwool Women’s Intraknit™ Racerback Bra

• MSRP: $65
• Materials: Outer: 62% Nylon, 28% Elastane, 10% Polyester. Lining: 20% Merino Wool, 20% Lyocell, 39% Nylon, 15% Elastane, 6% Polyester
• Available sizes: XS-XL
• Available colors: Almond, Sandstone, Black Heather

Icebreaker Women’s Merino Sprite Racerback Bra

• MSRP: $60
• Materials: 83% Merino Wool/ 12% Nylon/ 5% Elastane
• Available sizes: XS-XL
• Available colors: Black, Grindstone Heather, Magic, Tang

Helly Hansen Women’s LIFA Merino Midweight Base Layer Bra

• MSRP: $60
• Materials: Shell: 57% Merino Wool, 43% Polypropylene – Lining: 90% Polyamide, 10% Elastane
• Available sizes: XS-XL
• Available colors: Black, Terrazzo

 The Branwyn Essential Racerback Bra was donated for purpose of review.

All images, including featured image, courtesy of Branwyn.