Flow Kimonos Air BJJ Jiu Jitsu Gi

So let me start by saying I've been studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu off and on for about six years now and I've always used heavy double weave gi's (450+ GSM) with "cotton drill" pants. If you don't understand the various weaves just search google for "BJJ gi weave types" and there is plenty of information to be had. Heavy weave gi's are harder to grip and are very durable but they are hot, heavy to wear when sweaty and difficult to clean and pack if you travel.I now travel a great deal and to a number of places that offer me the opportunity to train at a number of locations. I found that my heavy weave gi's take a lot of room in my luggage and since I have to hand wash and hang dry them, I often have to pack them home wet or damp unless I train early enough in the trip for them to dry.Thus I started my search for a light "air weight" gi, after doing a few weeks of research on sizing and the various cuts and weaves of different manufacturers I decided to give the Flow Air a try. To further complicate my decision I'm a big guy with an athletic build, at the very top of an A3 size, so much so that some gi's are too small even before a wash and dry. If I go to an A4 in any gi I can use it for a tent and the sleeves and pants are 3" too long.My build:5' 10" tall220 lbs38" in waist with a 30" instep18" neck with a 34/35 sleeveNow a gi should be snug across the shoulders, chest and biceps, extra material in these areas is for your competition to grab onto so you try and keep that to a minimum. If you check the two pictures on the Amazon page for this gi you'll see the male model wearing the different color gi's, in my opinion all of those gi's are too large for him and should be washed and shrunk in a dryer to fit. The competitor pictured further down the page has a better fit on his, you can see the difference there.My current gi's are all A3's and are snug in the shoulders but not uncomfortable so I started there with the Flow Air. An A3 Air fit well everywhere with two exceptions it was tight under the arm pits and to tight in the seat of the pants (wedgie time). Both of these issues are no-go's as they are uncomfortable and restrict movement. No worries though, I got it through "Amazon Prime with free returns" so back it went to be exchanged for an A3H.The A3H is for big guys, 5" 11"-6' 2", 215-245lbs, the same weight range as an A4 so at 220lbs I was a little worried about it being huge on me but I gave it a go. On the initial test the length of sleeve and pants was perfect, about 1" longer than needed, this should easily shrink to rest at mid ankle and at the wrist which is where you want them (again, check the pictures, the models sleeves are too long, the competitors are at the wrist joint). The A3H was also pretty baggy on me which was a little concerning but overall it fit well and didn't bind in the arm pits and seat of the pants like the A3 did on me.I was confident with the fit so I washed it in cold water three times (hanging dry each time) to see how much it would shrink, it only shrank about 1/4" which was pretty amazing (I guess the "pre-shrunk fabric" really is). Still, that wasn't enough for me so I wet the gi, hand wrung it out and put it into a hot dryer cycle. Be warned, a gi wont really start to shrink until it starts to dry then it shrinks quickly so don't forget about it.I checked the fit every ten minutes or so, I got a good 1/2" shrink on the pants all around and lost 1/2 to 3/4 or so on the fit (snugness) of the top and about 1" in the sleeves. The pants will get another trip through the dryer to shrink another 1" or so, if that doesnt work I'll have them hemmed to rest at the ankle instead of under it.The fit now is as close as I think I can get to perfect given my body type, great for training and travel but larger than what I'd want for competition. If I was looking for a gi to compete in I'd buy the A3 and only use it for competitions so it wouldn't have an opportunity to shrink.Anyway, enough about sizing, the gi is stylish without being gaudy and the materials and craftsmanship are excellent. The jacket is light and cool and the rip stop pants are feather light, it's easily the highest quality light gi I've come across (for less than $100 as of this writing), buy this gi with confidence.If you are in the middle of a size, get your regular size or go by the sizing chart. if you are borderline to heavy or tall go to the next size up.

I've had the Flow Kimono Air (Blue, A3L) for over a week now and really love it! I am a full time jiu jitsu athlete and I'm on the mat 6 six days a week.I'll start off with the look of the Air: It's a great design with minimal logos which I really like as a competitor to put my team and sponsor patches on the gi. The red Flow logo contrasts the blue gi and makes for an attractive gi. I like to show off the type of gi I wear but I also like the particular placement on the sleeves and upper center back that Flow decided to place their logos, it's a attractive, people know what type of gi I'm wearing but it's not overkill; perfect.the Fit: I researched a lot of gi's before purchasing this particular one, I'm kind of picky what gi I wear, especially for competition. I'm 6'4", 205lbs, with a very lanky but athletic body style. I do like minimal material for opponents to grab onto and I hate swimming in gi's so I was concerned about the sizes and how it might fit. I ordered the A3L after being advised by both another Flow user and Flow on Instagram. I was worried it would be to much slack in it or sleeves too long, etc. It fit perfectly! The length was perfect, not too much fabric for opponent to grab onto and legal for IBJJF and other organizations competition rules. The kimono is built perfectly both for my body type around the rib cage and the length of sleeves. The pants were just slightly long for my taste but not too bad, and the fit around the legs was perfect but at first I was concerned about how tight it was on my butt. It didn't restrict my movement and wasn't uncomfortable but it was slightly snug.Washing: I washed in cold water and hang dried and instructed. There was no color bleeding in it and to my liking it didn't retain my stink. I have some gi's that almost no matter what I do they still have a residue of stink to them. Thankfully, the Flow Air came out stench free; maybe it's the Flow Flower Power :)Overall, I love the gi a lot. It fits great not restricting movement but staying snug on the body. The Flow Air is very lightweight and is great to train in. All of my interactions with Flow on both Amazon and Instagram has been great. I would recommend Flow Kimonos all day.

I didn't purchase this gi on Amazon, but I love it so much I wanted to leave a review for those considering it. In short, I would purchase again, and I'd recommend it to anyone, especially if you are in-between sizing - most other brands don't have them. I have purchased 5 different brands of GI, and this one is in my opinion the best value for the money spent. You could spend more on a gi but you'd get little difference in materials and craftsmanship, and if you spent less than this you will not get the same quality. It really is the perfect blend quality and value. It's made of excellent materials, and the construction is top notch. I also own one of Flow's pro gi's and it's basically the same (I believe the material weights are the same), but the pro gi has some special fabrics in certain areas that help with making you feel cooler, and it has seam tape in all the critical areas making it even more durable and polished looking. BOTH are excellent gi's and it will be hard for me to purchase from other companies in the future. Prior to finding this company, I tried, Fuji, Storm, Sanbul, Elite Sports, and Hyabusa.. I'm 5'5", 195 lbs, muscular build with the "dad bod" stomach, and an A2H fits me perfectly.