Shrinkage in a gi comes from the way the product is made and the materials they are made from. Some gi go through pretty good manufacturing processes and are effectively 'pre-shrunk; - these tend to be top of the range such as Gameness or Koral. Other top makes such as Atama, Dragao, Adidas, Mizuno etc don't come pre-shrunk. On average regardless of whether a gi is preshrunk or not, you need to take into account a shrinkage of 5% to be on the safe side. Where a gi is not pre-shrunk, you need to accept that it has the potential to shrink a full size if washed in a hot wash and tumble dried. There are benefits to this as the experienced BJJ fighter can get the gi to fit them absolutely as they require. Its knowing how to wash and dry it, and when to stop. As far as Keiko Raca, they fall into the catagory of potential shrinkers. They also (from our experience) tend to suffer badly in the tumble dryer. If possible, you should always avoid forced drying a gi in a tumble dryer but some makes, tend to suffer more than others.
I own a Keiko racca and honestly it didnt shrink very much. A little yes but no where near the amount My atama did. I think if your order your average size you will be fine. I ordered big and i wish i never did.. The thing wears like a dress on me now. Over time the Keiko Racca has become my 2nd favorite gi.. Its thin and light.. the collar is pretty decent and its a nice looking gi. My open grip about it is the cut. The lapes at the bottom never line up straight.. They will always sit jagged.. But i mean your fighitng in it so who cares right? Yeah and like he said.. stay away fro the drier if you like the patches.. They get rubbed down and away very quickly from the drier... Once you get to a certain point it doesnt really wear to much more.. But alot of the patches have rubbed off atleast 60%... it doesnt look bad.. jus tlooks like an old gi.
