When I mentioned to Derek – the Salomon Toronto gear head, that I need racing pants, he initially walked me over to the compression section, but since the store did not have my size, I walked out with a pair of Trail IV ¾ Tights in black. I wore these pants to a CrossFit workout, a treadmill run, taught yoga in them, and ran a number of races in them (including a trail half marathon and the Spartan Ultra Beast).
pros…
the tights feel great. Really light, but supportive. I love the mesh on the back of the knee. Great basic tight for running – road or trail. I also like the length - just below the knee.
I got them muddy a number of tights, and it all came off easily in the wash.
they do really well wet as well, as the lightness of the material does not let them get heavy
the zippered pocket on the back was perfect to hold a gel or two for shorter distances
cons…
although I like the pocket in the back, the zipper actually gets in the way when you are lying on your back (e.g. crunches). For an obstacle racing pant, ideally I'd want something without zippers - for example, some athletic tights have a pocket at the front with just a slit around the waist. I found that those pockets don't really get in the way if you have a gel there for example. On the bright side, of course, this type of pocket you can zip up.
with any obstacle that includes jumping into the water (mostly Tough Mudder), the pant rolls up a bit as the material is so light. if Arctic Enema or Walk the Plank is in your future, you may want something that fits tighter around the calf.
totally a girl thing, but I found that this pant hits my waist in a funny place, creating a muffin top. So it fits just a tad too high on the waist.... Stylistically it does not matter if you wear a shirt over top, but the coolness factor diminishes a bit, if you are just sporting the sports bra. :)
Starting the Spartan Ultra Beast in Killington, Vermont on September 21, 2012.
I’m also sporting this pant in my recent video submission to the Epic Racing Arena
conclusions…
this is a great basic running tight for road and trail racing
the back pocket serves well for energy gels for distances up to a half marathon
not ideal for yoga, gym and any other activities where you may end up on your back (I welcome you to entertain the possibilities here), as you can feel the zipper lying down
you’d probably want a tighter, sturdier pant for obstacle racing as well
Hugs, SOLO