alternatives to running in tights in the cold

Not freezing....... wrote:

Inside treadmill.

There is a reason they play basketball INSIDE in the winter. They are obviously smarter than some of you runners.

Here in Barrow, AK, we tough it out in snowmobile suits. Ski goggles, and Uggs.

Sub zero temps aint bed as long as you dress appropriately. Kind of invigorating really.

As long as its not icy ill head on out

John Utah wrote:

Try sport hill. Go to their website. They have gear that falls between between tights and pants/sweats. You won’t find higher quality than sport hill. Top class gear they make.

Don't buy sport hill. I've had numerous pairs of their pants (Callaghan and Super XC) and both had their stitching come loose after a year. They just fell apart at the stitching. All over the pants. I've spoken to a few customer service reps and they refuse to send me a new pair for their shoddy pants. Overpriced for not great pants.

I know every hates big bad Nike, but they hold up. And they will let you return stuff without asking questions. Also Salomon and Craft (of Sweden) are my go to's.

I own two pairs of Craft Storm tights now. One pair for 5 years. And the issue with them is the hole's I put in them from falling off a fatbike.

Ron Hill tracksters.

Tighter than regular jogging bottoms but looser and thicker than tights. How tights ever became fashionable especially among the middle age jogging crowd I know belong to is beyond me.

I respect your statements and experience with sport hill, but I can say my experience has been the exact opposite. I’ve had my gear for 10+ years and it doesn’t look much different from the day I bought the stuff after 10+ years of constant use in the winter months.

Maybe they were bad eggs that I have been getting and that isn't the overall product. But their customer service was stone cold ruthless. Not even a consideration that their pants could be flawed.

Sport Hill is tremendous. I can't even fathom how you could have had such a polar opposite experience. Like John Utah, I've gotten 10+ years out of my first pair and have a second pair I've used for 5 years that still feel brand new. If anything, Sport Hill should consider "planned obsolescence" to increase sales (I'm glad they don't).

Lots of other brands make them now, but Sporthill made "track pants" about 30 yrs ago and continue to.

Are you really this unimaginative?

http://www.sporthill.com/original-running-stirrup-pant/

I agree with the OP and with Xcool. I also just hate the feel of tights, which seem to restrict my movement (and I'm 115 pounds with fairly skinny legs--I doubt that my tights are "too tight"). I also have a pair of very lightweight pants, not sure who makes them, that are close-fitting but not skin-tight, like Xcool describes. I call them "looses".

I live in a warm climate, where the coldest I ever have to run in is low 20s. For me, 28-30 degrees is the cutoff between shorts and "looses", but to each his own.

Swix XC ski pants. Good on their own down to 15 or 20 F. Below that wear tights or long johns underneath.

I started wearing slim fit soccer pants. They fit great and cost like 1/3 of the usual running pants. Running pants are a complete rip off. Companies know the running crowd is upper income and they can jack up the price. For example, those SportHill pants everyone is ao hyped up on here cost like over $100. No thanks.

Walmart sells joggers for $7/pair which are tapered sweat pants. Personally, I can't wear them until it is under twenty F outside else I get too sweaty.

vivalarepublica wrote:

I started wearing slim fit soccer pants. They fit great and cost like 1/3 of the usual running pants. Running pants are a complete rip off. Companies know the running crowd is upper income and they can jack up the price. For example, those SportHill pants everyone is ao hyped up on here cost like over $100. No thanks.

Aren't soccer "training" pants rather heavy?

I completely agree re: Sporthill. That was my first thought went I went to the website after seeing this thread. $100+ for a pair of running pants? No thanks. That being said, I do like the fact that they make different inseam sizes. I saw a pair of Nike lightweight running pants at the local running store, held them up to my legs and there was probably 4 inches of fabric at the bottom....and this was a small!

The soccer pants I bought are lighter than my running pants. Although the running pants I weighed them against were the colder weather windstopper type.

The GH Sports (formerly HIND) offerings are intriguing. Anybody know if they have zippered pockets to carry the necessities?

OP and cyclocross guy were onto something...

When it gets to be about 40*F and I want to wear shorts (for a race), I'll slather massage oil on my legs right before I start my run/race. Learned that running XC in NY state. For temps below 20*F or windy/wet conditions, I'll use the oil + tights or tapered pants rather than two layers of tights. I use Badger Oil ginger or somethin like that, but regular canola oil will work in a pinch, and I suppose vaseline would, too.

I've always liked Sugoi when it comes to cold weather gear, especially their running pants/tights. I've tried a lot of different brands and I think they are the best. No, I don't work for them.

https://us-store.sugoi.com/search?type=product&q=tights

theJeff wrote:

Google Embrocation Cream.

Cyclocross racers use it all the time to keep legs warm and keep dirt off.

You are welcome :-)

This is the only legitimate answer on this thread, and the only correct one.

The lack of serious replies is striking - even for LR standards.

You want "track" pants. They are between tights and standard gym pants: tapered and slim through the leg, and tight (only) around the ankles.

Nike makes a few different models - all on their site. For ex: NIKE PHENOM, NIKE THERMA ESSENTIAL, NIKE ESSENTIAL.

I wear the Nike Y20, which is the 2016 model. You can probably still find these on discount. I usually find them at REI.

Actually Reads Questions wrote:

theJeff wrote:

Google Embrocation Cream.

Cyclocross racers use it all the time to keep legs warm and keep dirt off.

You are welcome :-)

This is the only legitimate answer on this thread, and the only correct one.

Just make sure it goes NOWHERE near your crotch.