Disclaimer: I received the 2XU HYOPTIK Thermal Compression Tights to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews.
After much ado in the shipping process, I finally received these 2XU tights right at the beginning of the month. Since I was tapering for my full marathon at the beginning of the month, I held off trying these tights until my race was over. I have heard a lot of talk amongst runners in the past year or so about what compression does and have been curious myself. Compression is supposed to help with keeping your muscles in place, increase blood flow, reducing muscle soreness and reducing recovery time. I was excited to give these tights a try myself.
I have a pair of winter running tights of a generic brand that I bought a while back to simply keep my legs warm while running in cooler temps. They sometimes take some extra effort to put on or take off, because well, they’re tights. The 2XU were even a little more difficult to put on and take off, mainly due to them being compression. Once I slipped them on, they really felt comfortable. The material is extremely soft and fit my body well (I worry about the size of my calves in tights sometimes). I also immediately could tell that these were thermal and were made to keep my body warm.
Now, I must admit a mistake I made when ordering these. I had the option between the full-length tights or the ¾ length tights. Since I already had full-length tights and had never tried ¾ length, I opted for the later just for the sake of trying something different. Once I received the 2XU tights, I kind of thought how silly it was to have ¾ length tights that were thermal. As in, isn’t the point of thermal tights to keep you warmer than just plain-old tights? Yet these are ¾ length, meaning a portion of my legs will be uncovered and exposed to the elements? I know this was my mistake, since I was the one who chose these, but I couldn’t help wish I had opted for the full-length. Because of my shorter tights, I decided I had to save these for a run in weather that was a little more mild. I wore these out on a 30 degree day and they were perfect.
After much ado in the shipping process, I finally received these 2XU tights right at the beginning of the month. Since I was tapering for my full marathon at the beginning of the month, I held off trying these tights until my race was over. I have heard a lot of talk amongst runners in the past year or so about what compression does and have been curious myself. Compression is supposed to help with keeping your muscles in place, increase blood flow, reducing muscle soreness and reducing recovery time. I was excited to give these tights a try myself.
I have a pair of winter running tights of a generic brand that I bought a while back to simply keep my legs warm while running in cooler temps. They sometimes take some extra effort to put on or take off, because well, they’re tights. The 2XU were even a little more difficult to put on and take off, mainly due to them being compression. Once I slipped them on, they really felt comfortable. The material is extremely soft and fit my body well (I worry about the size of my calves in tights sometimes). I also immediately could tell that these were thermal and were made to keep my body warm.
Now, I must admit a mistake I made when ordering these. I had the option between the full-length tights or the ¾ length tights. Since I already had full-length tights and had never tried ¾ length, I opted for the later just for the sake of trying something different. Once I received the 2XU tights, I kind of thought how silly it was to have ¾ length tights that were thermal. As in, isn’t the point of thermal tights to keep you warmer than just plain-old tights? Yet these are ¾ length, meaning a portion of my legs will be uncovered and exposed to the elements? I know this was my mistake, since I was the one who chose these, but I couldn’t help wish I had opted for the full-length. Because of my shorter tights, I decided I had to save these for a run in weather that was a little more mild. I wore these out on a 30 degree day and they were perfect.
The 2XU Hyoptik tights stayed in place—they didn’t slide around near my hip or need adjusting like some of my shorts or other tights. I found myself forgetting I had tights on—I almost felt like I was only wearing shorts! Another feature that the Hyoptik line boasts is the reflective graphics up and down both legs to help other runners/bikers/cars see you after dark. Though I didn’t run with these at night, it was immediately apparent they would stick out if a light was shined on them!
The bottom line: I really am happy with the 2XU Hyoptik tights! Since my pair is ¾ length, I forsee myself getting a lot more use out of them on some of the days where the weather is still too cool for shorts, but too warm to wear full-length tights. The brand has a great reputation with some of my friends and fellow BibRave Pros and I’ve heard their products last forever. On the pricey side, they are a little more of an investment, but I would certainly recommend them to anyone specifically in a cooler climate!
The bottom line: I really am happy with the 2XU Hyoptik tights! Since my pair is ¾ length, I forsee myself getting a lot more use out of them on some of the days where the weather is still too cool for shorts, but too warm to wear full-length tights. The brand has a great reputation with some of my friends and fellow BibRave Pros and I’ve heard their products last forever. On the pricey side, they are a little more of an investment, but I would certainly recommend them to anyone specifically in a cooler climate!
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