Mens Running Pants

rhall9058

It's 106 degrees outside plus humidity, what in the world would I want with pants? I know, I know................

Anyway, I'm noticing that mens running pants are on clearance at all of the sports & outdoor stores, and rather than pay full price in a couple of months when I need them, I'll just get some now at cheaper prices.

But since I'm such a newb at all of this, my question to you is what specifically I should be looking for. Loose fit? tight fit? pockets? zippers?

What do you have, what you do you like, what do you dislike (other than newbs like me asking stupid questions, I got that part already)?

KathleenMurry

I'm a woman, but I assume we have the same needs with pants!

100% tight pants. They are more comfortable when you sweat, they have benefits of compression, better in the wind, keep you warmer in winter...the list goes on.

Get pants with pockets/zippers if you need to carry your keys or a sport gel with you. If you always go free, no need. They sure don't hurt to have. Better safe than sorry, right?

Nike and Under Armour make great long running tights.

mellorunner

I always go with long running tights over pants, for the reasons listed above. I'd say try to find a pair that have the zippers near the ankles, makes them a lot easier to take off quickly if need be (especially important for race prep). A small pocket in the back can be very useful to carry a key. Just about any running brand (Nike, Asics, New Balance, Adidas, Mizuno) will make quality running gear. Personally not much of an Under Armour fan since it seems like their stuff is always overpriced.

SonicDeathMonkey80

No can do on running pants. Too swishy, too hot, too annoying - however, I'll wear some to marathons and put them in my drop bag before starting. I swear by Asics Thermopolis gear for running in the cold. They do a perfect job of blocking the cold SD winds and wicking sweat away so you don' t get swampass/ballsoup.

TheBrolympus

No can do on running pants.

I 2nd the no running pants. I found that if I keep my core warm then my legs don't seem to get cold. So I just invested in some good long sleeve cold weather shirts and under armor. With that being said, I also live in Texas and we don't see temps much below the upper 20s around here. I might be singing a different tune if I lived up North.

BrianSharpe

No can do on running pants.

I 2nd the no running pants. I found that if I keep my core warm then my legs don't seem to get cold. So I just invested in some good long sleeve cold weather shirts and under armor. With that being said, I also live in Texas and we don't see temps much below the upper 20s around here. I might be singing a different tune if I lived up North.

And I'll 3rd it....

Track pants are great casual wear or for staying warm before a track meet but when it come to actually running loose fabric flapping around on my legs drives me nuts.

For almost anything above freezing I'm in shorts (but I'm a crazy Canadian - I have good cold tolerance) and when cooler temperatures hit it's running tights (and I felt like a complete doofus when I wore them in public for the first time and very quickly learned that no one even noticed). Some companies also make a snugger fitting running pants for those who want a compromise between track pants and tights.

davemunger

Running tights for the winter. I also have a pair of sweat pants that I use before and after races in the cold weather while I'm running in shorts. I look for at least one pocket for my keys. Otherwise my primary concern is fit -- I'm tall and most tights are too short for me. You need to pull them up snugly in your crotch to avoid chafing, and often they are too short. I also find that zippers tend to break, so I try to avoid those. My favorite pair had zippers and I finally got my wife to just sew them shut.

PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot

I'll only do wind pants on the most frigid of days, like 15 degrees F with a 30MPH headwind along the Charles river in Boston. Otherwise, it's underarmour under normal running shorts in I'll layer underarmour long sleeve shirts though.

DavidMartinez2

First things first: pants and tights are not the same thing. Unless you are planning on being out in teen or lower temps you can get away with doing tights. The UA tights that are the same material as the cold gear shirts work really well. If you are going to be running in 10 degree weather then you will want a pair of pants for over the tights but even then you can get away with only 1 or 2 pair.

rhall9058

See I learned something new......there IS a difference between tights and pants. I thought they are all just "pants." So if I'm looking for tights, is there some specific feature that is a must have? pockets for cards/ids? pockets for keys? rubber around the ankles? I saw the Asics that someone mentioned and they look pretty basic and straight forward, but I want to make sure there isn't something I'm missing out on. Thanks everybody for the information.

SonicDeathMonkey80

See I learned something new......there IS a difference between tights and pants. I thought they are all just "pants." So if I'm looking for tights, is there some specific feature that is a must have? pockets for cards/ids? pockets for keys? rubber around the ankles? I saw the Asics that someone mentioned and they look pretty basic and straight forward, but I want to make sure there isn't something I'm missing out on. Thanks everybody for the information.

The Asics ones have a key pocket, ankle zips, and a drawstring. I wear comp shorts underneath for junk support and running shorts over them so I'm not showing off my goods to the whole neighborhood

dorianaldyn

Pants/tights with some reflective striping is also a good idea, especially for winter when daylight is limited.

Where I live (Bay Area, CA), I rarely see men in running tights. There's one guy that does laps around my neighborhood and I'll see him in tights sometimes, but most guys around here wear shorts year round. In the winter, I wear full tights, a long sleeved tech shirt, a headband that covers my ears and sometimes gloves.

bluefox9er

I wear tights and pick up as many pairs as I can carry because the weather is simply unforgiving in the UK, and shorts to wear over the top of them.

I have thermal tights for cold weather and some to keep cool in, my legs have been mercilessly been bitten by insects and bugs in this intense heat and humidity doing trail runs.

mellorunner

...and shorts to wear over the top of them.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

WhataBroad

No can do on running pants. Too swishy, too hot, too annoying - however, I'll wear some to marathons and put them in my drop bag before starting. I swear by Asics Thermopolis gear for running in the cold. They do a perfect job of blocking the cold SD winds and wicking sweat away so you don' t get swampass/ballsoup.

LOL'd at the swampass/ballsoup !! OMG

HornedFrogPride

Skip the running pants and wear knee-length compression socks!

CarsonRuns

How cold is the coldest it will be for you this winter?

I wear shorts into the teens (Fahrenheit). I think I had to wear tights once last winter. I prefer Under Armour running tights. No shorts over top. I like to show off my *kitten*.