Maggie Guterl making fast work of a hill in Durango, Colorado. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
The operating attire business has modified rather a lot within the final decade in relation to the very best operating attire manufacturers. Customers are now not restricted to what’s on the market on the specialty operating retailer of their space. The direct-to-consumer period of web retail has meant that new corporations can launch with only a web site and social media, and established manufacturers should keep on their toes and react to buyer wants and traits far more shortly.
From fashion to supplies to performance, adjustments in attire have led to runners having extra selections than ever earlier than. Firms have continued to make use of sponsored athletes and neighborhood leaders to showcase their gear on various kinds of folks and our bodies.
With this abundance of selection, we used the iRunFar group’s collective expertise to pick ten path operating attire manufacturers we commonly use from numerous worth factors and totally different positions out there. On this group, you’ll discover the heavy-hitter manufacturers and smaller ones packing their distinctive punch.
Greatest Operating Attire Manufacturers
Excessive-quality operating attire can hold you snug and searching good. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Location: Ventura, California
Well-liked Fashions: Strider Professional Operating Shorts, Infinite Run Tights, Houdini Jacket, Capilene Cool Light-weight Shirt
What We Like: Patagonia is without doubt one of the greatest manufacturers for considerate particulars, from the exterior drawstring on their shorts to the built-in operating vest design of the Storm Racer Jacket to their use of planet-friendly supplies.
What We Don’t: The items may be an costly funding, however they’re constructed to final.
Patagonia’s path operating historical past has been crammed with stops and begins with their footwear, sponsored groups, and attire, however the previous few seasons have proven an actual dedication to the class.
The Strider Professional Operating Shorts alone will put Patagonia within the operating attire model’s corridor of fame for many people, however the firm additionally has many different very considerate outerwear elements just like the Excessive Endurance Package, with its standout Storm Racer Jacket.
The light-weight Houdini Jacket is the go-to choice for a lot of runners and adventurers, particularly in alpine areas. Patagonia’s dedication to environmental advocacy makes supporting the model a no brainer for path runners, and the top quality of their gadgets makes them nice to make use of.
For extra on what’s taking place at Patagonia, try our Storm Racer Jacket and Excessive Endurance Package opinions.
iRunFar’s Craig Randall exams the Patagonia Storm Racer Jacket in, ahem, stormy situations. Photograph: iRunFar/Christin Randall
Location: Santa Barbara, California
Well-liked Fashions: FKT 5″, EZ Tee LS, UtiliBra-vo
What We Like: Rabbit helps many high-level runners, however their emphasis is on enjoyable for everybody. The comparatively younger model has many colourful items for each women and men, and purists will love the quick inseam choices.
What We Don’t: Some girls want longer shorts than rabbit presents. We’d additionally like to see fashions and colorways stick round a bit of longer to advertise sustainability.
Rabbit was based by two girls in Santa Barbara, California. Just like the pacesetter their identify evokes, their purpose is to be out entrance and push limits within the traditionally male-oriented operating enterprise. Being out entrance goes past cutting-edge attire for the model; it additionally contains the inclusion of all folks and sizes. Their shirts have confirmed to be useable by many ladies all through their being pregnant, stretching to suit a rising stomach and nonetheless being useable post-partum. You possibly can learn extra concerning the rabbit EZ Tank prime and the rabbit EZ tee LS (hyperlinks?) at our greatest maternity exercise garments information. The model gained early traction with path runners and has a definite presence in monitor and subject and street marathons.
RabbitRELAX material is a standout materials, incomes rave opinions from all who slip into items made with this buttery comfortable materials. New collections emerge each season, however some staples embrace button-front shirts just like the Low Tide and the cutout Vert Shirt HP, impressed by the Western States 100 and Scott Jurek. Earlier than Hoka launched its attire traces, rabbit was the producer of the Hoka package utilized by the shoe model’s professionals.
See far more about rabbit in our girls’s chilly climate attire evaluate and girls’s heat climate attire evaluate.
The model rabbit makes nice attire for runners, together with this rabbit Excessive Nation SS worn by Kyle Curtin. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Location: Ashington, U.Ok.
Well-liked Fashions: Dart XT Thermal Zip Neck Lengthy-Sleeved Prime, Minimus Nano Pull-On Waterproof Jacket, Fireball Nano Hooded Jacket, Protium Lite Hooded Fleece Pull-On
What We Like: Wonderful high quality merchandise with an endurance focus, a great deal of choices for tops, pants, and equipment like hats and gloves, merchandise appear to be very sturdy
What We Don’t: Hardly any choices for operating shorts
Montane is without doubt one of the few manufacturers dedicating its total product line to high-output endurance mountain actions. And we’re right here for it. The U.Ok.-based model has quickly turn into certainly one of our favorites, due to its high-quality and high-performing lineup. Merely put, we’ve beloved each Montane product examined. The Dart XT Thermal Zip Neck Lengthy-Sleeved Prime is a superb piece that serves as a next-to-skin base layer or a stand-alone piece. Similar with the Protium Lite Hooded Fleece Pull-On, which is a bit heavier and may deal with temperatures into the 40s as a stand-alone piece.
The Fireball Nano Hooded Jacket is an modern prime layer for colder runs because it options strategically positioned insulation on the chest and air flow underneath the arms and on the again. However maybe certainly one of our favourite items, not simply within the Montane product line however of all attire we’ve just lately examined, is the Minimus Nano Pull-On Waterproof Jacket. The absolutely weatherproof jacket is extremely waterproof, packs down right into a wad most individuals can palm whereas operating, and has confirmed to be a superb “simply in case” piece for us on mountain missions, from path operating to mountain biking to fly-fishing.
We’ve two notes to level out. First, Montane presently doesn’t have many — or any — critical choices for operating shorts. We’d like to see the model take a dip into that class. Secondly, as a typical European model, the minimize and match of most items are slim and athletic. Personally, we like that, however it received’t be as inclusive for all physique sorts, and you must in all probability go up one dimension in comparison with the everyday American clothes manufacturers.
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Well-liked Fashions: AFO Center Brief, 7/8 Groundwork Tight 2.0, Helio Tech Tee
What We Like: Janji is thought for daring and wild prints for women and men whereas standing for terrific causes like international clear water entry.
What We Don’t: It’s a critique you’ll see in a number of locations on this information, however slower mannequin and colorway switches would promote a extra sustainable strategy to operating attire.
Janji exploded on the path operating attire scene a number of years in the past with extraordinarily daring patterns and prints, discovering early distribution within the large outside retailer, REI Co-op. What’s behind the identify? Janji means “a promise or declaration” in Indonesian, and their dedication to environmental and humanitarian causes is immense. The corporate donates 2% of the proceeds of each buy to wash water tasks within the particular nations they use for inspiration for his or her seasonal collections.
Native artists create Janji’s seasonal collections, and two significantly cool ones are designed by Arwin Hidayat and Soni Irawan, two gifted artists from the island of Java. The Batik prints are used significantly successfully on the Groundwork Lengthy Bra 2.0, 7″ Tempo Brief, and the Helio Tech Tank. There are a lot of extra examples of Arwin and Soni’s designs on a few of Janji’s hottest kinds, just like the 5″ AFO Center Brief and 7/8 Groundwork Tight 2.0.
In our girls’s attire evaluate, you may study extra about numerous items from this model.
iRunFar’s Kristin Zosel carrying the Janji Groundwork Tempo Sports activities Bra and Janji 6-inch Groundwork Tempo Brief. Photograph: iRunFar/Kristin Zosel
Location: Seattle, Washington
Well-liked Fashions: Aspect Shorts (classics which might be now not in line), Dare Cross-Again Run Bra, Distance Lengthy Sleeve
What We Like: Excessive-touch customer support and an superior 90-day satisfaction assure, so if you happen to don’t love what you acquire, you may return it at no cost.
What We Don’t: Whereas path operating isn’t an afterthought, Brooks is actually most energetic within the street operating scene.
Brooks is the self-proclaimed “Run Completely happy” firm, and their legacy in path operating footwear is firmly established with classics just like the Cascadia. Along with their well-loved footwear, the corporate additionally has a deep and high-quality attire assortment for all sorts of operating.
Again in 2008, iRunFar founder Bryon Powell stated that the Aspect Shorts, the basic shorts which might be now not in line, have been the very best operating shorts he had utilized in his then-15 years of operating. One can longingly recall the less complicated days of ultrarunning when a youthful Bryon Powell would have been operating in these shorts and commuting to cowl races in his trademark Toyota Prius. The Journey Prius stays, and so does Brooks’s glorious attire.
The corporate has taken actual management in high-visibility clothes meant for staying vivid and noticeable in darkness. Whereas that is actually extra of a priority with street operating, the identical concentrate on particulars extends to the path. Items just like the Sherpa 5″ 2-in-1 Brief and Distance Lengthy Sleeve are extra sturdy than comparable merchandise from different manufacturers, constructed to face up to snagging tree branches or the occasional catch-a-toe crash on exhausting singletrack.
Brooks has received over iRunFar’s girls’s testers with its Dare sports activities bra assortment, a group of high-impact, encapsulation-style bras with seven totally different fashions out there. You possibly can study extra about these bras at our Dare sports activities bra assortment evaluate.
Brooks has lengthy made operating attire, together with the Brooks Dare Excessive-Neck Run Bra from their Brooks Dare sports activities bra assortment. Photograph: iRunFar/Annie Behrend
Location: Ziano di Fiemme, Italy
Well-liked Fashions: Freccia Brief M, Drizzle Overpant M, Timing Brief W
What We Like: Technical supplies and modern textiles with a broad vary of attire for each women and men spotlight what this model creates. Items are a very good funding and may be crossed over with different sports activities.
What We Don’t: The match is certainly European sizing however not as inconsistent as La Sportiva’s footwear may be. Clients ought to evaluate attire dimension charts earlier than shopping for.
It’s a pure transfer for La Sportiva, which makes world-class mountain climbing, mountaineering, and snowboarding merchandise, to supply a group of mountain operating attire that may cross over into any, or typically all, of these different sports activities. And happily, attire for all sports activities advantages from being breathable, quick-drying, and straightforward to layer.
La Sportiva’s operating attire for women and men contains every little thing from shirts to sports activities bras to shorts and skirts and light-weight packable overpants for wet runs. The match is extra European than American, with tighter traces, silhouettes, and vivid and daring colours. La Sportiva is a part of a dwindling group that also presents an iRunFar favourite: the half-zip operating shirt with raglan sleeves — a minimum of for males. The Limitless T-Shirt M makes it simple to manage physique temperature whereas operating.
La Sportiva has lengthy used the outstanding anti-odor and -bacteria expertise Polygiene, which may hold your operating attire from smelling and preserve water and vitality by requiring fewer washes.
Operating in Colorado at dawn. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Location: Annecy, France
Well-liked Fashions: Bonatti Waterproof, S/Lab Velocity Bob
What We Like: Salomon presents one of the vital in depth attire assortments on this information, with many choices for women and men.
What We Don’t: Provide chain points hit Salomon exhausting the previous two years and stock has suffered.
Ever since Kilian Jornet tore across the Western States 100 course in 2010 donning a skimpy pair of white Salomon half tights (extra like quarter tights) with a skin-tight prime, Salomon’s path operating attire has stood out. The S/Lab vary, the place Killian’s aforementioned tights got here from, has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of technical efficiency and match. A previous favourite from that period was the lads’s Exo S/Lab Twinskin Shorts, which have been tremendous stretchy and comfy paired with an over-short with pockets for gels and different small gadgets.
Salomon is now synonymous with the likes of Courtney Dauwalter and François D’Haene, two athletes on the prime of the ultrarunning world. The corporate has used these two runners’ distinctive kinds, together with their love for lengthy shorts, as inspiration for brand spanking new items of attire.
These days, items just like the technical Bonatti Waterproof and the S/Lab line pair with one of many broadest ranges of shorts and shirts of any model on this information. Their affordability can be glorious, with many attire items starting from $40 to $50.
iRunFar’s Ben Kilbourne exams operating attire on a morning run in Colorado. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Location: Seattle, Washington
Well-liked Fashions: Roga Shorts, Flyout Wool Half Zip, Tremendous Seamless Bra, Flyout Brief Sleeve
What We Like: Oiselle is actually a for-women, by-women model that has positively grown via the enter of its clients {and professional} athletes by commonly fielding suggestions from the general public.
What We Don’t: Generally, the sizing is inconsistent throughout the product traces.
Oiselle got here on the scene in 2007 as a woman-founded model producing attire distinctly by girls and for ladies. Lots of our testers incessantly comment on the sturdiness and longevity of the items. Oiselle has famously tussled with huge establishments within the sport, like USATF, over emblem placement and allowances for its sponsored athletes. The model received lots of followers for daring to vary the paradigm for all athletes, significantly feminine ones, since sponsorship wages are lean and exhausting to return by.
The Roga Shorts debuted in Oiselle’s first yr and have stayed within the line ever since. They’re every little thing you’d need in a pair of shorts for every day operating, with daring colours and prints that make them stand out and a flat waistband, massive again zip pocket, and semi-fitted fashion. The corporate continues to create items of clothes which might be as enjoyable to put on as they’re purposeful.
The Flyout Wool Half Zip combines a half-zip entrance with an excellent snug wool mix that wicks moisture, breathes, resists odor build-up, and stays reasonably heat when moist from rain or sweat. iRunFar tester Kristin Zosel says Flyout Wool is the lightest weight wool and polyester mixture material she’s ever worn.
Learn extra about Oiselle in our greatest operating shorts for ladies information and greatest operating shirts for ladies information.
The Oiselle Featherweight Roga Shorts are a superb companion to any run from the model Oiselle. Photograph: iRunFar/Abby Levene
Location: Powder Mountain, Utah
Well-liked Fashions: Sykes PX – 5″ Brief, Lynx PD – 3″ Base Liner, Cascade SS T
What We Like: The shorts use a layering system consisting of a boxer temporary paired with an over-short, a mixture that is without doubt one of the most snug operating setups we’ve ever used. Offered direct-to-consumer solely, Path Initiatives’ retail costs are extremely aggressive.
What We Don’t: The styling is a bit subdued and understated, so followers of daring and vivid prints received’t discover the choices satisfying. Additionally they solely make males’s merchandise.
Path Initiatives walks the road between path operating performance and a complicated look higher than anybody else. They make merchandise designed for sturdiness that also have stylish options like cellphone pockets. Not fairly Lululemon, however equally high-end in its product improvement, Path Initiatives has a few of the best-priced operating attire available on the market.
The corporate was based to be direct-to-consumer, constructing the model totally on-line. Particular collaborations with neighborhood leaders like ultrarunner and filmmaker Billy Yang and an curiosity within the quickest identified time scene have proven that Path Initiatives is dedicated to the core of the game.
To study extra, see our greatest operating shorts for males information, the place we named the Graves PX – 5″ Brief the very best worth quick.
Path Initiatives is a small firm making nice males’s operating attire, together with the Path Initiatives Graves PX – 5″ Brief. Photograph: iRunFar/Christin Randall
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Well-liked Fashions: Rain Trekker Jacket, Tachyon Parka, Cool Mild T
What We Like: Montbell flies a bit of underneath the radar in comparison with a few of the flashier and hyper-marketed manufacturers on this information, and but they’ve constantly produced class-leading operating jackets in addition to a full assortment of path operating merchandise.
What We Don’t: The frequent operating attire items, like shirts and shorts, are restricted to only one or two choices.
Montbell is a staple amongst hikers and ultralight backpackers, and whereas it doesn’t do rather a lot to place itself particularly throughout the path operating class, the attire supplied is a few of the greatest out there for our sport. Runners who spend lots of time tromping across the mountains in tough climate situations usually flip to Montbell merchandise to maintain them snug and secure.
A number of of Montbell’s jackets are prime picks in our latest jacket guides, together with the Rain Trekker Jacket in our greatest operating rain jackets information and the Tachyon Parka in our greatest operating wind jackets information.
iRunFar’s Meghan Hicks wears the Montbell Tachyon Parka. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
The place to Purchase Operating Attire
Not like trainers, which generally line the partitions at retail retailers, operating attire tends to be simpler to return by straight from manufacturers’ web sites and different outside specialty on-line retailers, like REI Co-op, Backcountry, and Operating Warehouse, relatively than in-person. You’ll discover the larger manufacturers like Nike, adidas Terrex, and Brooks generally on the retail ground, however if you happen to’re in search of a few of the smaller gamers like La Sportiva, you’ll wish to go to their web site. Different merchandise, like these made by Path Initiatives, are solely offered on-line.
Different Operating Attire Manufacturers
Our prime 10 selections for greatest operating attire manufacturers barely scratch the floor of the operating attire manufacturers out there. Listed below are another manufacturers we’ve examined and revel in utilizing, shared alphabetically.
Soar Operating makes a lot of glorious operating attire, together with this Soar Operating Scorching Climate T. Photograph: iRunFar/Christin Randall
Name for Feedback
- What are your favourite operating attire manufacturers?
- Why do you just like the manufacturers you do? Due to the attire made? Due to the corporate’s environmental and social practices? Due to your historical past with them? For another cause?
