Compression Pants Review

I'm FINALLY done wearing, running in a few times, and enjoying my compression pants and shorts. Depending on your needs, all the pants worked well in their own ways. Here's what I found:

Nike Pro Combat pants

I received a $100 gift card to Nike for Christmas. I went online bought a pair of full length compression pants on sale for $50 and a pair of 3/4 length pants that come down right before your knee on sale for $35. The full length were nice, fit tight, but we're more or less like leggings. They did cling nicely to my knees and quads, but left me with little support in my hamstrings and glutes. They do keep you warm and they kept me dry. If your looking for a budget friendly pair of pants to keep you warm and dry, this is a good buy. If you're looking for full compression, I'd suggest another company. I was using mine for strength workouts in my garage during the winter. 

As for the 3/4 length pants, I felt they fit better in the glutes and were tighter on the hamstrings. This was one of my problem areas, so I was quite happy with that. They didn't go below the knee though. I used them for elliptical workouts. They will show sweat if you don't buy a pair in black. I bought a pair in grey, and I make sure I wear shorts over them. Two words...crotch sweat. Now that I ruined your appetite, they were a GREAT purchase for $35.

Under Armour pants

I have an Under Armour outlet about 10 miles from my house, so one lazy Sunday I went up to check out what they had. I bought a pair of their compression pants for $35 and a pair of their compression shorts for $20. The full length pants reminded me of the Nike Pro Combat. Nice in the knees, quads, and calfs, but felt like leggings. Hamstrings and glutes had very little support. They did keep me warm and dry, but never felt like "true" compression pants. They would be something I'd wear for a short run or weight training. Not bad for $35 on sale, I believe they retail over $50. 

As for the shorts, I really liked them. Tight in all the right areas. I switch between these shorts and the Nike's for elliptical workouts. $20 was an absolute steal for these shorts, they retail closer to $35.

CW-X Stabilynx pants

These guys I bought off Zappos with Christmas gift cards as well. They retail for $105. They are full length, tight in all the right areas, the material feels slightly thicker and more durable, have a drawstring at the waist, and have a nice little key pocket tucked in the inside waistline. They are a bit of a bitch to get on, but I find it totally worth it. My calves, quads, knees, hamstrings, and glutes get full support and feel great. They've kept me nothing but warm and dry, even on my hour plus runs. I highly recommend them. If you're looking for that extra support and don't mind spending a couple extra bucks, these are the pants to get. Wear something over them though. They leave nothing to the imagination.

2XU Women's Compression Tights

I bought these guys at Dick's Sporting Goods. They retail for $109. They are full length, tight in all the right areas, have a longer waistband in the rear to support your back, have thicker and more durable material, and keep you nice and toasty on long runs. They're as much of a bitch to get on as the CW-Xs, and I have no problem with that. My favorite function on the pants is the extended waistline in the back. With having some sciatic issues, these pants were GREAT. I had great support in all areas. I also fell both times in these pants, and they never tore. They only tore the pants I wore over them. I recommend them as well. I switch off between these and the CW-Xs.

CEP 3/4 Compression pants

I bought these bad boys at my local running shop, All Kinds of Fast, for $89.99. CEP is a company that I mostly knew from their compression socks, which are expensive ($60) but are frickin awesome. Apparently, according to their company rep I talked to, are only making 3/4 length pants because of the popularity of their compression socks. I understand though. The pants are great! They come down a few inches under the knee. They greatly support the knee, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. The one area the majority of compression pants don't support are the ankles. Understandable. With the CEPs the pants and the socks meet up in the middle, more or less, giving full support to all leg muscles and joints. I usually put on compression socks over my compression pants, and is a bit of a pain in the ass. They are also warm and toasty, kept me dry, but if you were going to do an obstacle race with water, there would be a slight gap in your leg. I've actually been using them more of a recovery tool, and they've been great for that.

Depending on your body and your budget any of these pants are great. My favorites are the CW-X for long runs, CEP for recovery pants, and Under Armour Shorts for lighter workouts.  Zim bought a pair of SKINZ and absolutely LOVED them. They retail closer to $150-200. And you're not supposed to wear underwear with them. He highly recommended them.

That's my review. Cheers!