NM asked about why not ride in jeans and it got me thinking about how much I need new riding tights.
I was trying to find the company that made my favorite polarfleece breeches, and my favorite spandex with the padding on the inside at the crotch and knee, but apparently Carousel Action Wear (Idaho) is no longer in business.
My Carousel white-stripe breeches are somehow sun-bleached tan now, perhaps destroyed by repeated application of bug spray to keep from being eaten by horse flies. My Carousel polar fleece green ones I've repaired with a needle and thread but that's coming apart. Both these pairs are over 10 years old, it's time to have another burial in the garden (what I do with my most precious clothing that is no longer wearable.)
Tami bought me a pair of Irideon polar fleece breeches 10 years ago and they're my best Winter tights but they are also near their end.
I was thinking why spandex is superior to all other fabrics (the cyclists got it right) and indeed I'm disappointed I paid 90Euros for a pair of lovely boot-cut full-seat riding breeches, that are awesome for everything but riding (or anything that requires flexibility). Gotta stick with tights.
2 years ago Tami bought me another fabulous pair of breeches, and I'm looking forward to this Summer when I get to use them. Kerrits Ice-fil tights, with a pocket for a cell phone (cuz it's way too hot to wear a coat when you're wearing those cooling tights and where else would I put a cell phone). Everyone who has reviewed them mentioned how they keep you cool. Looking forward to testing that in our humidity. They have that full-seat sticky pattern too, which holds at least the illusion of safety *lol* The XL is really tight on me, sort of like wearing spanx.
I have heard a few good things about Crazy Legs but I'm hesitant. They're a little over the top, those patterns. If they had a black/grey/white blur/smoke/galaxy type pattern, that would be nice. I know, probably not crazy enough. I don't think they come in full-seat, and I have no idea how these hold up over time. Aarene? Their website is broken so it's impossible to shop.
Has anyone tried this brand?
This ? Or This?
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10 comments:
I haven't bought riding breeches in forever. I have a few pair of Trainers Choice which I just love. They aren't in business anymore so now I just stitch them up when holes appear on the seams. I think finding comfortable, flattering, and reasonably priced breeches is really hard.
I love denim riding breeches- the best of both worlds. I never find Kerrits comfortable even though I love the look and the price. The rackers look interesting. I would find regular tights too uncomfortably thin to ride in.
No help from me. I'm one of those Jean wearers lol. I've never had an issue with them.
I can remember discussion a number of years ago (one the dressage bb) about the Tropical Riders. I never wanted the expense and responsibility for the natural leather. The dressage riders who had them were pleased with their "thermal" qualities. Those Rackers look nice.
I love Tropical Rider's Enduracool.
Temperature: I suffer from hypothyroidism and overheat easily in the summer. Enduracools are what I wear...until it gets so hot that I resort to shorts. Tropical Rider also offers great fall and winter tights too. Due to my condition, I am often freezing in the winter yet Tropical Rider's Toasties keeps me warm.
Quality: These are well made. I have both a Clarino and Deerskin extended patche set Both are well made. The Deerskin is hevy duty...probably will out last the tights. Most of my Tropical Riders are going on 6-7 yrs old and ae still in great shape. I ride 2-3 horses 5 days a week, year round. My Tropical Riders outlast my riding boots.
Fit: I love the low rise and regulr rise options. I am short wasited, short and curvey...and Tropical Riders fir me best....the waistband is where it is supposed to be..not up at my belly like most other brands.
Cost: This may seem like a bit for tights...but in my opinion, it is wellw orth it. I have yet to retire a pair of Tropical Riders.
Colors: Can we say fun! I love that there is a nice range of colors...from crazy to conservative.
I love Irideons too....but find that I tend to stretch out the summer weight pairs in the leg and butt after 3-4 years. Tropical Rider's materials seem a little more stretch resistant.
Hope this helps. Good luck. I once made the mistake of riding in jeans a few years ago -ouch!!!
I have Rackers and they are awesome!!! I have few pairs I live in Florida and they are amazing during hot summer very light and the phone packet is even more amazing the phone is not in your way of riding. I mainly use them for jumping so they are basically for any type of riding. They last very well too I had mine for few years now. I would definitely give them a try you would not regret it :)
yeah, Colleen (owner of Carousel) died a few years ago. Tom (her husband, he runs Skito) still has all her patterns and data and the business is for sale, but so far no takers. :-( I still have a few pairs of padded Carousels that I bought when Colleen got sick and told me she was trying to sell the business, I save them for endurance rides!
I have a pair of Crazy Legs (a gift). They are ginormous, SOOOO stretchy, and they are loosing their shape from the washing machine (I don't put them in the dryer but they are still stretching out). Really pretty, though.
I have one set of Irideons, full seat, I'm wearing them right now because they are great cold clammy days like today, but the seat is soooo sticky that I'm afraid someday Fiddle and the tights will stop dead but my naked butt will go sailing ahead without them. Not my favorites, but I got them supercheap at a tack sale and they are good for pajamas on cold nights in camp.
I have two sets of Tropic Riders and I wear them but I don't love them. Like the Crazy Legs, they are too stretchy and get bunched up in odd ways around my knees.
I keep returning to Kerrits. (They make the Ice Fil, but I don't have any of those yet). Sturdy material, good fit. Sometimes I can find them in purple! But mostly I have black. No padding but they fit well enough that I don't need the padding, and did all of my rides in 2015 in my favorite 2 sets of purple Kerrits.
I am **really** hard on tights, because I also do trail work (lopping, clipping, chopping) while wearing them. The Kerrits are the only tights I have that survive the abuse. I finally threw out some that were worn so thin that I could read my email through the fabric!
Annette, You sew your breeches too? Oh it's so hard to part with good ones.
Teresa, your comment reminded me of a manufacturer's site that said, "No more feeling naked while riding!" *lol* I don't wear spandex in Winter, I'd freeze.
KB, I'm scared of the responsibility of leather too!
Mary, thank you for that, I'll have to see how much international shipping is and then decide whether I will ask a family member to ship them if it's too much.
Unknown, thanks for the input on Rackers - they look great but I won't buy anything without hearing a review.
Aarene, speaking of reading through things, you can read through bacon in Germany, that's how thin it is. Pfft. And the only size package of bacon you can buy is THREE OUNCES. That is one serving. Less, if you really like bacon. But, I'm so happy, because when I first arrived, there was no bacon. Now if they'd only figure out breakfast sausage or Italian sausage...
Amazing that you still have Carousels too, they must be the best tights ever. I just counted and I had four in my closet yesterday - one is now in the trash, and two that are still going strong (but faded) and one that was reduced to shorts by a blackberry encounter. But that's a lot of Carousels considering how long ago they stopped producing them. I have so many ideas now to try, I'm excited, but with shipping I may end up wearing faded Carousels a while longer. And I'll pass on the Crazy Legs.
Ohh. When I went shopping for breeches here in Germany I couldn't find anything at all. Everything was as uncomfortable as I remembered them being when I was a kid before there was a bit more choice in the US. So when I rode I wore H&M denim jeggings with paddock boots and half chaps. I don't have super skinny legs and this combo is very comfortable for me, no seam issues like with regular denim, no tall boot shopping trauma.
BTW best bacon I have found in Germany so far is from The Sausage Man Never Sleeps. It's the real deal. I think he delivers in Berlin, and he's a super nice guy. Maybe you can talk him into delivering further afield.
Sirje, H&M denim leggings! Wow.
I bought something tonight for the first time called "Stadium Krakauer" and I have hopes of them tasting like good Krakauer, my favorite from Costco, America. But I ask my Polish friends what real Krakuer taste like in Poland. So far, no answer.
Bacon like coffee, like pizza, is a regional thing. I have no business criticizing. But like any fan of their homeland's coffee, pizza, or sausage, there's no arguing. You want what you are used to.
Come visit us. Die Bahn has deals for people who travel off season. But sadly, it's still cheaper to drive. Or FLY!! America thinks that Europe has such an advanced transportation system, but the reality is it's cheaper to drive, under certain circumstances. My sister wrote me today that she wants to visit and I had to experience this reality for her giving her prices from Air Berlin and Die Bahn. Neither of which make driving much more attractive.
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