Patagonia Endless Run Tights – Stretchy, lightweight tights for high-output aerobic work in cold weather

Patagonia Endless Run Tights – Stretchy, lightweight tights for high-output aerobic work in cold weather Drew Thayer The 90s are coming back…maybe tights will come back too? Since I never really seem to be caught up on the latest fashions anyway I decided to fully embrace tights for running this winter, and I’m really into…

Sean Sewell

January 18, 2021

Fitness, Patagonia, Running

Patagonia Endless Run Tights – Stretchy, lightweight tights for high-output aerobic work in cold weather

Drew Thayer

The 90s are coming back…maybe tights will come back too? Since I never really seem to be caught up on the latest fashions anyway I decided to fully embrace tights for running this winter, and I’m really into it. A good pair of tights just works really well at managing comfort for running in cold weather — they offer just enough insulation, just enough wind blocking, and that close-to-skin feeling that helps you feel warm even if it’s 10 degrees out.

The Patagonia Endless Run Tights are the one of the two designs Patagonia has made for the 20/21 season. These are nearly identical in weight and fabric to the Peak Mission tights, but $20 cheaper, a wee bit stretchier (more spandex in the fabric blend) and feature ‘no jostle’ side pockets on the side of either hip instead of the Peak Mission’s single rear zippered pocket.

I really like the ‘no jostle’ pockets; they are large enough to stuff multiple large items like a buff, gloves, a car key, and a cell phone. I’m pretty picky about heavy items jostling about, and I approve of the ‘no jostle’ pocket living up to its name. I use these tights to carry my phone on most shorter runs in the local parks, etc when I’m not going to wear a running vest.

Patagonia Endless Run Tights I love the Endless Run tights for running in the snow. The stretchy fabric is soft, regulates my temperature well, and takes the sting out of the wind

The 79% polyester, 21% spandex fabric is very comfortable. Its a dense enough fabric to take the edge off cold wind gusts, and it dries really quickly, so splashing through mud or icy puddles really isn’t a problem. It’s soft on the skin and doesn’t have the polyester ‘clingy’ feeling, thanks to a plant seed-oil based fabric softening treatment called miDori Biosoft.

This treatment is subtle, but is a good example of Patagonia’s mission to use plant-based, non-bioaccumulative chemicals and manufacturing processes in their garments. The fabric is also treated with HeiQ, a non-VOC odor control compound. I’ll have to wait a year or so to report whether this treatment succeeds in its claim to ward off the dreaded polyester ‘perma stink’, but at this point I can say that I use these tights for several runs in a row between washings and they don’t smell bad at all.

Drew Thayer

Patagonia Endless Run Tights - Stretchy, lightweight tights for high-output aerobic work in cold weather 3

Drew’s love of gear is born from his life-long obsession with human-powered adventure in the mountains. On foot, on ski, on bike, and on the steep rocks, he loves exploring Colorado’s mountains through each season.

Drew brings a technical eye to gear — he’s a data scientist with a Masters’ degree in Geophysics and loves to understand the design and engineering make great gear what it is. He’s also worked in the field for many years — as a wilderness therapy field guide and a Geophysicist — and knows a thing or two about function and durability of technical equipment.

Drew tests gear in real mountain conditions, on overnight ventures whenever possible. His specialties are rock/alpine climbing and light-and-fast human-powered pursuits on ski or mountain bike. He’s ventured on exploratory climbing expeditions in Argentina, Peru, and Alaska, and completed remote technical river descents in Alaska and Colombia.

When not building statistical models and writing code, he can be found tending his garden or trying to keep up with his awesome wife.

Patagonia Endless Run Tights - Stretchy, lightweight tights for high-output aerobic work in cold weather 4

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