Erin Trail

2XU Refresh Recovery Compression Tights Detailed Review

I’ve been a compression tight user since 2009, when I started training for my first 70.3 distance triathlon.  I’ve owned a few pairs but have grown away from them in recent years, favoring my compression boots over tights. Past compression tights were, well, tight.  The fabric was really thick, making movement – and comfort – not great.  

The newest rendition of the 2XU Refresh Recovery Compression tights are so much better than the compression tights of 10+ years ago.  You still feel the instant “ahhh” when you put them on, but the fabric is lighter and more flexible than older versions.  

The 2XU Refresh Recovery Compression Tights offer 23-25 mmHg of graduated pressure, putting these tights in the “firm” category of compression wear. They are tight when pulling them on, but the fabric is flexible enough so you don’t feel like you’ve undergone a wrestling match.  Once on, they’re comfortable. I had full range of motion, including deep squats, while wearing these, and the waistband didn’t dig in or cause discomfort. Because of the comfort, it’s easy to wear them for long periods of time, reaping the rewards of compression. 

I’ve been wearing these off and on for a few months.  The first time I wore them, I was on a 2 day, intensive MTB camp in Snowmass.  After Day 1 (and 6 hours of bike park riding), I wore the tights while cooking dinner and watching a movie in the van that night.  My legs on Day 2 felt pretty good.  I decided to wear the tights for the drive home (which ended up being a nightmare 7+ hour drive from Snowmass to Denver).  During the drive, the tights felt like a second skin.  The following Monday, the only part of me that didn’t feel run over by a bus were my legs, largely due to the wonders of the compression tights.  

As I am returning to more scheduled triathlon base training, I’ve been wearing the 2XU Refresh Recovery Compression Tights after bigger weekend workouts, sometimes for just an hour and sometimes for an entire afternoon of errands, grocery shopping and meal prepping. The leggings are stylish enough where you can just wear them alone, or you could layer them under some other pants, like joggers or jeans. 

The only drawback I’ve found to these tights is the graphic “2XU” logo detailing on the tights. It’s made from a rubbery material.  It looks cool, but I’ve found that as I’m using my massage gun (while wearing the tights), the rubbery stuff grabs my massage gun and won’t let it easily glide across my leg. I ended up skipping around the areas with the logo with my massage gun because it would not let me move the massager head in a linear line across the logo. Not a deal-breaker, but I think using a different kind of embellishment for the logo, would make sense.  In the future, I’ll probably use the massage gun first and then wear my tights afterwards. 

Overall Impression

The 2XU Refresh Recovery Compression Tights are effective AND comfortable to wear.  The tights are easy to get on, it’s easy to move around while wearing them, and most importantly, my legs feel way better after spending some time in them.  I’m really impressed with the fit AND function of these.  

The 2XU Refresh Recovery Compression Tights would be great for athletes who don’t have the ability to do a ton of recovery work after hard efforts.  The firm compression – and flexible fit – make it easy to get some great passive recovery work in as you run errands, drive, or lounge around. 

Erin Trail