Buying Spandex Gear is an obsession and I’m sure that we can all agree that you
can
never have enough Lycra! I’ve been collecting for a long time and members always
ask me where I got a particular Wrestling Singlet or pair of tights. The Spandex
Party Gear Guide is going to help you find the hottest gear as we go into spring!
Nike Compression Tights
Compression tights are the Spandex lover’s saviour! Ever since tights were re-branded
as something that is essential to fitness (yeah, right) men of all kinds are happy
to wear them in the gym and outside; something I heartily endorse.
Here in the UK everything on offer tights-wise is fairly boring but in the USA you
can get all kinds of brightly coloured choices. Two of my recent personal favourites
are the
Jordan Stay Cool Compression Retro 7 Tights and
Nike Pro Hypercool Comp Woodland Tights.
The great thing about these tights is that the great busy patterns mean that even
though they are meant to be used under shorts, they are much better on show where
they belong! They also have really good support so you can wear them without underwear
at the gym without feeling too self-conscious.
Skins A400
Skins were one of the first compression brands to hit the market with their distinctive
yellow stripes and they held up really well until 2xu came along with their silver
lines and (in my opinion) a superior product. Member
cdngearjock put me onto their brand new range, and this time it’s GOLD.
(image credit The Savage Boys)
He tells me that "they feel like they support your muscles but they allow you
to move freely. So they are great for working out and for Crossfit. They are soft
and you can wear them with nothing under. Great pouch for support." The yellow
styling was looking a little dated so the gold lines have really taken their designs
in a more classy direction.
New N2N gear
In the past I’ve always thought that N2N singlets were a bit too popular and for
guys with a long body like me they were way too short. However, their new USA singlet
looks really nice. Longer legs, still with the distinctive pouch and a high body
makes it look really fun. This still isn’t a singlet that you can ever wear anywhere
other than round the house sadly! On the positive side it’s possible to buy N2N
easily and i’m looking forward to seeing some guys in one! Available from the N2N Website.
Barcode Berlin
Barcode Berlin’s collection of skintight gear has grown and grown and now in London
you can't move for singlets from this brand. In the past I've not been a fan of
the fabrics but that seems to have changed with their latest singlet. Bold colours
with wide hems and well made shoulder straps remind me of the Adidas response singlet,
for proper wrestling! Great to see brands like this making Singlets more generally
popular and available. See them at Barcode Berlin.
Aliexpress
Looking for spandex on a budget? A new option that has come up over the last couple
of years is ordering direct from manufacturers in China. Where in the past there
would be minimum orders of thousands and slow shipping, sites such as DHGate and
Aliexpress make it almost as simple as buying something on Amazon! I've bought several
items from sellers on both of these sites and the price usually includes shipping
from China which can be as quick as a week! The sites also have eBay style ratings
which mean that you can have some confidence in the seller.
For example, the Tri-suit
I'm wearing on the site homepage is available from Aliexpress
for just $62 and other items such as thongs, tights, cycling skin suits and zen
tai are available at low prices. My only advice is to beware that some items are
sized for the Asian market so make sure of the measurements before you buy as sending
it back isn't going to be easy!
Under Armour
There's one brand that's brought more Spandex to the market that anyone else in
recent
history and that's Under Armour. They have some very exciting designs and their
tights tend to be cheap and also kind of thin and flimsy which as we know, can be
very hot over a bulge! My favourite range of theirs are the series of Super Hero
shirts and tights and I recommend the Alter Ego Superman top to get you started.
Another massive plus for me is that top is long which means if you are tall it will
fit comfortably and not ride up which is a reason I've kept away from compression
tops so far. Check it out.
eBay
eBay is the place to go if you want that once in a lifetime sprint suit, professional
athletics tights or wrestling singlet. Nothing can be depended on, but hey, that’s
what makes it exciting! My advice for finding something on eBay is patience. Set
up a saved search for the item you want so that when it's listed you get an alert.
Make sure you cover all the ways of writing it as a Skinsuit can be written as skin
suit, sprintsuit etc. or also Trikot or Bodys in German. Most people will head
for items with great pictures so don't discount the same item if it's listed with
poor photography as it will likely end up cheaper with fewer bidders. You can pick
up some awesome second hand athletics gear this way, and if it doesn't fit you can
take a better photo and sell it again! As an example, check out these two items
available now: Sprint Suit and Running tights.
Let us know your favourite gear and I'll be bringing you another roundup with the best of what the summer's got to offer soon.
Share this post:
Thoughts? Discuss this post on the forum