skatingforums
On the Ice => The Pro Shop => Topic started by: Kat on December 25, 2023, 10:11:37 PM
-
Mondor (I think it was Mondor) used to make rib-knit sweater tights, a loooooong time ago. I still have my two pairs and I love them. It doesn't seem, though, that anyone makes nice warm skating tights anymore? (I can't imagine why not. Warm tights made skirts wearable for me, when I wanted to wear a skirt, and I'd think there'd be enough kids who'd want to wear a skirt yet whose parents wanted them warm.)
I keep trying to find warm beige tights, and it seems like no one makes them (sometimes I want to wear a skirt/dress in winter but don't especially want my legs to be black or brown or gray or navy or any of the other colors of my sweater-knit or fleece-lined tights). Naturally I thought of my skating tights (I don't think I'm going to find heavyweight beige tights in regular stores; I've searched and searched) and wish I'd bought the footed version as well back then (but I never was into footed tights for skating; I preferred socks, and I liked the footless-tights look anyway).
-
How about Mondor 3345?
https://figureskatingstore.com/tights-1/
-
I find the Mondor Bamboo to be quite toasty.
-
I wouldn’t call the Mondor 3348 “toasty” but I will rate them as definitely warmer than standard 40-denier tights if you want a good starting layer. Mondor has alternated between calling this particular knit fabric warmer, cooler, and temperature-regulating. And I like the formed feet, they hold up better than the shapeless feet.
Our rink is frigid and I need a second layer under my leggings in the winter if I’m not wearing the warmer tights. And really, sometimes I need a second layer as well as the warm tights, but that’s due to the weather, not the tights.
-
There is always serious outdoor cold weather gear, like
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/beat-the-freeze-these-fleece-lined-leggings-are-amazingly-flattering-and-as-low-as-24-right-now-170456015.html
I can't speak from experience about tights per se. But like almost any outdoor enthusiast who has skied, I've used winter underwear underneath other clothing, and I've also worn full fleece pants and jackets. They can be very effective in cold weather conditions, especially under a wind break layer.
You can find lots of similar stuff in any outdoor equipment supplier. E.g., search Rei and Campmor for
leggings
or
cold weather pants
or
tights
But I wonder outdoor wear is thicker, and would show off your figure less.
There are also thermal underwear bottoms - I wonder if they look much different than tights.
For that matter, there are full on winter fleece pants, that might be too warm for indoor rinks - though outdoors, in the wind, they sometimes need to be worn under a windbreak layer.
But beige...?
If you Google
beige winter tights
you will find lots of them, many different brands.
There are also bodysuits, which cover top and bottom.
Fleece goes in washers and driers just fine (warm wash, tumble dry warm). But many other outdoor performance fabrics should be treated gently, possibly cold water wash, gentle cycle, and tumble dry with little or no heat (or hang dry), all while in a mesh bag to cut abrasion. I'm not sure how that compares to tights.
-
I've got a pair of LLBean cashmere tights I can wear under stretch pants like Chloe Noel over the boot tights. I've had these from the 70's when I lived in Minnesota. They've got holes in them. But toasty isn't the word--FURNACE! Is the right one
-
I find the Mondor Bamboo to be quite toasty.
Those look akin to the thickness of dance tights or so? They wouldn't be nearly warm enough, unfortunately; I'd probably need about six pairs. If I wear a skirt in winter, I already wear two layers of fleece-lined or sweater-knit tights to make it somewhat tolerable and only because I don't think I could manage to get three on plus it would probably start to look a little funny. In the winter, just on regular days under regular clothes I wear base layers. I'm always cold.
There is always serious outdoor cold weather gear
The problem with this is that I'm not going to find anything in beige-- I have plenty of black and gray (and other colors) base layers of differing materials and thicknesses (and fleece-lined or sweater-knit tights in black, brown, gray, navy, black argyle, brown argyle...)-- nor anything footed (otherwise I could just use my footless sweater-knit skating tights). Footless isn't a problem in boots where you can't tell, but it looks mighty funny in flats to have my bare ankle/foot sticking out (and cold...).