Skins Compression A400 Half Tights Review | BibRavePro

Disclaimer: I received Skins Compression A400 Half Tights to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro, and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

You just need to browse my blog and fees long enough to quickly see that I’m a fan of compression. I find it great for recovery, especially for my legs after tough and / or long runs. I always jump at the opportunity to test compression gear, so I was excited for the chance to test Skins Compression A400. I selected the half tights (aka shorts) option, as it was warmer here and I haven’t actually owned compression shorts, just tights. Read on to see how they worked.

What are they?

I’d like to start with a little bit about them and will start with their description:
SKINS A400 compression sportswear is designed to boost competitive athletes’ natural performance by providing more oxygen to their active muscles using dynamic gradient compression. Wear your A400s while you warm up to get your blood flowing, while you train to minimise your risk of injury before race day, and while you compete so you can push your body that little bit harder for longer when it counts.

The half tights are really nice. They’ve got all the targeted compression you’d expect. They offer “360 degree” reflectivity, which is good if you run in just these, but that is not me. I do not have that kind of body confidence to run in compression shorts alone (and ain’t no body want to see that). They stop just above the knee, covering all those upper leg muscles. The 400 series is built from 3D body scan data, so I love the use of technology to drive precise design.

How do they work?

I was very impressed with these half tights. They were a good snug compression all the way around pretty evenly, not really having any gaps. Using the sizing chart worked well for me, which is always a worry as a big guy. The waist was a little tight, but not enough to be uncomfortable. I did really like the wider waistband. It helped them to feel like the fit quite well. They say they adapt to hot and cold. I didn’t have any cold to test, but they were just fine in the head. The overall cut fit comfortably.

So they fit well, but what about recovery?

I tried these out after some short runs and they worked well. Then I got the perfect test: I ran the Clarendon Day Run Double Dash. You can read all about my experience but it consisted of a 5K and 10K with about a mile and a half in between the finish and start lines so I totaled about 13.5 miles. My muscles took a beating. They were clearly not prepared enough. Wearing these short that day and some the next really helped my recovery. It was definitely a 4 or 5 day sore without compression I would guess from my experience. But these helped get me back and going after those 2 days. Well, the top parts of my legs, I should have thought the problem through and worn compression socks as well right away, so full tights might have been handy instead.

The Takeaway

The A400 series seems to be a well engineered set of compression gears. Even on a bigger guy like myself the fit well and not over tight. I like a snug fitting compression, but on my legs too tight is no good. These are a comfortable well fitting half tights, making it easy to wear them during or after activity. I put them through their recovery paces, and they came out successful and strong.