… What to do w/ what it do: Event Attire/Product Review of GORUCK Shirt & Pants…
Another frequent question that I get from people who decide to do a endurance event is “What do you usually wear to these events?”… “What kind of shoes do you wear?”…
The truth is that what works for me may not work for someone else. BUT, I have no problem telling people what I use and what works for me.
In the video that is posted at the top of this post I go over in detail each of the items that I typically wear during events AND I also go over how the GORUCK pants and shirt fit on my body (and issues that I had while wearing them).
I typically do events that are in warmer weather. 2016 was the first year that I really did events in weather that was cold, rainy, and far from perfect. That did cause me to have to troubleshoot my wardrobe choices and add some things to my list.
But in a nutshell:
Base Layer (layer closest to my body):
- Compression shorts: to help assist with preventing with chaffing and other skin rubbing together. This is the most important layer (other than foot attire). NOTHING is worse than getting chaffing early in the event and having to deal with that the rest of the event.
- Bra: I did have to troubleshoot this a bit and find a bra that would be comfortable for long periods of time (and while doing exercise). My top choice… Wal-Mart/Target high impact sports bra. Cheap (just in case they do get ruined during the event) and comfortable for me to wear with my ruck AND during the whole event with minimal discomfort issues.
Outer Layer (outermost layer):
- IF I AM DOING A COLD WEATHER EVENT: quick dry/water wicking long sleeve shirt (to help keep me warm but will also not hinder me if I sweat/get wet)
- IF I WEAR A TANK TOP it is typically UNDER a t-shirt (so I can take off the t-shirt when I want and put it back on if I am getting rubbing on my shoulders/back).
- T-shirt
- Fitness Compression Workout pants: I got mine from JCPENNEY but you can use any brand that is comfortable. OR
- GORUCK Challenge Pants: I am 5’10 and I got size Waist – 36 Length – 34
- Wind barrier jacket
Footwear:
- Socks (I also usually pack a pair in my dry bag)
- Shoes (or boots for those who use boots)
MISC Items:
- Hat/beanie
- Face protection (for cold events)
- Gloves
- Knee sleeves (or knee pads)
The GORUCK Pants were a great asset to my event wardrobe. I honestly was not sure what to think of the pants before I got them. I have a huge issues with getting pants that will actually fit and BE COMFORTABLE. I was very shocked at how well they did fit/feel throughout the entire event. The material allowed me to move as needed but also protected my legs when we had to do activities on the ground. They dried quickly, were very comfortable, and most importantly they fit (like I said is usually a hard thing to find when it comes to pants). Another plus… they made pants that were also long enough for me…
My fellow long-legged endurance junkies may be able to appreciate this aspect. Nothing is more annoying then getting pants and having then not be long enough. These pants hit me exactly where I wanted and were an over all great fit. The two events I did with these pants on… one was a colder event and the other was a warmer event. Both events weather conditions yielded no additional issues for me while I was wearing these. Cold (about 35-45 degrees) and warm (60-70 degrees) weather did not cause me to feel colder/warmer than I would have normally felt while wearing any other pants that I would wear to a event. Overall I would recommend these pants to anyone looking for good durable pants. I do plan on getting another pair when they are available.
Pants DOWNFALL:
These pants would NOT stay zipped up. I am not sure why. They would zip up, but throughout the event the zipper would creep back down. I was not too worried about it because (1) I had on compression pants under them, (2) my t-shirt was long enough to cover it. But, this could be more uncomfortable if I was wearing a tank top or another shirt that was not long enough to cover it. I made my own latch with a hair tie and it did just fine after I was able to attach the hair tie to the zipper/pants fastening button.
The GORUCK Shirt was something that I enjoyed having. The material is thin but also provides protection when you need it (I like having my arms/legs covered during events because of the brush/grass you may go through since I am allergic to those things). These shirts also dried fairly quickly. They did not keep the wind out very well (I felt a slight breeze but nothing that would be moderately uncomfortable) but that is why I usually always have a under shirt and wind jacket on. LADIES: I got a medium in this shirt and it was fairly LARGE. I typically wear a small/medium t-shirt so if you do the same I would suggest a small for sure. As with the pants, the material was very durable and cleaned very easily after the event. I wore both the shirt/pants throughout portions of a HTL (GORUCK Heavy, Tough, and Light) so it was put to the test throughout event.
I hope that someone (especially the ladies) are able to find this information helpful/useful.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Let me know!
***THANK YOU Nick Schrein for capturing these moments of me during the Oklahoma City, OK Memorial Event***
