Smarty Pants’ (www.smartypantsunderwear.com) underwear are like bike shorts — tight and form fitting, though made with an ultra-thin polyester/Lycra fabric and flat stitching to prevent chafing. For looks, this design eliminates the see-through-the-shorts “panty lines” effect some women hate.
The $22 underwear fits lower on the waist and have a 5-inch inseam to reach the middle of the thigh. Tara had few complaints. She said the fit was fine and the underpants were unnoticeable — as they should be — during a workout.
Last, I ran and hiked outdoors in a top called the Have Some from Core Concepts (www.corelayers.com). This $48 long sleeve feels like a workaday shirt, with a not-too-tight fit. But the polyester piece, which incorporates Polartec fabric treatment, breathes well and works for exercise.
It has no tag and flat-stitched seams. Vent panels under the arm and on the upper back add some heat relief, though they seem more built for looks than anything else. Core Concepts adds an anti-microbial finish to keep the shirt smelling fresh no matter how hard you work.
(Stephen Regenold writes The Gear Junkie column for eleven U.S. newspapers; see www.THEGEARJUNKIE.com for video gear reviews, a daily blog, and an archive of Regenold’s work.)
