I love Bracelayer pants. If you read my review from earlier in the year you know that I fell in love with the functional pants that have that extra brace support for my knees and it band to allow me to do high impact workouts and teach classes without worrying about my chondromalacia patella acting up.  I wore my pants often and throughout the winter and spring but, on the first outdoor run I did in the summer I felt so warm that when I took the pants off at the end it was like I’d been doing hot yoga! I was sad to think that I’d have to back to wearing bulky braces during my summer workouts and give my Bracelayers a rest until the fall. *sigh*

Well, Bracelayer foresaw the need of a lighter pant for those of us who love our summer workouts so when they contacted me to let me know about their new light weight 2/4 length KXV  pants I literally squealed like a kid! (seriously, it was like I was going to Disneyland) Of course, I wanted to try them out and put them through the summer sweat test!

Firstly, let me say that the lightweight fabric is very comfortable but the “brace” part of the pants was in no way compromised. Also, what I found amazing, was that the fabric is not see-through, as you would expect a lightweight technical fabric to be, so I didn’t feel exposed when I was teaching and needed to squat or bend over. They feature a vented mesh fabric below the knee so I did not feel any chafing at all and it was quite moisture wicking. The thin layer of perforated neoprene is made of 1.5mm and is medical grade to add support and stability to the knees, thighs, and hips. Now, the new features for these include a silicone detail on the inside of the waist band and the hem to keep the pants from shifting, this was not something I experienced in my previous pants but it was something that was requested by other fans so you know that the people at Bracelayer do listen to their customers and are willing to make improvements based on feedback. Their website states “better fitting brace layer” and even though I thought it was not possible to make them better, they somehow managed to definitely make them better fitting.

Ok, now on to performance. I’ve already mentioned that the heat was not an issue with these. The sweat did not bother me at all, and the moisture wicking properties were apparent. I tested them while weight lifting, boot camp, dancing, HIIT, and even did a 10K race on a sunny and hot day. My knees felt protected at all times and was never worried about having a flare up or post-activity pain. I’m overly cautious when it comes to my knees so I did carry a patellar strap with me just in case but never felt the need to use it. (Full disclosure, I did wear the strap when I felt some pain before I started a workout but just as a precaution.) The antimicrobial properties allow for me to wear them a few times a week without worrying about body odour.  Bottom line, these pants are amazing (have I said that a few times already?), plus the company is local, which is a plus in my book.

You can purchase these pants for men and women through their website (with free shipping to Canada and the US) at: https://www.bracelayer.com/

As always, Bracelayer has a pair of their new ¾ length pants (for men or women) for one lucky Vancouver Bits and Bites reader: Click on the link below to enter. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway