Dear Ashley, We are out of space in your drawer. You do not need to add to your collection. Sincerely, Your Tights

Completely shameless confession: I love riding tights. Even before I got into distance riding, I had several pairs of tights with funky-patterned side stripes I would use for schooling and riding lessons. As evidenced by the above, once I got into distance riding, my fashion sense took on very much of a “no holds barred color explosion” type of flavor. I also wear them for more than just riding: I’ll wear them under sweats in the winter when I need an extra layer, or as a more comfortable alternative to jeans on days I’m just hanging around the house.

tights from Evelyn the Tights Lady

The two pairs of denim-looking tights are my newest acquisition from Evelyn, bought at the AERC Convention in February. One pair are solid lycra with a denim print, and the other are a heavier, more cotton-woven type of material with the look and a tiny bit of a feel of denim. The lycra ones are nice and cool for the summer. The denim ones are a perfect fall/spring weight and very comfortable. The solid purple cotton and “fireworks factory explosion” ones are several years old now, and the patterned ones have been through a number of rides and holding up well. The solid purple ones are a cotton blend of some kind, which is nice and lightweight for summer.

Tropical Riders EnduraCool on left; PrixTec on right

I’m kind of on the fence about the Tropical Riders. The brown pair on the left are wonderful. They’re the “EnduraCool” model, I believe. I picked them up a number of years ago…probably 6 or 7?…on sale at one of my local tack stores. As you can see from the rather interesting color variegation on them, I’ve worn them a lot. The lower leg is still the original color, from always being covered by half chaps, and the upper waist area is the same way from always being covered with a shirt. But the middle part…welcome to the “Arizona sun effect.” They’ve also got a couple of small holes…but they’re so comfortable and great for the summer that I refuse to give them up until they’re in shreds.

Irideon Issentials

The most boring tights I own…but I can’t get rid of them. They wear like iron. The black pair on the right are at least 7 or 8 years old and don’t even have a hole in them. (And they’ve seen a lot of miles.) The grey pair aren’t much newer, at least 5 or 6 years old. They have a couple of tiny holes on the side of one knee. They’re made of some kind of microfiber polyester, so have fantastic grip. They’re acceptable all year round, but can get a little hot in the summer. They do have a funky outer seam that I have to watch for — if it gets placed under my half chaps the wrong way, it’ll press right into my shins and do some interesting pressure things. Black goes with everything, so I can wear my more colorful and interesting shirts with these.

Kerrits Klassic Performance

I’m pretty sure these are the “Klassic Performance” variety. These are another pair that have seen a lot of miles and have the wear to prove it, but I don’t have the heart to chuck them quite yet. The bottoms of them are permanently stained from when I was breaking in my new black half chaps and sumemr sweat + new suede = dye leak. There are a couple of holes in them. The thigh area is starting to stretch out and get a little threadbare. But they’re some of the coolest summer tights I have and are still super-comfortable. The only problem with these is the tan color. From a distance, ride photos have a bit of a “Lady Godiva” effect. Hmmm.

Crazy Legs tights

The two wild prints on the left are solid lycra.. The side-stripe ones are lycra stripes with some kind of tech-performance solid fabric. This is my other go-to source for something other than off-the-rack, tack-store tights. The ones on the right are my newest pair, and the print is some funky shimmery snakeskin-effect type of fabric…very wild. (And enough orange in it to go with my whole orange color scheme.) Also been very happy with these so far as well