Gear Review: Virus International Women’s Lunar Active Tech Pant

Virus International, you had me with a stretchy pocket on the thigh of your  LUNAR Active Tech Pant.  That one little detail is huge. Brilliant.  How many times have I wanted a place to quickly stash my keys, wallet or phone while loading boards, wrangling paddles and otherwise schlepping gear before or after a work out? Or for that moment when I run into Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s to grab something to eat after a session? This is reason alone to get these tights.

But wait, there’s more.

It’s no secret here at Mullet Central that we love just about everything Virus makes.  Normally, I get the men’s tights, just because I am not a girly girl and don’t like pastel colors or silly flowers or patterns that some outdoor wear manufacturers think is all women care about in performance clothing. I am a no-nonsense, don’t shrink me and pink me kind of girl who believes form follows function.  So, I was a little dubious when the good folks at Virus sent me a pair of these pants, in the women’s style to try.  But after wearing them for some trail runs and a couple of turns in the OC1, I am happy to report that these pants are just as awesome as any of the other Virus products I have purchased and tried.

First, the wide waist band.  Very comfortable running, but also great sitting down in the cockpit of my outrigger.  There is also a drawstring too, if you need to dial in the fit at the waist.  But nothing is binding. And nothing is slipping, either, which can often happen sitting in the OC.

Cool legs, Cool Head

The Lunar tights are part of Virus’s Stay Cool series of performance gear – they are designed to keep you cool in the hotter months.  If the hotter months are ever going to get here.  I got my pair right with North Carolina was having a late season cold snap.  Nonetheless, they were just right for my trail runs.  I wore them underneath neoprene in the Outrigger on a day when I knew I would be too hot with a full wet suit on, and even in just neoprene pants.  The weather was in the mid-5o’s with sun, and the water temp was mid-60’s.  We did the Carolina Cup Graveyard course, and as expected, my legs started to heat up as we slogged along the long flatwater section in the sound.  I was perfectly comfy.

Things changed when we reached Mason’s Inlet and I huli’d twice, plunging myself into the water.  Back on the boat, temp wise, even in the colder air, I was still fine.  In fact, I think the great compression in the Lunar pant was all that was keeping the jelly of my legs together as I tried to shake off the fear of what had been a really sketchy situation.

Similar to the Virus Stay Warm Coffee series, the fabric of the Lunar pants is infused with recycled Jade (yes, really) which creates a cooling effect on the skin and can reduce surface temperatures by as much as 10 degrees.

I can’t wait to try these pants in the hotter weather.  I suspect they are going to be fantastic, especially later in the fall when our temperatures will drop and a little extra on the legs will be nice.  They come a cropped length as well…might just have to get me a pair.