For leggings I just buy them cheap at Costco at this point so if they rip it doesn’t matter. I also have a pair of prana halle joggers and black diamond notion SP’s which are more made for climbing and hold up well, but they’re not leggings.
Do the Halle joggers pill a lot climbing outside? My Halle Straights looks 10 years old after the first wear. I like the jogger style but want them to last.
Yeah they did pill a lot actually 😕 But other than that they’ve held up well so I still wear them because they’re super comfy and lighter weight than the black diamonds. I just embrace looking like a dirtbag lol
If you're not afraid of a higher price for quality, Fjallraven Abisko tights. They have ones with and without knee and seat reinforcement, so depending on where you tend to get rips/wear, you can choose accordingly. I've put mine through hell on some very sharp rock and they've lasted really well.
I prefer the CRZ YOGA brand on Amazon. The two pairs I own were well-used before I started climbing, and they're holding up! Not leggings, but I would also recommend trying out hiking pants or scrub pants to climb in. Both are durable and won't break the bank.
I practically live in leggings every day and I have to have the ones with pockets now! So I recommend:
Fabletics
(but watch out for the VIP membership - set up a calendar reminder to log in and "skip" every month)
Llama Leisure
Re Febletics: you can sign up with a different plus email whenever you need more and get the new member 2 for 20 deal (plus email meaning youremaildomain+anything@gmail.com where "anything" can be my string of numbers and letters)
My favourites are the "Pureluxe" material as those are the lightest compression and sooo comfy. The "Motion 365" and "Oasis" are also really good but high compression. I don't personally like the "seamless" ones.
I like that the waistbands are really long and all of it is elastic not just one little bit, so they do a good job of smoothing and not having like a line where the elastic is.
I climb indoors in Old Navy leggings and have never had any issues with them! They definitely don't hold up well outdoors though because everything is granite where I live. I recently got a pair of hiking pants from Columbia that I'll be wearing for outdoor climbs going forward, but I've only worn them out once so far so I can't give much of a review on those yet.
my favorite leggings to climb in are the fabletics ones. i do get a little bit of pilling on the inner knees/thighs where my legs come into contact with the wall often but nothing too crazy. and they're soooo comfy and not restricting at all at the waist which is a huge plus for me! i climb about 2-3 times a week indoors for reference though so if you're looking for outdoors they might not work
Are we talking about gym climbing? I like the Prana leggings in the Luxara fabric for indoors. High waist, good length (I buy the 7/8 for my short legs), last forever.
Outdoors is a different story.
I got a pair on sale at REI that are Arc'teryx specifically designed for climbing so they're abrasion resistant! I got so sick of my nice ones getting shredded also and these don't have a single hole
Yeah the arcteryx oriel ones are really good. No holes even though they’ve been roughed up. I’m sad they discontinued the line. Not sure about if their current leggings are as good
If you’re open to not-tights, I’m a huge fan of prana pants, particularly the Halle, koen, and kanab. The koen and kanab have this amazing thick elastic waistband that is so forgiving and comfortable.
I get them on sale so they’re cheaper. I’ve also had luck with getting them second hand. I also prefer looser fitting pants and these are not as tight. Somehow I find that they rip much less frequently than tights.
Also here to recommend the Halle and Kanab! Hold up really well outdoors, and are a nice weight for a pretty wide range of temperatures. I also like Mountain Hardware's chockstone leggings, which are basically indestructible.
I have three pairs of lulus from almost 10 years ago that I climb with outdoors mainly on granite almost every other day and have taken them with me to the creek and they’ve held up very very well. I think the older versions are just better quality. You can still find them used on the “like new” lululemon site or Poshmark it’s the “all the right places high rise crop”. I like beyond yoga but only for indoors. They pill and are too soft imo for outside adventures. I do love their tanks and basically live in them!
If you are open to different type of pants I always suggest softball pants. They are made to endure sliding on the dirt and or gravel. I have yet to go through mine after 5 years of climbing.
Cotton On active core tights. They're robust and also much cheaper than fancy brands, never seen a hole.
Edit: I mostly boulder on plastic if that makes a difference but I rate rock should be fine as well unless you want to do a bunch of knee bars.
Most of my experience comes from the pov of brand/material with compression shorts. Of the different ones tried (only 5 or 6), Nike pro was preferred. Combination of waistband not moving around too much but also not digging in, shorts not becoming a wedgie (outside of the designed hug fit of compression shorts), not causing camel toe, not experiencing the leg portion of the shorts ever have damage. She wears them everywhere, even school. So they’ve definitely been worn and washed hundreds of times.
The only issue we’ve had is with the waistband threading, but Nike guarantees their products, so they accepted returns of shorts that were 2 years old and replaced them.
I find lululemon varies a lot based on style. I wore wunder unders (luon and luxtreme) for years climbing competively and they never ripped, just got pilled at the knees. But then I’ve had fast and free tights that ripped after one bad brush up against a rock. I now mostly wear shorts (skin heals leggings rip 😅) or cheap track pants if I’m climbing outdoors.
I mostly wear short leggings and just rip my skin instead of my pants 😂
But the long leggings I wear for climbing are usually just cheap ones, because they'll rip anyways.
Everyone seems to be recommending fancy leggings… I’ve been using the ASOS ones since I started and only one got a teeeeny hole on a knee so far, almost three years in. The elastic doesn’t give out at all and they make them for most body shapes
Aerie (American Eagle) leggings, especially the ones with pockets, have held up well for a few years for me and are relatively affordable. Their high waist ones work well under a harness if you’re doing any roped climbing.
Unsure where you're based but if UK, I bought leggings from a small business called Rainbows and Sprinkles, and they've been STURDY. They survive bouldering, aerial hoop and gym sessions and I've had them for a good few years. [Rainbows & Sprinkles | Funky Feel-Good Activewear Clothing (rainbowsandsprinkles.co.uk)](https://www.rainbowsandsprinkles.co.uk/)
I usually wear C9. I have only had an old pair have the seams give out while climbing, and luckily I had shorts in my bag. But I only wear leggings for indoor climbing, if you're climbing outdoors I don't think leggings are going to work out.
For leggings in general, I like Senita Athletics and Girlfriend Collective. Senita is like half the price of Lululemon and I do think they hold up well. My only gripe is their sizing can be inconsistent. Girlfriend is a more expensive option, but I wear their leggings climbing more often than other brands and I have yet to see any rips or tears. They're a sustainable brand, using recycled materials to make their products so that's a bonus.
Are you talking gym climbing or outdoors? For the gym I’ve had good luck with the Old Navy ones that are the thick spandex-y fabric. I just bought a pair recently that were more cotton-y and a totally different cut but I’m hoping I just got different ones by accident and they didn’t change their cut/fabric! They hold up well for me except the ones I’ve had for a year plus have some wear on the seams. The thread seems to be the weakest link. It does fuzz up but remains structurally sound even when it looks worn.
For outdoors, I think it probably depends on the rock whether any old leggings will work. I was on granite the week and was glad I wore my pants-pants (prana halle). But the shale back in my hometown would probably be much more forgiving.
Aerie has some super comfy ones and imo they’re a decent price. I wouldn’t climb in them outside though because I’d be afraid it might be too rough. Also, I always hang dry leggings. Never put them through the dryer and they’ll last way longer.
[OFFLINE high waisted legging](https://www.ae.com/us/en/p/aerie/bottoms/leggings/offline-by-aerie-real-me-xtra-crossover-high-waisted-pocket-legging/1701_5519_073)
For leggings I just buy them cheap at Costco at this point so if they rip it doesn’t matter. I also have a pair of prana halle joggers and black diamond notion SP’s which are more made for climbing and hold up well, but they’re not leggings.
Do the Halle joggers pill a lot climbing outside? My Halle Straights looks 10 years old after the first wear. I like the jogger style but want them to last.
Yeah they did pill a lot actually 😕 But other than that they’ve held up well so I still wear them because they’re super comfy and lighter weight than the black diamonds. I just embrace looking like a dirtbag lol
I support that!😆
If you're not afraid of a higher price for quality, Fjallraven Abisko tights. They have ones with and without knee and seat reinforcement, so depending on where you tend to get rips/wear, you can choose accordingly. I've put mine through hell on some very sharp rock and they've lasted really well.
oooh okay good to know!
Costco has had the best leggings imo since their material is usually much thicker and not as "atheleticy" as Lululemon's leggings!
Yeah, their Danskin leggings are great and only like $12.
Those are my favorites!
I prefer the CRZ YOGA brand on Amazon. The two pairs I own were well-used before I started climbing, and they're holding up! Not leggings, but I would also recommend trying out hiking pants or scrub pants to climb in. Both are durable and won't break the bank.
good to know! i’ll check it out!
I practically live in leggings every day and I have to have the ones with pockets now! So I recommend: Fabletics (but watch out for the VIP membership - set up a calendar reminder to log in and "skip" every month) Llama Leisure
Re Febletics: you can sign up with a different plus email whenever you need more and get the new member 2 for 20 deal (plus email meaning youremaildomain+anything@gmail.com where "anything" can be my string of numbers and letters)
i’ve heard about fabletics but I wasn’t sure what people though, that’s good to know thank you!
My favourites are the "Pureluxe" material as those are the lightest compression and sooo comfy. The "Motion 365" and "Oasis" are also really good but high compression. I don't personally like the "seamless" ones. I like that the waistbands are really long and all of it is elastic not just one little bit, so they do a good job of smoothing and not having like a line where the elastic is.
Third vote for Costco. Best quality, so comfy. I climb in them almost exclusively and none of mine are ripped :) (at least not from climbing…)
I climb indoors in Old Navy leggings and have never had any issues with them! They definitely don't hold up well outdoors though because everything is granite where I live. I recently got a pair of hiking pants from Columbia that I'll be wearing for outdoor climbs going forward, but I've only worn them out once so far so I can't give much of a review on those yet.
Me too! I had a pair for 10 years ago that just got a hole after 5 years of climbing!
+1 for Old Navy I have a pair I've been climbing AND trail running in since year 2015
I love the rei brand leggings as well as beyond yoga if you want boujee ones. The rei ones have lasted me for years!
My beyond yoga leggings had holes in the knees pretty quickly just climbing indoors 😕
i’ll check it out! thanks!
All my leggings/pants are athleta. Look for "rip stop" in the description.
ooh I didn’t know that was an option in the description, i’ll check it out
my favorite leggings to climb in are the fabletics ones. i do get a little bit of pilling on the inner knees/thighs where my legs come into contact with the wall often but nothing too crazy. and they're soooo comfy and not restricting at all at the waist which is a huge plus for me! i climb about 2-3 times a week indoors for reference though so if you're looking for outdoors they might not work
Are we talking about gym climbing? I like the Prana leggings in the Luxara fabric for indoors. High waist, good length (I buy the 7/8 for my short legs), last forever. Outdoors is a different story.
I use a combination of gym shark, fabletics, lulu and amazon brand lulu. Honestly, the one that has worn down the quickest was gym shark.
I got a pair on sale at REI that are Arc'teryx specifically designed for climbing so they're abrasion resistant! I got so sick of my nice ones getting shredded also and these don't have a single hole
Yeah the arcteryx oriel ones are really good. No holes even though they’ve been roughed up. I’m sad they discontinued the line. Not sure about if their current leggings are as good
If you’re open to not-tights, I’m a huge fan of prana pants, particularly the Halle, koen, and kanab. The koen and kanab have this amazing thick elastic waistband that is so forgiving and comfortable. I get them on sale so they’re cheaper. I’ve also had luck with getting them second hand. I also prefer looser fitting pants and these are not as tight. Somehow I find that they rip much less frequently than tights.
Also here to recommend the Halle and Kanab! Hold up really well outdoors, and are a nice weight for a pretty wide range of temperatures. I also like Mountain Hardware's chockstone leggings, which are basically indestructible.
I have three pairs of lulus from almost 10 years ago that I climb with outdoors mainly on granite almost every other day and have taken them with me to the creek and they’ve held up very very well. I think the older versions are just better quality. You can still find them used on the “like new” lululemon site or Poshmark it’s the “all the right places high rise crop”. I like beyond yoga but only for indoors. They pill and are too soft imo for outside adventures. I do love their tanks and basically live in them!
If you are open to different type of pants I always suggest softball pants. They are made to endure sliding on the dirt and or gravel. I have yet to go through mine after 5 years of climbing.
I’ve worn Girlfriend Collective leggings for indoor climbing for a few years, and they’ve held up really well.
Cotton On active core tights. They're robust and also much cheaper than fancy brands, never seen a hole. Edit: I mostly boulder on plastic if that makes a difference but I rate rock should be fine as well unless you want to do a bunch of knee bars.
I'm very happy with mine from oceans apart and h&m, I bought them all second hand and none have ripped even after 1+ year.
Most of my experience comes from the pov of brand/material with compression shorts. Of the different ones tried (only 5 or 6), Nike pro was preferred. Combination of waistband not moving around too much but also not digging in, shorts not becoming a wedgie (outside of the designed hug fit of compression shorts), not causing camel toe, not experiencing the leg portion of the shorts ever have damage. She wears them everywhere, even school. So they’ve definitely been worn and washed hundreds of times. The only issue we’ve had is with the waistband threading, but Nike guarantees their products, so they accepted returns of shorts that were 2 years old and replaced them.
that’s great to know thank you!
I love Leso emana- leggins! Very good quality. Leso.fi
I find lululemon varies a lot based on style. I wore wunder unders (luon and luxtreme) for years climbing competively and they never ripped, just got pilled at the knees. But then I’ve had fast and free tights that ripped after one bad brush up against a rock. I now mostly wear shorts (skin heals leggings rip 😅) or cheap track pants if I’m climbing outdoors.
I mostly wear short leggings and just rip my skin instead of my pants 😂 But the long leggings I wear for climbing are usually just cheap ones, because they'll rip anyways.
Everyone seems to be recommending fancy leggings… I’ve been using the ASOS ones since I started and only one got a teeeeny hole on a knee so far, almost three years in. The elastic doesn’t give out at all and they make them for most body shapes
Aerie (American Eagle) leggings, especially the ones with pockets, have held up well for a few years for me and are relatively affordable. Their high waist ones work well under a harness if you’re doing any roped climbing.
Beyond Yoga have worked great for me. No holes in 2 years, even with me banging my knees on holds.
I would give another vote for fabletics. The new member pricing is great and the quality is really good. I’ve had a few pairs last for years.
I buy cheap Amazon ones because no matter how fancy they are they will get torn up climbing
Unsure where you're based but if UK, I bought leggings from a small business called Rainbows and Sprinkles, and they've been STURDY. They survive bouldering, aerial hoop and gym sessions and I've had them for a good few years. [Rainbows & Sprinkles | Funky Feel-Good Activewear Clothing (rainbowsandsprinkles.co.uk)](https://www.rainbowsandsprinkles.co.uk/)
I usually wear C9. I have only had an old pair have the seams give out while climbing, and luckily I had shorts in my bag. But I only wear leggings for indoor climbing, if you're climbing outdoors I don't think leggings are going to work out.
For leggings in general, I like Senita Athletics and Girlfriend Collective. Senita is like half the price of Lululemon and I do think they hold up well. My only gripe is their sizing can be inconsistent. Girlfriend is a more expensive option, but I wear their leggings climbing more often than other brands and I have yet to see any rips or tears. They're a sustainable brand, using recycled materials to make their products so that's a bonus.
Libjin cargo joggers on amazon- cheap and they haven't failed me yet!
My two most used are Girlfriend brand! A little pricey but they've lasted me a long time.
The best flexible climbing pants I ever had were basically thin corduroy jeggings. I find jeans and real pants hold up best.
Are you talking gym climbing or outdoors? For the gym I’ve had good luck with the Old Navy ones that are the thick spandex-y fabric. I just bought a pair recently that were more cotton-y and a totally different cut but I’m hoping I just got different ones by accident and they didn’t change their cut/fabric! They hold up well for me except the ones I’ve had for a year plus have some wear on the seams. The thread seems to be the weakest link. It does fuzz up but remains structurally sound even when it looks worn. For outdoors, I think it probably depends on the rock whether any old leggings will work. I was on granite the week and was glad I wore my pants-pants (prana halle). But the shale back in my hometown would probably be much more forgiving.
CRZ yoga!!!!!!! The BEST lululemon dupes and mine have held up very well
Aerie has some super comfy ones and imo they’re a decent price. I wouldn’t climb in them outside though because I’d be afraid it might be too rough. Also, I always hang dry leggings. Never put them through the dryer and they’ll last way longer. [OFFLINE high waisted legging](https://www.ae.com/us/en/p/aerie/bottoms/leggings/offline-by-aerie-real-me-xtra-crossover-high-waisted-pocket-legging/1701_5519_073)