Salomon Trail III Running Tights Review and Giveaway; Wilderness Running Company Gift Card Giveaway

I know this is getting to be a habit … but let’s start this post by keeping everyone in the loop with ongoing contests:

* You’ve got until 5PM PST Thursday to enter the Manzella and Saucony glove contest.

* The VIVOBAREFOOT (remember - all caps!) work shoes giveaway closes on Friday at 5PM PST.

* Keep sending me winter running photos to enter the LaSportiva Crossover GTX and Wildcat GTX giveaways on December 22.

Also, if you didn’t win the Drymax socks contest and missed the follow-up announcement of the awesome Drymax sale at Wilderness Running Company, you can still purchase their socks at a sweet discount: less than 9 bucks per pair, with an additional 10% off by using coupon code R&R10. You can pick up some lite trail socks or regular trail socks for this winter, and also earn my gratitude for supporting WRC, because they’re good people - so good, in fact, that they’re sponsoring the following giveaway.

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I don’t often find myself hoping that the weather would turn colder, but that’s exactly how I felt back in early November, after visiting Wilderness Running Company’s global headquarters in St George, Utah.

More specifically, Stacy (WRC’s owner) set me up with a pair of Salomon Trail III tights to try, and I knew as soon as I put them on that they’d end up in the heavy rotation of my cold-weather apparel. But since our morning temperatures back home in California hadn’t yet dipped to my “too cold for shorts” threshold (typically 40 degrees or lower - insert laughter here), I had to keep the tights in the drawer for a little while.

Salomon Trail III tight

Thankfully – and I can’t believe I’m writing this sentence – a cold spell came our way during Thanksgiving week, and the tights saw extensive duty. Now that I’ve logged an honest amount of mileage in them, I can confirm what I initially suspected about the Trail IIIs when I first tried them on: they’re super comfortable, and an ideal piece of gear for cold-weather trail running.

The main panels of the Trail IIIs are made from actiLite, Salomon’s soft stretch moisture-wicking fabric that rides very comfortably against the skin, with flatlock seam construction to minimize chafing in key areas. Behind each knee is a panel of actiLite mesh that provides some ventilation without sacrificing warmth. Overall weight is 260g (9.17oz), making the Trail III ideal for moderate winter chill; the coldest run I’ve used them in was 30 degrees, and I’d estimate that they’d be comfortable for another 5 degrees or so lower.

There are a few nice accents such as a drawstring adjustment, reflective brand accents, a securely zippered rear pocket, and calf zips on the ankles. The ankle area is my only minor critique of the pants, as they are noticeably looser than most other tights – in fact, I’m easily able to put my feet through the openings without unzipping. One other caution worth mentioning is the sizing of these tights, which tend to run big. I’m 6’2” with a 32” waist, and sized down to a medium Trail III after the large proved too long.

Overall, I’ve been very pleased with the Trail III; they’re not awesome enough to make me love winter weather, but they sure help me deal with it a lot better. They normally retail for $85, but they're currently on sale for $64 at Wilderness Running Company, and one reader (male or female - there's a women's version) will get a chance to try them for free by winning today’s contest. And to sweeten the prize even further, we’re throwing in a $25 WRC gift card to use on anything else from the website.

The ground rules for this one are similar to others lately: you get one entry for a comment below this post, one more for a link to this contest page from Facebook or Twitter, and a third for a blog link to this contest page. Let me know how many entries you deserve (remember, I’m doing random checks) by Monday, December 13 at 5PM PST, and I’ll announce the winner shortly thereafter. Good luck to everybody, and thanks very much to Wilderness Running Company for sponsoring this giveaway.

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