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I will give leggings a try when fly fishing in the tropics, but you won’t see me wearing ‘tights’ in the fly shop
Skip Clement, New Zealand.
By Skip Clement
Angie Roth, my long-time angling partner, and irascible retired Federal prosecutor returned from a 10-day bonefishing expedition in Mexico with her sister.
She could not wait to show me her leggings with shark prints
I said they look exactly like your other ‘tights,’ my nieces’ everyday leggings, and grocery shoppers print tights showing off sleek figures, hiding hundreds of leg pocked and butt cellulite, or making sagging bellies come to attention by spreading out the fat.
No, no, no, Angie said. ‘These leggings,’ she said, displaying her figure and leggings like long-time Jeopardy word turner Vanna White, ‘are thinner and provide SPF 50 UV protection. No more soaked and heavy baggy pants, lathering bare legs all day with sunscreen, or rashes from material rubbing my crotch.”
Leggings are made for men now
On the flats, nothing could be more accommodating than covering up exposed legs from sun damage, eliminating having to slog around in soaked pants, and yes, on destination trips to tropical climes, there is a good chance of crotch rot from your pants rubbing for days.
Coolibar Sun Protective Clothing ~ Men’s Deep Water Swim Tights UPF 50+ $59.00
In the three months since I got a pair of FisheWear leggings, they’ve become the proverbial socks in my laundry scheduling—I’ve started doing laundry not when I’m out of socks but when the FisheWear leggings require cleaning. I’ve worn them fishing, skiing, to the gym, to yoga, and while running in the rain. I’ve worn them while traveling, sleeping, and when I don’t feel like putting regular pants on. And through all that, I’ve noticed a few design features that firmly place these leggings into the upper echelons of stretchy pants.
The most noticeable is the waistband, which has yet to slip over my hips, not requiring me to keep pulling them back up all day or during a workout. Then there’s the fabric itself, a polyester-spandex blend made in Italy (that means it has to be good, right?); the poly blend assures these things dry quickly, so comfortably wet wading in them is not out of the question—as someone who has gotten some of the worst sunburn of her life on her calves. In contrast to wet wading, the SPF 50 in these things is a welcome layer of protection, and they dry quickly, to boot.
Another important element here is how low-maintenance these are; they don’t require any special treatment when washed, which is great because I’m the kind of person that doesn’t jive well with things that require special laundry treatment (one load, all colors, here we go.) The high-quality material is also more rip-proof than its cotton or spandex counterparts and exceptionally breathable to boot. — Amanda Monthei / The Fly Fish Journal
Angie said these leggings have a con:
Rough surfaces and Velcro will fray or cause tears.
However, they dry quicker than most other materials, pack down to almost pocket storage, and Angie says they don’t require washing often, and when washed, nothing special like soaps or cycling needs to be paid attention to. In addition, Angie says they are made of high quality material, more rip-proof than their cotton or spandex counterparts, and exceptionally breathable to boot.
