Welcome to EN’s Product Review series! Who doesn’t love shopping… especially when the object of your search is new gear for yourself or your horse? As an enthusiast of all products equine, I LOVE trying out new gear. Which is why I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to try out products, so that I may share my many adventures with all of you! Please join me as I narrate my personal journey of trying out all of the products featured. While I will make no recommendations, I hope that you simply have fun and find entertainment while reading about my many adventures of trying new products, and that hearing about my personal experiences might help give you factors to consider when you are on your own quest for new gear!
Buttons on two hook closures on front of FITS Treads All Season Full Seat Breeches - Photo by Lorraine Peachey
Sundays are pretty much the best day of the week. I look forward to taking a relaxing hack early in the morning hours. There’s just something about going out and wandering the fields when the nature seems to be waking up for another day.
The time is for me and for my horse – many times I take these types of rides with Ripley, because he can appreciate quiet rides like these. I sometimes wish I could freeze these moments, because they bring me a that elusive feeling of absolute tranquility.
I’m personally a fan of Sunday afternoons, when I’m pretty much done my barn chores. I tend to laze around in lounge clothes or sweats to just spend some time unwinding from another hectic week. Because the next week coming up usually ends up being crazier than the last in my world. Even just a few hours of hanging out in comfy clothes is a pretty great feeling though.
While I have a lot of fun being creative with my own personal style, I definitely appreciate comfortable clothes – which is a philosophy that I try to carry over into my riding wardrobe whenever possible. I tend to wear breeches. A. LOT.
I’ll admit, I don’t just wear them to ride in. I also throw them on to do barn work in–mucking stalls, filling water buckets, stacking hay–and the list goes on (and on). And finding a really comfy pair of breeches is something that puts a smile on my face.
The FITS Duet breeches are front zip, and have a slightly lower rise than the Original All Season breeches – Photo by Lorraine Peachey
So recently, I had the opportunity to try out a pair of FITS All Season Duet Full Seat breeches. The first word that comes to my mind when I think about the All Season Duet breeches is, without question, comfort. Upon first pulling the breeches out of the package, I couldn’t help but to observe how smooth the fabric is. And I mean super smooth.
The fabric has a nice stretch to it as well, and does have a nice amount of give. The Duets are a front zip breech, that also include a double hook front closure, a zipper pocket, and wide belt loops. They also feature a slightly lower rise, which is 1″ lower than the Original All Season breech.
The Duets also feature a Powernet ab panel, which personally, helps add a little extra swagger of confidence to my step. The inside of the calves are also lined with the Powernet material, which feels quite lightweight and breathable.
The All Season Duet breeches still sport the traditional FITS full seat patches, but with a twist. The Duets offer a fusion of the FITS classic patch style, with the traditional look of full seat breeches, by use of a colored euroseat on the back. The black colored deerskin patches that make up the full seat blend in very nicely with the black colored euroseat of the breeches – which are available in either Clay or Steel tones.
The Duets offer a fusion of the FITS classic patch style, with the traditional look of full seat breeches – Photo by Lorraine Peachey
When I pulled on the breeches for the first time, I was thrilled with how comfortable they felt. I would say that I was pleasantly surprised–but I wasn’t really. This past winter season, I had the chance to try out a pair of FITS Treads Wind Pro breeches, and one of the most memorable qualities that stick out in my mind is their comfort. Hands down.
The Body Sculpt fabric felt like it really molded to fit the curves of my body, and I got the impression of it acting like a second skin. And, I also found that the absence of any seams, and the gusseted stitching in the…well, for a delicate way to put it, the “lady part” area…really does take the comfort of the breeches to the next level.
As great as I thought it was to cruise around the barn while styling in the All Season Duet breeches, riding in them was better yet. I found that their comfort translated extremely well into the saddle – the difference that the gusseted “lady part” area makes is more pronounced when in the saddle, because there is no tightening or resistance of a seam while riding (since there is no seam in that particular area).
The inside of the calves on the Duet breeches are lined with Powernet material, which feels quite lightweight and breathable – Photo by Lorraine Peachey
The full seat patches of the All Season Duet breeches area made out of perforated deerskin–which, in my experience, I’ve found helps to give a nice grip on the saddle. Which I can always use with having two youngsters around to ride!
The Duets have been in my rotation of breeches for a couple of months now, so I’ve been riding in them since late Spring. Even with the changing temperatures–cool mornings and HOT days–I’ve been perfectly comfortable while riding in the Duets.
I have been able to experience the wicking and warming properties of the All Season fabric in action first hand. Cooler days? They’re totally fine – I didn’t get any kind of chill. And the HOT days of Summer? The fabric wicks away the moisture nicely, to keep me feeling cool and fresh.
Even when I’m doing barn work in the All Season Duets breeches, I find they get the job done for me–and they do it with style. I definitely give my breeches a work out – I think the harshest element on breeches that I wear to work in would be hay.
The stalky bales of first cut grass hay that I feed tend to want to ‘rough up’ a lot of fabrics that they come into contact with. I’ve found though, that the abrasion resistant All Season fabric is able to withstand the abuse of moving hay bales.
I wear FITS All Season Duets breeches to work hard and play hard–and they get the job done for me with style – Photo by Lorraine Peachey
The moral of this story? The FITS All Season Duet breeches feel great and look great. I’m not really sure which order to put the feel vs. look, in terms of greatness – I feel pretty strongly about both aspects. The fusion of comfort and style that the breeches offer have helped to make them a part of my regular rotation of breeches going forward. Even with all of the wear that my pair has been put through, they have held up very well, and still look like they could be new.
And my final word – you’ve heard me tirelessly wave my American flag for some time now, because I am proud to be a citizen of the US of A. I’m pretty sure I bleed red, white and blue – well, maybe just red. In any case, I am very patriotic. So it definitely makes me proud to find products that are MADE IN THE USA.
The FITS All Season Duet breeches are such a product, and boast their very own MADE IN THE USA tag. Which is something else that brings a smile to my face.
The FITS All Season Duet breeches retail for around $269.95, and you can check them out here.
Go Truly Comfortable (and MADE IN THE USA) Breeches. Go FITS. Go Eventing.
