Product Review: FITS Treads Wind Pro Breeches

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? While browsing for gear is fun, sometimes it’s just overwhelming to search through all of the products that are available for you and your horse. Companies featured in my posts have very generously provided me with their products, so that I may try them out and share my own experiences with all of you! Of course, every horse and rider is a unique individual, so each product may perform differently for you and your horse then it does for me—after all, different things work for different people (and horses!), and that is all part of the variety of life! This column is meant only for me to recount my personal journey, and share my own and my horse’s experiences with all of the exciting products featured. While I make no recommendations, I hope that you 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!

FITS in the Snow

Bringing Mark in out of the snow — normally I’d be wearing 2 or 3 layered pairs of sweatpants, but that was before I met FITS Treads Wind Pro breeches.

Have you ever found yourself wishing that you could ride in a pair of sweatpants? Sure, the concept sounds pretty great — soft, warm and comfy sweatpants substituted in for a fitted pair of riding breeches. But then reality hits. In your mind’s eye, you can already see yourself slip sliding all around in the saddle, while anyone watching is howling with laughter, while intermittently snapping photos of your ridiculous attire (which, of course, will mean that you’ll be next week’s hilarious photo that goes viral on social media!). Riding sweatpants … I guess it’s one of those ideas that maybe should be sent back to the drawing board. Personally, I felt like I found a fantastic blend of both warm and comfortable when I tried FITS Treads Wind Pro Breeches.

How about THOSE rubberized ink dots?

How about THOSE rubberized ink dots?

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the Treads breeches when I first pulled them on. I was definitely expecting to like them — after all, FITS is known for innovative designs that result in a unique blend of style, function and comfort. However, nowhere in my wildest expectations did I expect them to be THAT comfortable. And by that, I mean so comfortable that I just wanted to keep wearing them around the house. For the whole evening. Which I did. That being said, I absolutely could not wait to give them a try in the saddle. From the time that I swung my leg up and over my horse’s back, and I landed in my saddle, I was ready to GO. (Incidentally, so was he, since there was a bit of a breeze going). When I shifted around to adjust my seat, I really liked the amount of traction that I felt that I had — grippy, without feeling like I was sticking to the saddle. And so we ventured forth to face the wind.

Riding in windy conditions is usually not a very pleasant experience at all. Normally, I feel a bit chilled during warm-up and just need about 10 minutes or so of riding to get warmed up. In this case, I felt the cold breeze against my face, but otherwise took no notice of it! The Polartec Wind Pro fabric that the FITS Treads Wind Pro breeches are made of is not bulky or heavy feeling, but it kept my legs toasty warm during my entire ride. While the Treads are both warm AND comfortable, what really solidified their status as my new favorite pair of cold weather breeches was their functional performance in the saddle. After all, what is warmth and comfort if function is lacking (let us remember the riding sweatpants idea)?

Hearing about the concept of the rubberized ink dot full seat is interesting. Experiencing them in action is incredibly cool! I felt like I had all of the grip that I needed, thanks to the specific distribution of the rubberized dots, right where I needed them the most. My experiences riding in FITS Treads Wind Pro breeches make me no longer dread windy conditions and chilly temperatures. Take THAT, cold weather! You will not rule me anymore.

Treads dressed down for a trip to the feed store…with my one of my favorite sweatshirts!

Treads dressed down for a trip to the feed store … with my one of my favorite sweatshirts!

At this point, I’ve worn FITS Treads Wind Pro breeches in wind, cold, snow and rain. I’ve worn them to ride in, muck in, throw hay in, visit the feed store in and even lounge around in. When the weather turns chilly, I feel like I live in them. Seriously. Even when I was out in a light rain, I took notice of the fact that instead of soaking into my pants, the water simply beaded on the surface for me to brush off (and all the while, my legs stayed warm and dry!). I’ve also logged in some serious barn work time while wearing my Treads. Mucking stalls … no problem. The dirt and grime wipe off well. Throwing hay … no problem. The hay brushes right off (of the treads … but it was still stuck ALL over the hoodie I was wearing). Emptying the muck cart … no problem. I normally get sweaty at this point when I have fleece lined breeches on, but stay dry and comfortable in treads!

Even after I’m done with my ride and barn work, I love that I’m simply able to throw on an oversized sweater or sweatshirt with my FITS Treads Wind Pro breeches and hop in the truck to drive to the feed store. I don’t really look like I’m in my riding attire with FITS Treads Wind Pro breeches. Just in really comfy and oh-so-warm, stylish pants. In fact, one morning I found myself wishing that I would be able to put these on to wear to work because they just don’t look like breeches. I mean, they could count as business casual, couldn’t they? Sadly, I picked another pair of dress slacks for work that day, but in my mind, I wished that I was wearing my Treads.

So, let’s recap. Warm? Check. Comfortable? Double Check. Performance in the Saddle? Check. Stylish? Triple Check! Is there really anything else that could make me LOVE the FITS Treads Wind Pro breeches any more than I already do? Would you believe that the answer is a resounding YES? Perhaps the icing on the cake for me is that Treads breeches are MADE IN THE USA … like the majority of FITS products. I am very proud to BUY AMERICAN MADE products. Knowing that a product that I have tried, and already love, is also MADE IN THE USA just makes me love that much more.

Go Warm & Comfy Breeches. Go MADE IN THE USA. Go FITS. Go Eventing.

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