BackpackGearTest
  Guest - Not logged in 

Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > Anita Extreme Control Sports Bra > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters

ANITA EXTREME CONTROL SPORTS BRA

Logo
BY KATHLEEN WATERS
December 10, 2017

OWNER REVIEW

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Kathleen Waters
EMAIL: kathy at backpackgeartest dot com
AGE: 66
LOCATION: Canon City, Colorado, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 4" (1.60 m)
WEIGHT: 125 lb (56.70 kg)

Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed). Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Anita International Corporation
Year of Manufacture: 2017
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.anita.com
MSRP: US $69.00
Listed Weight: N/A
Measured Weight: 2.5 oz (71 g)
Sizes Available: 30 B - 46 E
Size Reviewed: 32 E
Colors Available: Black, White, Heather Gray, Denim & Desert
Color Reviews: Heather Gray
Support Level: Maximum Support

Designed in Germany, made in the Czech Republic
Materials Used: 75% Polyester, 15% Nylon, 5% Elastane & 5% Cotton
Extreme Control Sports Bra
Photo Copyright Anita

LOCATIONS

Most all my wearing of the Anita extreme control Sports Bra for hiking and backpacking over the last few months (over two dozen days) has been in Fremont Country, Colorado. This is my home "range".

We live on 71 acres (29 hectares) and can take weekend hikes and backpack straight out our back door where we border Bureau of Land Management property for miles and miles.

The terrain is high desert with mostly dry, dusty trails from powdery dirt to ball-bearing-slippery pebbles to hard slabs of granite. While we do have some prairie-like valleys, mostly I am hiking up and down on hills and ridges.

In addition to daily walks over my very hilly, rutted dirt road to the mailbox - a 4-mile (6.4 km) round trip trek - I have also been exploring some newly constructed trails in the Oil Wells Flats of Canon City.

Non-backpacking use of the sports bra included a 2-day trip to Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park, -a 5-day trip to the United Arab Emirates UAE) and a week on the beaches of southern Florida.

FIELD PERFORMANCE

When evaluating a sports bra, I look to see how it performs during my most leisurely and rigorous outdoor (and indoor) activities. It may sound contradictory but my most favorable impressions of a sports bra are really more, a lack of impressions - as in, I've forgotten I'm evaluating it because I've forgotten I even have it on!
So, sitting here (with the bra on), I'm deliberately taking note of the most critical features:

The Backstrap: It's wide and is designed with three rows of four hooks each. I hook up on the last row and that is perfectly comfortable. I know from experience, bra bands eventually stretch out and the additional hooks ensure I will be able to tighten up when that happens.

The body of the backstrap is a very stretchy, perforated pique material which I've found kept me cooler in the humid heat of Florida (86 F/30 C) as well as the dry heat of Al Ain, UAE (91 F/43 C).

The Shoulder Straps: I LOVE that the shoulder straps are ergonomically-designed, wide and lightly padded, but still have the ability to be adjustable. They are incredibly comfortable but yet still very secure. They don't dig in and leave indentations in my skin, nor do they ever slip downward or cause chafing, even when I'm wearing a heavier (30 lb/13.6 kg) backpack and hiking a rough trail. I think these are the BEST straps ever.

The Chest Band: While the band doesn't appear to be anything different from any other sports bra I own, appearances must definitely be deceiving! The band on this bra never rolls or rides upward when I'm working hard - it stays put right where I want it. And it isn't too tight or too loose, but just right (as Goldilocks would say) across my ribs.

The Cups: Made from three separate pieces, the outer cups of the bra actually form a "cup" which gives more definition than most other sports bras the shape of which is commonly known as "uni-boob" bras. It doesn't create cleavage by any means, but at least I look like a female despite my short hairdo!

The inner lining of the cups is a separate piece of hydrophilic toweling which adds to the construction and support of the cups.
Washed and ready to go!
Washed and Ready to Go!
Which bring me to overall support and wicking ability:

Support: Everything about the Anita extreme control sports bra makes it one of the most supportive bras I have ever worn. The straps, the shaped cups, the chest band and the backstrap, all work to keep me comfortable on the trail by holding my breasts in place without squashing me and making it impossible to breath when I'm huffing, especially in heat and/or high altitudes. No jiggling or bouncing allowed!

Wicking: Between the neat perforated backstrap material and the dual layered cups, I have not had any problems at all with getting excessively wet from sweating. And I haven't experienced any heat-related rash from the elasticized chest band. Plus, the bra has NOT developed that icky sports-bra-odor that all my other sports bras have after many wearings.

One last note: The Anita website has a great sizing chart and has a HUGE range of sizes! Using that chart and directions on how to measure for a bra, I found the sizing chart and the bras themselves to be right on target for a perfect fit.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE

According to the manufacturer, the Anita sport bra should be washed in a laundry bag using a delicate automatic machine wash with a water temperature of 40 F (4 C). No bleach or fabric softener should be used nor should the bra be tumbled dry in an automatic dryer, ironed or dry cleaned.

I've washed the bra at least a dozen times by handwashing them along with all my other bras in cold water using specially formulated "lingerie" soap. I allow the bra to hang dry outside away from sunlight.

The bra dries very quickly in the dry Colorado air - usually in an hour. I haven't noticed any pilling, stretching, shrinking or other flaws after these past several months.

STARRING ATTRACTIONS

1.) Stellar comfort and support - I've even slept in it!
2.) Great wicking and odor control
3.) Stay in place no matter what I'm doing
4.) Looks stylish and modest enough for outerwear

MINOR DISTRACTIONS

1.) Super minor, personal irritant - excessive information/size/care tag.

SUMMARY

I've long been a fan of Anita bras. Every one of my "everyday/dress" bras are by Anita. Through (lots) of trial and error, I've found them to fit me the best. I can't believe it took me so long to try Anita's sports bras but I'm so glad I finally did. They are great!

I actually now have three different styles of Anita Sports bras, the extreme control, the momentum and the dynamiX star ("X" shoulder straps) . They all offer maximum support with less movement and fantastic sweat management.

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.5 Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

Read more reviews of Anita gear
Read more gear reviews by Kathleen Waters

Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > Anita Extreme Control Sports Bra > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters



Product tested and reviewed in each Formal Test Report has been provided free of charge by the manufacturer to BackpackGearTest.org. Upon completion of the Test Series the writer is permitted to keep the product. Owner Reviews are based on product owned by the reviewer personally unless otherwise noted.



All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson