Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > Terramar Hotties 3.0 Footy Leggings > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters

TERRAMAR HOTTIES 3.0 FOOTY LEGGINGS


BY KATHLEEN WATERS
June 20, 2014
OWNER REVIEW

TESTER INFORMATION

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: Terramar Sports Year of Manufacture: 2014 Manufacturer's Website: http://terramarsports.com MSRP: N/A Listed Weight: N/A Measured Weight: 4 oz (113 g) Available Sizes: Small, Medium, Large & XLarge Size Reviewed: Medium Available Colors: Black, Espresso & Charcoal Color Reviewed: Black Other details: * Uses Terramar's ec2® Qwik-Dri ™ Thermoregulation Comfort Technology * Anti-Microbial * Contoured Construction * UPF Rating 25+ * Smooth face fleece inside * Cotton crotch * 10% Spandex * 90% Micro Polyester Made in China

Picture Courtesy of Terramar Sports

FIELD USE LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Over these past 5 months, most all of my hiking experiences while wearing the Terramar Hotties Leggings were day hikes which took place in south central Colorado. These day trips were 4 to 8 hour jaunts into the approximately 100,000 acres (40,468 hectares) of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land encompassing the Cooper Mountain range/Royal Gorge area near Cañon City or the Wet Mountains south of the Arkansas River Valley.

The Cooper Mountain range is mostly piñon pine and juniper-covered high desert with rough primitive game and mining trails (for the most part) and is easily accessed just outside of my property fence line.

The Wet Mountains rise up from the Arkansas River Valley and are dense ponderosa pine and sage forests.

In addition to these Colorado-based hikes, I also wore the leggings on 1 all-day hike at the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts (MA), and a couple of short beach hikes on the New Jersey coast.

Plus, in early May, I wore the leggings at night during a three-nights/four-days camp-out (base camping) at the foot of the Superstition Mountains in Arizona.

And on my most recent trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, I wore the Hotties Leggings at night to sleep in on two nights.

On my east coast trip, elevations I tested in ranged from sea level up to just over 5000 ft (0 to 1524 m), while here out west, elevations ranged from 5000 ft up to almost 14000 ft (1524 m to 4267 m).

Temperatures while hiking (sleeping) varied from 17 F to 45 F (-8 to 7 C).

I experienced mostly beautiful sunny weather in Colorado, while Cape Cod, MA brought lots and lots of wind and New Jersey threw snow, rain and generally nasty weather at me the entire time I was there! The Superstition Mountains were hot in the sun, but cold at night and the Great Sand Dunes National Park trip could be summed up with one word - WINDY!

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

When I saw the Terramar 3.0 Footy Leggings, I had been looking for a good alternative to my (then) current night-time, campfire loungewear/sleepwear for cool to cold locations and weather conditions. Until then, I would simply peel off my outer layer of pants and my base layer bottom would do double duty as lounge/sleepwear. It wasn't an ideal situation - wearing (usually) sweated-in clothes to bed, but hey - it's backpacking, not a fashion show! So, in January, when it was a-blowin' and a-freezin', I fell in love with the Hotties Leggings at first touch. They felt just so soft and velvety smooth! I knew I needed them! Terramar printed a size chart on the back of the packaging, so I didn't need to guess at which size was best for me. The "medium" measurements were just about perfect - even if/when I lose those holiday pounds. I would have to say the sizes are "true-to-size", thankfully, because there is nothing (well, almost, nothing) worse than having tights/leggings/pantyhose that are too tight (or loose). Ill-fitting body-hugging bottoms make for a miserable time of constant adjustments! Ladies know and understand what I'm talking about! One other point about fitting to note - on the Terramar size chart, there are no specifications as to leg length, which I think is very relevant when purchasing leggings. My inseam (from crotch to ankle bone is 28 inches (71 cm) and I wear a size 8 women's boots. The medium-sized leggings come right to my waist, so a tall, long-legged beauty with a waist and hip measurement within the medium size limits might still wear a medium or might have to size up to a large. Anyway, these leggings fit me just fine. That's not to say I don't have to wiggle my way into them, gathering the leggings together, then sliding the leggings up a bit, then stretching a bit, etc. until the waistband is at my waist - really at my waist, not two inches (5 cm) below my belly button. I do, but it's not a struggle, just a process. Once the leggings are in place, they stay in place with minimal downward movement - and that's only if I'm walking around a lot which I'm not generally doing. I'm more likely to be supine or almost supine in a camp chair! There are no seams to irritate on the leg portion of the leggings and the rear portion has two contoured seams for a smooth backside view. The gusseted crotch panel lies flat and in place and is cotton for added comfort, I think. The only possibly minor negative - for me - are the toe seams. I'm not keen on "footies" and I have to adjust the toes so the seams are under my toes and not rubbing against the front (top?) of them. Once I have the leggings on, my legs feel wonderful. The interior brushed fleece is soft and smooth. In the temperatures I have worn them the leggings have kept me warm at night while sleeping. At the coldest temperatures I have been out in these past 5 month, the leggings have kept me cozy-warm every night. However, I have had to tear them off on at least one occasion when it was simply too warm and that was one of the last nights I wore them at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve last week. Night-time temperatures only dropped to about 45 F (7 C) and though I fell deeply asleep with the leggings on, about an hour later, I woke up miserably, uncomfortably, hot. Of course, I need to add here that I was in a 40 F (4 C) degree sleeping bag with a liner that reportedly adds 15 F (8 C) warmth and I generally sleep warm anyway - hot flashes are really not fun! As I indicated, in addition to wearing the leggings to sleep in, I also wear them lounging around - AFTER dark. Though the leggings are discreet - they are opaque, not see-through - they are a little too form-fitting for me to be running around in. Don't want to scare small children! I have made early morning forays out of the tent with a rear-covering top on though when necessary.

Snowshoeing in Hotties 3.0 Leggings - Can't you see?

I've also worn the leggings - and they are GREAT for this - while gently snowshoeing in the coldest temperatures. When I do this, I've worn a very thin pair of wind pants, no fleece lining or anything else, except socks. On the bottom, people, on the bottom! Of course, I have on tops, jackets and other stuff!
If I am doing vigorous hiking or snowshoeing, I quickly become too sweaty with the leggings on and though they wick reasonably well, I prefer some of my other wool base layer pants for strenuous activities. I also found the leggings to be too warm in any temperature for running with or without the Dexter Dog.

Thankfully, the leggings don't seem to hold a "stink" quickly. I've worn them three nights in a row without my tent-mate (John) gasping for air in the night! Washing them is a breeze as well. I've done that several times already in cold water, no bleach, no fabric softener, with the rest of my backpacking clothing. I've even thrown them in the electric dryer on low temperature setting with no ill results. No pilling, no shrinking and no bagging at the knees!

So, for me, the Terramar Hotties Leggings have found a niche in my gear closet marked "après" and even though it is full-blown summer here in south central Colorado (90 F/32 C), the leggings are on the shelf at the ready for some high elevation trips planned in July. Yay!

STARRING ATTRACTIONS

1.) Soft and comfortable against my skin.
2.) Good fit for me.
3.) Keeps me toasty warm.
4.) Washes well.
5.) Great pricing!

NOT SO MINOR DISTRACTION

1.) "Footies" are sometimes too constricting for me.

SUMMARY

The Terramar Hotties Leggings 3.0 turned out to be just what I need for cold-weather backpacking when campfire lounging after a day on the trails and for sleepwear. They take up very little space in my backpack and are stellar for comfortable warmth in a cold tent. While I'm not crazy about the "footies" - my claustrophobic feet have panic attacks - I discovered Terramar has a no-footies leggings style as well and I have already ordered a couple of them for next winter. The Hotties Leggings are a reasonably priced, quality alternative to their more pricey competitors. I like them! A lot!

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters

Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > Terramar Hotties 3.0 Footy Leggings > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters