ProView – GOREWEAR Running Kit: R5 Gore-Tex Infinium Tights + Everyday Thermo ¼-Zip

As a year round runner in Washington, the winter months are always a mental struggle without adequate running gear. My winter running mantra has always been “start cold” and push through the painful numbing first mile until my body partially warms up for the remainder of the endeavor. This past winter I was able to test both the R5 Gore-Tex Infinium tights and the Everyday Thermo ¼-Zip base layers by GOREWEAR, much to the celebration of my arms and legs.   

Fit/Comfort

The R5 Gore-Tex Infinium tights are form fitting with a moderate stretch to the material. There are no uncomfortable or chafing spots throughout the groin or thighs with a more snug fit over the lower legs. The cuff of the tights has a short zipper for easier removal of the tights before and after workouts. The waistband is soft and comfortable with a drawcord to keep pants secure with no rubbing. The tights come in three color schemes, black/blue, black/neon yellow, or all black.

The Everyday Thermo ¼-Zip is designed in an athletic cut, being more form fitting in the upper arms, shoulders, and chest with a more relaxed fit in the forearms and abdomen/waist. The Everyday Thermo liner is a soft brushed fleece which is luxuriously soft and my most favorite feature of both pieces of gear. You can select yellow, blue, red, green, or black as color options for the Everyday Thermo fleece. 

I am 5 foot 7 inches and weigh 190 pounds with broad shoulders and muscular thighs so I selected extra-large sizes for both the tights and fleece. I tested the GOREWEAR setup during road runs, classic XC skiing, hiking, and one snowshoe race. Temperatures ranged from 20’s to low 40’s with high winds. During my high aerobic activities, running and hiking uphill, I was too warm in the fleece wearing a long sleeve wicking shirt, so I made the simple switch to a short sleeve shirt which kept me cool enough. On lower cardio activities, such as classic XC skiing, I would wear a long sleeve wicking shirt and if temperatures were below 30 degrees I would pair the tights with a thin Outdoor Research base layer which kept me warm but not overheated. Both the tights and fleece did a remarkable job of blocking out cold wind gusts on both a hike and a run.              

Features/Construction

The R5 Gore-Tex Infinium tights are part of the Infinium product line which combines a durable water-resistance layer with optimal breathability, packability, and lightweight elements. The Infinium tights are paired with proprietary GORE Windstopper technology which is reported by the company to be “totally windproof, extremely breathable, and durably water resistant.” I never was unfortunate enough to test the tights in any wet conditions but did find them to block the wind extremely well as previously stated above. The tights have a small zippered pocket in the sacral area which easily fits a set of keys. The left thigh has a side pocket to snugly store your phone with no concern for it to jostle out during a run or hike. There are small reflective details on both legs.

The Everyday Thermo ¼-zip has two large “handwarmer pockets”, the namesake ¼ length zipper, thumb holes in each sleeve to keep the sleeve ends secured during activities, and small reflective logo on the left chest and right lower back. 

Earth-Friendliness

GOREWEAR ensures all Gore-Tex and Gore-Tex Infinium fabrics are certified in accordance with the “Standard 100” by Oeko-Tex or are Bluesign certified. In 2010 Gore began working with Bluesign to verify the safety of their products. Gore also has social and environmental responsibility models in place. Since June of 2012, GOREWEAR has been a member of the multi-stakeholder initiative Fair Labor Association to promote and protect workers’ rights and improve working conditions in their contracted factories. GOREWEAR states the Everyday Thermo fleece is made with recycled material but I was unable to determine how much of the fleece was composed of recycled components via their website. 

The Final Word

Both the R5 Gore-Tex Infinium tights and the Everyday Thermo ¼-Zip fleece are comfortable in winter conditions. The Infinium tights have a small pocket for keys and thigh pocket to keep your phone secure. The decadently soft liner of the Everyday Thermo fleece was my favorite feature. The 3 layer Windstopper laminate on the tights kept me warm on winter days with low wind chills. I would love to see Gorewear design the Everyday Thermo fleece with a ½ length zipper to allow athletes to dump more core temperature during high cardio activities. I also think adding lightweight mesh in the armpits to vent core temp would be a handy feature in future versions. Lastly, I wish that both the fleece and tights had larger zipper tabs for easier use with gloved hands. Despite these small quibbles, I think both the R5 Gore-Tex Infinium tights and Everyday Thermo ¼-Zip fleece are excellent pieces of winter gear which I”ll be using for many years to come.   

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