Review: SKINS 2013 Compression Range

With compression gear or base layer garments now ubiquitous on the competitive soccer pitch, at the gym and for training, options abound for athletes. While all of the major sportswear firms offer compression products, Australian company SKINS is regarded as the mack daddy of the realm.

Worn by world class triathletes, runners, cyclists and the two-time World Cup winning Australia Wallabies rugby team, SKINS have launched a full range of products for the 2013 Holiday season (available at World Rugby Shop, Kitbag and Lovell Rugby).

We’ve had one of our Football Fashion team members conduct a field test on three SKINS products that we think is suited for cooler weather conditions. They’re the new SKINS A400 Men’s Compression Long Sleeve Top, A400 Men’s Power Shorts and Midweight Active Compression Socks. Here is our World Exclusive field test review of them!

Aesthetics

SKINS have refined their aesthetics over the past couple of years. While most of their gear is still black with a touch of Aussie gold, the logo is now much subtle than before. At the same time, it is well placed along with the product name and other accenting in a very eye-catching fashion.

Each piece looks like it means business on the road, field or where ever else it is worn. Of the items tested, the A400 Compression Top gets the most attention. Quite modern in appearance, it garnered many looks when I wore it for a few runs on the Pacific Beach Boardwalk in San Diego, CA. My fellow soccer players were a bit more forthcoming as usual and wanted to touch, pull and know more about the top and socks. The shorts were not visible to them.

Fit

All three new SKINS products fit EXACTLY as expected and true to size. When purchasing SKINS gear, I recommend getting your normal size. For example, if you usually wear a size Large compression top and Medium shorts then that is what size you should order in SKINS.

Performance

A400 Men’s Compression Long Sleeve Top

Definitely the best compression top that I’ve ever worn, the A400 Compression Top uses what SKINS calls dynamic gradient compression to get more oxygen rich blood to working muscles. The result of more blood flow to the muscles is always improved performance and the removal of soreness causing lactic acid from the muscles. For sun protection, the shirt has built-in UPF 50+.

Upon pulling on the A400 Compression shirt, I was impressed with its exact and muscle conforming fit. This is a base layer top that appears small in size once you take it out of its premium packaging. However, upon slipping it on it fits like it was tailored to your specifications. There is no looseness of annoying rippling to worry about.

On the move, the top support the muscles remarkably well and minimizes vibration regardless over how vigorous your activity is. It is so light weight that you can forget that you are even wearing a base layer shirt.

My two favorite features of the SKINS A400 Men’s Compression Long Sleeve Top are its underarm meshing and loose-fitting neck area. The meshing is so well positioned and designed that it results in incredible cooling airflow. I wore the shirt in both warm and cool conditions and found the airflow mesh to work equally well in both.

The loose fit in the neck and upper shoulder area makes for a much welcome degree of comfort not usually found in compression tops. Made of a separate piece of fabric from the rest of the shirt, this area gets a nice bit of airflow to the upper chest area to augment the shirt’s cooling effect.

The SKINS A400 Men’s Compression Long Sleeve Top also has a spinal support feature along the upper back area. This was something that I felt while wearing the shirt. SKINS says it is meant to ensure uniform compression throughout the shirt.

A400 Men’s Power Shorts

The SKINS A400 Men’s Power Shorts is a brand new addition to the firm’s arsenal.

Unlike most other compression shorts, it does not use an elastic waistband but features a much more comfortable fitted waistband similar to those found in fold over pants. They fit as well as the accompanying A400 top but use a material that is thicker and a bit less pliable.

Nevertheless, the A400 Men’s Power Shorts are snug, comfortable and keep everything in place on the run, in the gym and on the pitch. They are the type of shorts that you slip on and don’t have to think about until you take them off.

SKINS say that the A400 Men’s Power Shorts is a garment that will maximize explosive power via improved muscle activation and energy transfer. What I found was that they are performance improving to some extent. I thought that that when wearing them my upper leg and gluteal muscles fatigued more slowly as usual. I also thought that the soreness usually experience in these muscles were less than usual after activity in the shorts.

Midweight Active Compression Socks

SKINS’ compression sleeves are known to be among the best in the business. Now the company has launched a line of socks. The Midweight Active Compression Socks is part of the range along with lightweight and recovery socks.

Made of high quality yarns with built in moisture management, anti-chafing and cushioning, these are a must if you cover big distances in training and in match situations. This is because they do introduce definite advantages to hardworking and tired legs.

On the go, they are extremely comfortable and add an extra layer of cushioning always welcome when wearing cleats. The compression effect keeps the blood flowing and reduced fatigue like the SKINS A400 top and shorts discussed above. I also found the socks to be excellent for recovery after matches and long runs because of this effect.

The most revealing field test that I conducted in the SKINS Midweight Active Compression Socks was one in which I ran three miles on concrete while still sore from a match the day before. I found the socks to make the run more comfortable than usual because of the support they provided to my calf muscles. They were also like a leg supporting exoskeleton for tired limbs.

Dryness

One of the advantages of compression gear over cotton shirts and even soccer jerseys is that they dissipate sweat quickly. However, not all compression gear is created equally. If there were a quick drying spectrum in the realm of base layer garb, SKINS would be in the upper echelon. As a competitive athlete I’ve worn my share of compression gear. I can say with certainty that absolutely nothing else dries as rapidly as SKINS. Imagine playing a full ninety or running five miles and finding your base layer totally dry within thirty minutes. That is what I found with SKINS.

Final Thoughts

SKINS continue to live up to their best in class reputation with its new releases. Premium products for athletes in every way, they are worth the money that you spend on them. I have yet to see compression products from any of the big sportswear players (Nike, Under Armour included) that can offer the performance advantage that SKINS does.