Canterbury’s ThermoReg compression tights are well insulated for outdoor training but offer little in the way of compression.
If you want to upgrade from the best sweatpants to some serious compression gear – or perhaps wear the latter underneath the former – it’s important you end up choosing the right tights out of the many offered for sale. Unfortunately, if it’s serious compression that you’re after, these might not be the answer. Still, the Canterbury ThermoReg compression tights aren’t without merit, so here’s a detailed look into their ups and downs.
Men’s Fitness verdict
You’ll get quite sweaty and not even benefit from proper compression. But, they are at least comfy to begin with. Best suited to short winter workouts.- Instant warmth
- Easy on and off
- Very light compression
- Slow drying
How we test compression tights
Kieran Alger is one of our top fitness product reviewers where running is concerned, so he was the obvious choice to put these compression tights through their paces. When conducting these reviews, Kieran paid attention to factors like fit, comfort, level of compression, and any other extra features that might be present.
Designed to withstand the rigors of cold, hard rugby training sessions, Cantebury’s ThermoReg leggings have a much softer, textured fabric feel that sets them apart from the classic shiny compression leggings. That makes them incredibly warm and comfortable from the moment you slip them on.
But what you gain in softness, you lose in compression, which is the lightest of all the tights we had on test – barely more than a regular pair of tights. So, to put it simply, if you want actual compression, you should look elsewhere.
How do Canterbury ThermoReg tights feel to wear?
By far the easiest to get on and off, they feature an elasticated waistband that doesn’t dig in or rub and stays put. Unfortunately the lightly elasticated ankle cuffs mean the legs can ride up, particularly if you layer them under a pair of sweatpants and you’re getting stuck into lunges, box jumps and anything that involves bigger lower leg moves.
Inside, the performance gusset seams are raised and look like a friction risk. But in practice they’re actually soft enough to avoid chafing – on short workouts, at least.
When it came to sweat wicking, we found the heavier fabric wasn’t quite as good as the likes of 2XU at staying dry and not as fast to dry out post-workout either. However, the fabric has an antibacterial finish that wards off sweaty odours, meaning you can use the Canterbury ThermoReg multiple times between washes without clearing the gym. Their good insulating properties and relative slow drying times probably make these tights better suited to outdoor workouts anyway.
The ThermoReg tights come in a range of sizes from XS to 4XL, although it doesn’t have a draw cord to fine-tune fit.
What alternative compression tights should I consider?
By now, we’ve established that I’m not a huge fan of these tights, so what would I suggest you wear instead? Well, for me, the top choice has to be the 2XU Light Speed. These are difficult to get on and off, but that’s merely a testament to the fact that they compress your muscles really, really well. As an added bonus, they’ve got plenty of pockets too, so you’ll be able to stash your smartphone and energy gels without issue.
By contrast, the Skins Series 5 long tight offers a more graduated compression and (surprise, surprise) a close, skin-like fit. That might sound like a recipe for chafing, but honestly, they’re some of the comfiest compression tights I’ve worn.
Looking to add some upper-body compression into the mix? Check out our round-up of the best compression tops, or, if you don’t mind the lighter touch of Canterbury ThermoReg tights, have a look at the best base layers around.
