Hylete Reviews – Hylete Flexion Pant
Fit
Welcome to my latest Hylete Review! I’m 5’9” 185lbs and have a waist size of 32”. In the Hylete Plexos I wear an extra small (yes, you did read that right). The Flexion Pant was the first pair of Hylete pants that I had bought. I bought a medium and they were like Hammer pants on me. I bought a small and “settled” on them. Because of that, I never tried a pair of the extra small in the Flexion pant. I imagine they would fit much better, but now that I have three pairs of the Flexion, I’m pretty much locked in on the fit.
These pants are much more in line with the bulk of Hylete products. They have a specific material blend ( 94% Polyester / 6% Spandex ) that makes them feel much like their shorts and very much like that of traditional wind pants. If you’re looking for a “jogger-like” feel, the Plexos is your go-to. If you’re looking for a wind pant-jogger hybrid, these are definitely the pants you’re looking for.
As with most Hylete clothes, it comes with a handful of caveats. Most of them involve price, some regard fit, and in this case the big one here is the bottom leg cuff: It doesn’t fit very tight. Now granted, I do have smaller legs. Like most of the gym community I don’t have big calves. They measure 16-17” around the biggest part, and I don’t have athlete ankles (I can almost touch my middle finger to my thumb around them). While they do not fit tight, they don’t over stretch with use. It’s not a huge deal, and to be honest, if I had bought the extra small, they may fit better, but I think it’s worth noting for those curious parties.
As far a performance in the gym, I absolutely love them. They breathe and move well. If you need to wear knee sleeves while doing squats or any movements that require the same depth (cleans and snatches), they fit underneath well. As said before, the cuff is big, but always returns to the original size. So if you need to put your knee sleeves on without taking off your pants, these are pretty forgiving.
Features
As accustomed with the bulk of Hylete clothing, they come with the hip pocket, which to me, will always be the best selling point of all their products. There’s one on each side and is located in a spot where they won’t be in danger when you perform your Oly lifts. I normally take all the crap out of my pockets when I Oly, but if I forget, my phone is safe. As always, its location is great for running, and will keep your phone secure. However, if you have a phone without waterproofing, beware, the sweat will get to your phone.
All-in-all, they’re a great pant. They breathe well even in higher temps (it can get to 100 in places I train), they move great, and they fit well enough that they’re never in the way. These pants aren’t perfect however as they will pill if they suffer any abrasions. I’ve found with a handful of Hylete items, once they start to pill, it’s all downhill from there. My black pair got some abrasions from cleans and now they have a patch where they pill like crazy. Unfortunate, but the nature of the beast. I will say that unlike my Hylete Flexion full zip jacket, they pilled because of said abrasion, not just because I threw them in the laundry.
Price
Hylete has crazy pricing and I won’t get into that here, I’ve done it enough. These pants are okay for the price $92 online ($120 retail) and way better if you can get them for the military or trainer “team” price of $72. You can also use my Hylete Promo Code for $20 off. They’re pretty competitive with other brands, but as I may have mentioned in the beginning, these aren’t traditional joggers. Since they’re not, it’s important that you understand that before buying a pair so you’re not disappointed. They’re not sweats and they’re not joggers, but more of a hybrid between joggers and wind pants. Going in with that in mind, you’ll appreciate the price and won’t be disappointed in what you thought they might have been.
Final Thoughts
I love these pants, but I also hate them. A strange statement, but they have so many great qualities to them. It’s the small gripes that bum me out about them. I wish the fit was a bit tighter and that could probably be redeemed by buying an extra small. I guess in the fitness game, pants are made for boys with big legs and I just don’t got them. I also wish the cuff was a little tighter and the material was more consistent with the Flexion pullover rather than the Apex full zip (such a huge difference in quality between those two). Otherwise they’re good for everything, but not as great as the Plexos. If you love Hylete anyway, I’m sure you’ll give them a try. If you’re on the fence, they have a solid return policy.