FINALLY!!!! I have been waiting years for MudGear to come out with men’s compressions shorts!
After watching all my female teammates race in the Women’s MudGear compression shorts for the last several race seasons, the men’s version has finally dropped. I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy of them and here are my thoughts:
Style: The new MudGear Men’s Elite-Fit Compression Shorts are not flashy. They are plain black with the MudGear logo on one leg and the words “MudGear” down the side. OCR is a sport that regularly dips you into dark mud that stains lighter colors, the coloring is logical and not a problem for me. I tend to prefer black due to its flexibility to wear with other styles of tops, MudGear socks, or various colored shoes.
Fit: The shorts fit true to size. I usually wear medium for all my shorts and the medium fit me perfectly. There is also a drawstring, which is great for securing them so they don’t fall off as you plunge into or get out of water obstacles, which is something which has partially happened to me before while wearing other brands of shorts. The only thing I did not like is the waist feels a little high for my personal preference. However, I rolled the top down one time before tying the drawstring and they stayed perfectly. While I would prefer a lower waist, the longer version actually gives you more options because you can roll them down as I did. The length was good as well. Not too long, but not too short. They stop just above my knees, and I’m on the shorter side.
Comfort: Here is where the most important part comes to play. My specialty is races that are 5-24 hours in length, known as Ultra-OCR (you can read more about Ultra OCR in my book Ultra-OCR Man or my training guide Ultra-OCR Bible. You can also listen on Audible!) The bottom line is if a pair of shorts don’t feel good, don’t prevent me from chafing and I don’t like them, I simply can’t wear them on an Ultra-OCR. I can’t fake wearing shorts that don’t fit well during a long race like I might be able to do on a 5k.
MudGear’s shorts feel amazing. The fabric is super soft and feels nice on my legs. They wick water away. The thickness feels perfect: not too thick and not too thin. The way the crotch area is cut allowed me to wear them for 18+ hours during OCR Everest with zero chafing.
Additional Features: The shorts also have a small zippered pocket in the back, which I love. This means you have a place to securely hold keys when training or a couple of gels for nutrition. When I race OCR World Championships later this year, I’ll leave my nutrition belt at home and just use the pocket since it can fit at least three gels comfortably (and more if you cram them in there). The bottom of the shorts also have a rubberized grip area to prevent them from riding up your legs when entering and exiting water obstacles.
Overall: MudGear knows our sport, they’ve been here from the beginning and they continue to be a mainstay. I wasn’t surprised when the shorts performed so well. My previous go-to shorts for Ultra-OCR were priced at around $100. They were great but super tight and would often get snagged on obstacles, ripping out the backside and leaving my friends with an interesting view.
MudGear Men’s Elite-Fit Compression Shorts are tight enough for comfort but loose enough to prevent my torn shorts problems. Plus, the price point they are being sold at doesn’t break the bank if I do happen to put my butt too high when going under barbed wire. From the best-selling socks in OCR, MudGear is about to become the best-selling shorts in OCR. Pick up a pair, you’ll love them.
5/5 Stars
