Crowdsourced Female Athlete Gear and Apparel
This list is a crowdsourced compilation of some favorite gear and apparel for female athletes from our Female Athlete Stories podcast series. Please email Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com if you have any favorite products you would like to add to the list!
Apparel
Sports bras:
Indura sports bras -- Best sports bra I've ever had. Custom fitted, so comfy, and cute! (recommended 4x)
These sports bra crop tops from Amazon → inexpensive but higher quality with loads of different colors
Lululemon is excellent for women of all sizes.
Senita Athletics makes sports bras with pockets that I love - they're super comfortable and affordable, and also very easy to slip your phone in and out of if you don't have space elsewhere and don't want to carry it.
Naked sports bras -- that have a pocket in the back for a soft water bottle. I switched out my hydration belt that bounced around and I have never looked back!
Running Girl sports bra -- good everyday sports bras - comfort, fit, price - nothing fancy, I literally have this bra in every color.
Shorts:
Sweaty Betty Power 6" Cycling Shorts -- they're long enough to stop chafing, and have a pocket!
Janji -- for women like me who hate the minimal storage we get in clothing, the Janji 3.5 inch trail short has a ridiculous amount of pocket space (I think it's 7 pockets or something similar) and the shorts themselves have a lot of give as well as a tie waistband, which is super helpful if you have different proportions than your typical size gives.
Lacoste for tennnis shorts -- have very good waistbands
Runin rabbit 8” leggy shorts -- zip pocket for keys and credit card, two side pockets for fuel and phone.
Oiselle Roga shorts -- obviously shorts are a personal preference, but these fit super well and don’t chafe, even on rainy long runs
Oiselle pocket jogger shorts -- nice high waist so they stay put and they can hold all the things for long runs
On running shorts -- nice compressive built-in spandex shorts underneath
Big fan of Athleta and Outdoor Voices in general for workout shirts and shorts
Tights:
Athleta Rainier tights for colder weather!
Lululemon -- buttery smooth silkiness, especially Align leggings and cycling shorts.
Cycling:
Ostroy cycling jerseys -- I always get complements on them and they are super lightweight
Pas Normal Studios for road cycling tops -- the crop is flattering for females and hugs the body without any sag like others. They understand the female form.
I genuinely love the Pas Normal Studios Escapism line (it's their gravel/off road line). I'm obsessed with bike short pockets (very practical). This line fits slightly more comfortably which we love.
Drop tail cycling bibs so you can go to the bathroom without undressing your top half.
Wild Rye for MTB
Shredly for MTB
ASSOS UMA Comfort Series bike shorts -- the perfect combo of breathable and still enough cushion and support. A bit pricier, but worth the investment.
Other:
Love mountain hardware’s waffle fleece dresses, the comfiest!
Headwear/warm weather:
Skida stuff - in general, it's fun that girls get to have more fun with fashion, even in the outdoors (recommended 3x)
Swim/triathlon:
Wyn Republic Tri-suits -- comfortable, flattering, perform well.
Tres Pinas tri suits/training gear -- for when you need a little flair!
Other gear and products:
Salomon’s running vest that doesn’t bounce on your chest is genius and should be worn by both genders.
For skiing, I find that the Black Diamond recon bibs actually fit my body right. Make sure you choose ski bibs with a drop seat.
Noxgear light up vest - Keeps me visible at all times!
Whoop -- for the recovery and cycle tracking benefits!
Whoop/Oura Ring - track your sleep and recovery and learn to listen to your body. Don't just push through your workouts out of fear of losing fitness or feeling "lazy". You get stronger on your rest days and it's important to know how to be still, too.
If you are cycling naturally and aren’t already using a menstrual cup, give it a try! It’s nice to not worry about changing tampons on long days out, and it’s certainly easier to deal with on a multi-day expedition.
Kula Cloth for backpacking
Adding Hibiclens surgical scrub to my shower routine for my chamois area really eliminated all my saddle sores, and doesn't contribute to microbial resistance the way a lot of antibacterial soaps do.
I really like Teleties for my hair. They’re the spiral stretchy hair ties. I have thick curly hair and they really stay in place during workouts and also prevent a lot of breakage which often happens when you have your hair up a lot for workouts (at least that’s what my hairdresser says).
Fuel:
Good nutrition staples - I like Pure Encapsulations vitamins (low doses, easy on digestion, very targeted) for the things I know I'm deficient in (vitamin D, magnesium). Spatone iron supplements are awesome (especially if you're mostly plant-based).
Carbs! Huge shout out to Asahi Super Dry 0.0% alc. beer. Tastes great, relatively unprocessed, and 20.13 g of carbs per 330 ml bottle, only 2.97 of which is sugars. Perfect for carb-loading and recovery (they're also isotonic). (There are loads of great non-alcoholic beers now, but Asahi is my favorite and the highest carb amount / lowest sugar I've found.)
Also carbs while training/racing! Spring Energy & Precision Hydration Gels – simple on the palette and go down smooth
Resources:
Get Mom Strong - SLAM workouts for pregnancy, pelvic floor, postpartum workouts
Finally, this isn't a gear item, but if you live in the Upper Valley area and you're looking to do more mobility work in the new year, I'd highly recommend the women-owned The Studio in White River Junction!