Janji Trail Half Tights

Janji

Janji is known as a sustainable running brand, with solid certifications on all their materials and dedication to long-lasting products. They also make commitments to clean water initiatives and grassroots running groups. I personally feel the brand leans more towards trail running than road running, but I use their products on the road routinely. They also have a “Janji Collective” membership where you pay a one time fee for access to a permanent discount and advance opportunities to purchase new products.

Stretchy Fabric, with that Synthetic Feeling

We will just get this out of the way up front — the fabric used in the Janji Trail Half tights is very synthetic feeling. They call it “Groundwork Knit” and it has a surprisingly high spandex content at 32% spandex and 68% nylon, which for me ends up feeling like that classic shiny, slippery synthetic sports fabric. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The content and structures of these classically-sporty fabrics exist for a reason — they are good at dealing with sweat. What it does mean is that, to me, they don’t have the same luxury feel of some other brands. The fabric is there for the utility. The tradeoff is seen with sweat: these manage sweat better than the plusher fabrics. Some sweat still gets retained, but noticeably less than other fabrics.

Looking past the hand-feel of the fabric, it is structurally very pleasant. All that spandex translates into quite a lot of stretch, but without too much compression. I would describe them as comfortably supportive. This fabric choice comes with an added bonus later, when we get to describing the pocket situation. Janji does not list a gsm (grams per square meter) for the fabric, but I would describe it as a relatively lightweight fabric that breathes well, with no noticeable issues with heat buildup. While the version I tested was unlined, Janji does make a version with a brief liner. I do not find the liner necessary for either modesty or performance.

Excellent Construction

There are only good things to say about the quality of the construction of the Janji Trail Half Tights. Starting at the bottom, the opening of the leg is laser cut, which means there is no stitching to irritate the leg. Moving up, there is a (very small) gusset at the crotch for mobility. The drawstring is thin and incredibly stretchy — really getting it tightened down, for me, means stretching multiple inches. It grips itself well, though, and stays put when tying, which means you can get a very snug fit. These features, combined with the relatively simple waistband, means that if you tighten it down, you will likely get some bite on the hip bones, but nothing terrible. The drawstring is finished off with nice silicone (or rubber, I never know) tips.

Seams throughout are small and flat, meaning no issues with irritation. Everything feels very durable. I have seen no issues with pilling, fabric wear, or lost fabric rebound anywhere on the half tights. There are no silicone leg grippers or any particularly fancy details to call out.

Deep Pockets, But Odd Layout

One undeniably awesome thing (for me) on the Janji Trail Half Tights is the depth of the side leg pockets. These things will swallow a 500ml Hydraflask SoftFlask or UltraFlask. As a heavy sweater, keeping up with hydration is a real challenge. As a larger runner (who carries most of my weight up top), I haven’t found a running vest that actually fits. Therefore, my water carrying tends to be soft flasks in the pockets. For this purpose, these half tights are near the best I’ve found. Most half tight pockets just do not have the depth for 500ml flasks — 250ml, no problem, but 500 tends to hang out the top. With the Trail Half Tights, the whole flask, including the valve, will be entirely within the pocket. And thanks to the slippery technical material, it’s relatively easy to get the flask in and out — not the least struggle I’ve had, but workable enough on the run.

The one odd choice with the side pockets, to me, is the layout. Janji has two side pockets on each leg, but the pockets are stacked on top of one another. You have an inner, slightly deeper, pocket, paired with an outer pocket on top of it. I am not quite sure I understand the layout choice, at least for my uses. It is nice to have two pockets for organization, but if you have anything sizable in the pockets, you’re basically competing for what feels like the same space. I can fit a hydration soft flask in the inner pocket and a nutrition flask in the outer pocket at the same time, so there is plenty of capacity, but you’re starting to look ridiculous, like you’ve sprouted leg wings. Everything is pushing outwards from your leg, which also starts to mean more bounce and sway, even with the compressive fabric. If you were using these pockets for just phone and nutrition, I can see the two separate pockets making sense. But…

…Janji also provides a sizable rear pocket. No zipper on this one, as found on many half tights. Instead, there is one big pocket that runs the entire width of the rear, but only has openings for about the left and right third, with the middle third closed. This pocket is where I tend to carry my iPhone and any other loose items or nutrition. For this purpose, I find this rear pocket great. I suppose you could be nervous about things popping out, since it isn’t sealed, but I haven’t had any issues — I tend to push the phone towards the center, where the top is sealed, and nutrition on the outside for easy access. In addition to being plenty deep, there is enough compression from the fabric that things seem to stay put. Janji shows that you can run a shirt or jacket through the opening, which I could see being handy, but I rarely run in the rain and don’t have the confidence to ditch the shirt mid run.

As mentioned earlier, the fabric choice of Janji does have a benefit when it comes to all of these pockets. You can definitely load them up, as they are very accommodating in stretch. Plus, the fabric seems to have enough strength that it takes a while to hit the tugging and swaying from having too much — I would definitely classify a 500ml and 150ml flask on each leg “pushing it” for any half tights when it comes to capacity.

Not Fit for Me

I do not get along with the fit of the Janji’s — it’s pretty much as simple as that. According to their size charts, I am firmly XL, so I don’t think I chose the wrong size. My biggest complaint, which I have with most half tights (and I suspect any bigger runner with a belly would share), is the rise (distance from crotch to top of half tights) — it’s just too long for me. As stated in other reviews, I suspect that running brands are making bigger sizes for taller, but still typically skinny runners — not heavier runners with bellies. They seem to want the top of the half tights to sit at near your belly button, which makes sense and is probably the best place when you don’t have your lovely “belly shelf” in the way. I prefer wearing the waist under my belly, which with the long rise, means the crotch drops too far and can cause chafing.

Rise is not my only complaint with the Janji Trail Half Tights, though. I also feel like the leg openings are just too large. While they aren’t flapping in the breeze, they just do not feel super secure and sometimes drift down for me on the run. I am not an apparel designer, but I feel like a tighter leg opening would help with the carrying capacity (support from the bottom). I realize this is a balancing act, but given the stretch of the fabric, I would think tend toward tighter would be better.

I also personally think 8” is pushing the upper limit of the length I prefer. If I loved these half tights more, I would probably try a size large in their new 6” inseam.

A Community Favorite, But Not Mine

I suspect people in the community are going to be surprised by my rating on the Janji Trail Half Tights. I know they are regarded by many as the best half tights around, at least for carrying capacity, but I think there are better options out there. They are certainly capable and I have no issues recommending them — they will get the job done quite well. I just do not find them to be particularly luxurious feeling, particularly high carrying capacity, particularly comfortable, or particularly well fitting. They are good in all of the above, just not great, and they command a relatively high price. They certainly aren’t the half tight I reach for by default.