SPORTS BRAS FOR HIKING

This post features a collaboration with adidas.

What kind of bra do you need to go hiking? Do you need a special one? Or will the one you wear to work do the job? Sports bras for hiking is a topic I don’t see written about much, but it’s an important one – so I’m here to add my voice.

Hiking is one of those activities which sits as an in-between on the scale of what kind of chest support is required. It may seem sedate, but hiking is a strenuous workout, especially when you are moving quickly or climbing hills (especially on downhills!).

Not Your Everyday Bra

I’m going to say it. Wearing your everyday bra is not going to cut it. Especially if your everyday bra of choice is a lacy number with underwires and push-up structure. While you might look super cute in your little hiking tee, and feel a million dollars for the first five minutes, you really aren’t going to get the support you need. You’ll also be a chaffed, pinched, rubbed, sore, and maybe even a scratched mess in no time; none of which is ideal.

You owe yourself better than to put your boobs through that. Just as you wouldn’t hike in stiletto heels, you shouldn’t hike in something which will do to your boobs what unstable difficult-to-walk-in pointy-toed shoes do to your feet.

In terms of the strain and bounce it exposes your chest to, hikers generally need a decent amount of support. A medium-support sport bra is the ideal amount of bracing. But, given that a medium support bra is actually designed to wear for short periods of time – on a jog, during a gym session, or for an aerobics class – they can sometimes feel too constricting to wear on a full day (or several day) hike. So you need to choose well.

You’ll see below that while I do wear medium-support bras for hiking, because they are absolutely perfect when I’m getting outside with vigour and purpose, I also have a light-support option, and both have their place in my outdoor wardrobe.

Sports Bras for Hiking

Despite what I said above, I will happily admit I don’t bother to change out of my regular everyday bra for my lunchtime walks and gentle Sunday afternoon strolls. In fairness my everyday choice is a bralette anyway, I gave up the underwires and stitched-on patterns years ago in favour of the comfort of an Oddballs or M&S bralette), and don’t think I’ve ever owned lacy lingerie!

If, though, I’m going on anything I consider an actual hike – whether that’s a moderate length walk in the Cotswolds, or a hill walk in the Lake District – then I will wear a sports bra. A proper, good quality, sports bra.

It can’t just be any sports bra, though. It has to be a soft, comfortable sports bra, that still allows me to move. Especially as I’ve gotten older (I’m now in my early 40s), I’ve been able to get away with the not-so-well-made stuff less and less – the constant movement of hiking, especially all day, needs something that will stop the jiggling.

Sports Bra Specifications

My personal preference, and I would suggest a very good place to start if you are looking for a bra for hiking in, is to choose a crop-top or bralette shaped bra, with wide flat straps, a low front and back, and as little stitching as possible.

The straps are especially important. I always choose something with wide and flat straps, made from the same material as the bra if possible (rather than being webbing or just elastic); I need to know I’m not going to feel any discomfort when I’m wearing my backpack. You’ve no idea how annoying those little plastic strap adjusters are when your pack straps are sat directly on top of them! And while multiple criss-crossed narrow straps look cute, they are all kinds of annoying when hiking. Honestly, don’t do it.

I always choose a bra made from coloured moisture-wicking and breathable fabric…  

The moisture-wicking and breathable side of things is perhaps obvious – cotton is a terrible material for any clothing you may sweat in, or get stuck in the rain in, because it holds onto moisture and becomes heavy and oh-so-scratchy. Instead, a polyester (recycled, if possible), or a natural alterative such as merino wool or bamboo if you can afford it, will be forgiving against your skin even when there’s dampness around.

But coloured? For practicality. White bras get grubby super-fast, don’t look new for long, and you can’t bung them in a wash with all your other gear when travelling. I never travel with white clothes.

Support and Fit

Support-wise, medium-impact is ideal, because that’s the support you need for the constant chest movement associated with energetic walking. A medium-support bra will be good for any kind of hiking, and also be useful for jogging and scrambling too.

A good quality low-impact bra designed for yoga or barre (for example), will also work perfectly well for smaller-chested ladies. Bear in mind that light support bras often have much less material, narrow elastic straps, and a thinner band under the boobs. But they will also be a little less tight, which you may find more comfortable if you can find a hiking-friendly shape.

Fit wise, yes, I want something that is supportive – I don’t have a large chest but I’m in my 40s and my boobs do need help, especially on long distance walks – but I also don’t want it to be too tight. Sports bras that dig in around the ribs might feel great for the step machine in the gym, but it can feel incredibly restrictive when out on the trail. Getting a good fit is vital; I want something that will sit on my skin, not dig into it, whilst not being too squeezy – anywhere.

My Hiking Sports Bras

With all that in mind, I want to share some actual examples of sports bras I wear for hiking. So you can see what I mean by the specification mentioned above.

I have been wearing adidas sports bras for years (and years). It’s not quite a case of when you find something that works, buy one in every colour – but I have always returned to adidas for my hiking (and motorcycling) bras for as long I have been treating my chest properly when getting outside.

As part of my collaboration with adidas, I ordered a couple of new bras for this year’s hiking adventures – one medium-support and one light-support.

Coreflow Luxe Studio Medium-Support Bra

The first is the Coreflow Luxe Studio Medium-Support Bra, in a really lovely ‘silver-green’ colour. This is reasonably new to the range (and has matching leggings if you’re a need-the-set kind of person).

Designed for studio workouts, it’s the super soft material that moves with my body and is barely noticeable when I hike that I like the most. The straps are flat, the band around the middle is wide, and it looks lovely.

It’s also made with 70% recycled fabric (nearly there…) – and the padding comes out so I can leave that at home. There’s a pink one, too, I wonder if I ought to buy a second one?

This is a really great bra, it’s so comfortable, and will certainly be my Cotswold Way bra of choice towards the end of this month.

Yoga Studio Light-Support Earth Bra

The other one is the Yoga Studio Light-Support Earth Bra, which I really like the shape of. It’s very similar in looks to the Coreflow one above, but with a little less elastic across the chest. Being light-support, it’s a teeny bit less tight, but given the shape is still perfectly good for long low level day hikes.

This is what I mean about a hiking-friendly shape – wide straps, full coverage at the front, low at the back – perfect.

This particular bra one was actually in the end-of-line sale when I got it a month ago (got to look after the pennies), and so isn’t available anymore. I’m keeping an eye out for when adidas bring out something similar again – I hope they do as I’d love another one! I’ll add a link here when they do.

Alphaskin Bra

These two bras complement the bright green Alphaskin Bra I already owned (a colour that’s no longer listed and a style that’s had a bit of a makeover since I got mine), a medium-impact sports bra that provides more serious support when I need it.

It’s the shape that makes this great for particularly strenuous hikes – still with the flat straps and wide elasticated band under the boobs – but with extra security of more material to the front and back. The dotted back is also great for keeping me cool, and it’s soft enough not to chaff when wearing my pack.

Something called “locked-in compression” means that this really is going to stop the jiggle when you’re scrambling uphill or rushing back down to the pub! As such, this one is also my go-to running bra at the moment.

On Motorcycling

If you normally read Splodz Blogz for the motorcycling content (in which case, well done for getting this far in a hiking post!), then you’ll be interested to know that you could pretty much replace hiking with motorcycling throughout this post and you’ll get some sound advice there, too. I have one set of sports bras for both hiking and motorcycling. My adidas bras – with the lightweight fabric and wide straps – are perfect for both of my favourite outdoor activities.

Got sports bra for hiking advice to share? Or questions to ask? Use the comments below.

Thanks to adidas for the new bras. I’m excited to be part of the adidas blogger community; this (gifted-basis) collaboration is ongoing throughout 2023, so watch out for new adidas content coming soon.