Gear for running in the colder months (not shoes). Does it have to be expensive?

I've just started week 4 and the weather has been pretty mild but I know it's going to get a lot cooler. I'm on a pension and don't have lots of money to spend on gear but I'm well aware that you get what you pay for and that cotton won't do. Without necessarily naming brand names in case there's a rule about that here, what do folks recommend to buy? I have an A%^$"S track suit but I doubt whether that's suitable and I see people with long-sleeved shirts and leggings rather than track suits anyway. Is there a reasonably-priced alternative to the professional gear in the specialist shops or should I just get the best because it will be warmer and last longer? I'm old enough not to be bothered in the slightest in looking fashionable!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Middle isles at Aldi and Lidl will do me just fine... big brands give you what you pat for and then get you to pay for a bit more!

[Hidden in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Thanks!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Most of my running gear, excluding shoes, has come from Aldi. Not on sale at all times, but excellent value and worth chasing when available.

[Hidden in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Good tip, thanks.

[FenderTelecaster Graduate]

£5 Primark jogging bottoms, an old rugby shirt and/or ancient hoodie bought on holiday in Cornwall years ago. £35 Nike running shoes from Sports Direct (though they were reduced from £50 I think). I'm sure decent shoes can make a lot of difference if your feet warrant it, but otherwise I suspect a lot of rubbish is talked about expensive running kit in order to make the most of a lot of middle aged men who like buying shiney new kit for their hobbies.

[Hidden in reply to FenderTelecaster]

Cheers for that. I think it's worth investing in a decent pair of shoes and I will do that gait analysis business too but I tend to agree about 'professional' clobber. (I like a nice Telecaster too).

[ArthurJG Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Yes if you do have money to spend, spend it on shoes. Cheap and cheerful is fine for everything else as long as you remember the key words: breathable and wicking.

[Hidden in reply to ArthurJG]

Good advice, thanks.

[ArthurJG Graduate]

As you’ve seen now, you can mention brand names here - nobody tries to sell anything and the admins would surely have a word if they did

First thing to say is you might need less than you think. You’ll be on to the long runs by then and you’ll likely be quite warm while running - just as long as you finish reasonably close to your house (or car as the case may be) and don’t have a long walk back in the cold.

If you go out with too many layers you may find you have nowhere to put them if you need to take them off because you’re overheating. Don’t want you getting hypothermia either of course ... it’ll be trial and error and as I only started running in May I have all my winter errors still to make.

Basically though you still want breathable, wicking fabrics. They needn’t be expensive. I haven’t bought a single running shirt: I use polo shirts from Mountain Warehouse that I originally bought for hiking, because they are made of breathable, wicking fabrics too.

The main differences in winter might be longer sleeves and legs, and if it’s really cold maybe an extra layer, but it’s more of the same I think rather than totally different.

[Hidden in reply to ArthurJG]

That's really useful Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[IgaT Graduate in reply to ArthurJG]

I use hiking shirts as well. During winter I was running with long leggings, long sleeve hiking shirt and hooded thin jumper. Once I've put additional outer extremely old sweatpants on top of leggings. Of course I have nice warm headband, neck warmer (buff), and gloves, also with warmer sport socks.

I believe most of my gear is or from cheap section of Sports Direct or promotions in Mountain Wearhouse.

Good luck!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

I have just noticed that Lidl have running gear on sale from October 4th.

[Hidden in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Brilliant, thank you! (btw your FAQ's are excellent)

[Craftysue66 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Great thanks - will get down there and see what's on offer too

[icklegui Graduate]

like ArthurJG says, you might need less than you think (esp in the UK). Think about what bits of you get cold and what efficiently warms up. For me, gloves and a buff, which is a tubular scarf thing (or a hat) which I wear as a headband to keep my ears warm, are especially useful. A light jacket or top that will end up round my waist and not be too bulky after I've warmed up is good.

Materials - merino wool is amazing and I'm led to believe that Lidl and Aldi do have some in their ranges so it's not always £££. I find a lot of things on ebay, in different sales, or last years' gear, or if you're not precious about it being new - I got an incredible neon yellow bamboo running top second hand for about £10!

Oh and if you look after your gear, rather than bunging it all in a hot wash with jeans and whatnot, it'll last (I say this from experience rather than trying to patronise you!)

[Hidden in reply to icklegui]

Getting a lot of good advice here, thank you.

[Hidden]

TKMaxx can be really good too

[theoldfellow]

Has anyone tried contra-movement.com/ yet? They opened for business last week with a highly ethical message. Prices were not too bad.

I'm on the IC, so I'm putting it off.

[shahirakk]

I really like TK Max - I bought hubby some decent running tights from there - but it is hit and miss on size. Decathlon is also good