Soaring With INKnBURN - An Honest Product Review

As I have mentioned many times, my favorite athletic wear is designed and made by a small company in California called INKnBURN. Why am I obsessed with their gear? It's simple, really... just look at this gorgeous butterfly tech shirt and tights!

The Soaring Tech Shirt and Tights set is the most recent duo released by the company that completely broke all my self control and left me screaming, "Shut up and take my money!" I think I ordered it the same day it was advertised because FOMO is a very real thing for me and there's absolutely no cure for it when I do miss out on a favorite design.

And streeeeeetch.... ahhhh.

Decent athletic clothing can be both difficult to find and a bit on the pricey side, so I will admit I was skeptical of branching out and trying the brand. None of their products are sold locally, so I had to trust their online size chart and customer reviews. Luckily, I also have some friends in town who had already purchased some of their clothing, and they assured me it was both worth the price and accurate sizing-wise.

I have already had the chance to wear this latest set multiple times, so I'd like to give you an honest opinion of the products. Why? As someone who has worked for small businesses for the majority of my professional life, I want to be supportive of companies who deserve a shout out. And trust me, INKnBURN is definitely deserving of a massive cheer and pat on the back. Heck, I'd throw them a huge party if I could because I cannot rave enough about their apparel.

Here's a breakdown of what I love about the Women's Soaring Tech Shirt and Women's Soaring Tights (and all of the other INKnBURN pieces that I own, for that matter):

• The artwork on every piece they create is amazing, and the colors do not fade or bleed onto my skin or other clothing despite sweating enough to create a flood, excessive wearing, and constant washings. One of my favorite aspects of this design is that it is just as intricate on the back as it is on the front. I'm hoping that when I wear them for an upcoming race that the people running behind me will enjoy looking at my backside so much that they'll forget to pass me. 

Front view of the fabulous Soaring butterfly design

At least my roadkill gets to enjoy the bright colors on my behind?

• The tech shirt fabric used is high quality, stretchy, moisture-wicking, extremely breathable, and silky soft against my skin. 
• Sweat stains are invisible against the butterfly pattern, which is nothing short of a miracle for those of us particularly sweaty folks *cough*....

Yup. That happened. I should have
worn an INKnBURN shirt.

• The seams are flat, mostly double-sewn for durability, and the stretchy thread used is soft and not scratchy. For someone with sensitive skin like me, this is a necessity. Additionally, the seam on the back of the neck is covered by a soft layer of smooth fabric in place of a tag. I find this far more comfortable than other popular tech shirt brands, many of which leave the seam on the back of the neck exposed. I took a close-up photo of my Soaring Tech Shirt to show the neck seam and the inside stitching vs. that of one of my other tech tops below. You should be able to click on the photo to enlarge it.

Soaring INKnBURN Shirt Stitching vs.
Bright Orange Brand-Not-Mentioned Tech Shirt Stitching

• In comparison to the shirt, the tights are made of a thicker, very smooth fabric that feels like a second skin and breathes well. They have a snug fit, which I prefer because they don't creep down while I'm running, but they're not quite as tight as compression wear. Like the shirt, the seams are flat and smooth.
• Like the INKnBURN capris, the full-length Soaring tights do not chafe me in the *ah hem* upper-most thigh area where the seams of the diamond crotch meet the seam of the upper thigh during long runs. I have had this problem with some of my other full-length tights made by other brands recently, so this is a HUGE plus for me. I shouldn't be surprised, though, because all of their gear is tested by ultra runners. In other words, crazy super-humans test out the tops and bottoms and other items by running distances of 50K to 100 miles at a time wearing these clothes before they are deemed worthy of selling to the public. 
• Bonus feature: a camouflage pocket big enough to hold your phone on the thigh!

Soft, perfectly stitched seams and surprise! a pocket!

• One of my favorite features is the wide waistband, which fits comfortably over my hips to about my belly button. After birthing two humans, this is exactly where I like my running and yoga pant waistbands to sit. If you prefer a lower rise, the waistband folds over to reveal more beautiful design work. 
• Additional bonus feature: stretchy drawstring hidden in the waistband!

Confession: I haven't needed to use the drawstring yet.

While I have obviously found my activewear soulmate, no review would be honest without the inclusion of a wish list:

• I would love to see the option of petite sizes in the future for all my teeny friends out there. These tights are quite long. If you are a petite peep and prefer not to fold or bunch the ankles, you may want to consider purchasing a pair of the INKnBURN capris instead of the full-length tights. For reference, I am a long-limbed 5'6" (though I'm going to sheepishly admit that sometimes I tell people I'm 5'7" because I thought I actually was that height until my husband measured me in recent years), and these fit me perfectly with plenty of wiggle room if I had even longer legs.
• It would be great to see this print ending in a wider leg in addition to the tights-style leg. For those with extremely muscular calves, the compression may be a bit more than you like. Again, if this is the case, I do recommend the capris as I find them a little stretchier through the calf area, or you should check out a pair of their performance pants, which afford more room in the lower leg. 

Finally, I want to comment about the prices because I used to balk when purchasing a tech shirt that I didn't find on the clearance rack at Target, and now I am more than willing to throw my cash at INKnBURN like a lovestruck teenager screaming at a Justin Bieber concert. Here's the bottom line: you get what you pay for. The prices are better than what I've purchased from Lululemon, and comparable to other high-quality activewear. What I feel really sets INKnBURN apart from other companies is that all of their products are made here in the USA. I love supporting a small business with high integrity and good business practices, so it is no surprise that I was thrilled to also find that their clothing performs second to none. 

Happy Toe-Standing, INKnBURN-Wearing Yogi

If you love the Soaring print as much as I do, you can purchase them here and here. If they're sold out of your size, keep checking back. They will not get more in stock BUT they will certainly come out with a new must-have print soon.