Review: Reigning Champ Sweats – Pullover Hoodie & Sweatpants
Nomenclature
- Tracky or trackies: Australian slang for a tracksuit set or sweatsuit set. Can also refer to either the tracksuit top (sweatshirt) or tracksuit bottom (sweatpants).
- Tracky dacks: Australian slang for tracksuit pants or sweatpants.
- Best & Less: Australian retail shop where you can buy cheap trackies.
It’s the middle of winter in Australia and that means it’s tracky dack season. And with everyone spending more time at home for obvious reasons, I thought it would be a great time to whip out a tracksuit that costs nearly as much as a formal suit.
I’ve always balked at the cost of Reigning Champ’s items because it was hard to justify the price. But at the same time I’ve heard lots of great things about them too, so I finally pulled the trigger when I found their pullover and sweatpants on sale.
The Specs
| Brand | Reigning Champ | Reigning Champ |
| Item | Pullover Hoodie | Slim Cuffed Sweatpants |
| Colour | Heather Grey | Heather Grey |
| Price | $235AUD | $189AUD |
| Material | 100% Cotton | 100% Cotton |
| Details | Mid weight terry, shoelace drawstring, ribbed cuffs, raglan back, hemline and front pocket | Mid weight terry, shoelace drawstring, ribbed waistband and cuffs |
| Size Reviewed | L | L |
| Made | Canada | Canada |
The Look
They look like trackies. They’re grey. They look like you’re either training for a fight in the early hours of the morning or you’ve been up all night until the early hours of the morning.
The difference between these trackies and the ones you find at Best & Less is that this set from Reigning Champ are made extremely well. The design has more of a fitted silhouette to normal trackies and the ribbed cuffs help with this.
The stitching is terrific and looks just as good on the outside as the inside. It’s consistent and the only loose threads I could find look intentional rather than sloppy.
The matching off-white shoe lace drawstrings are a nice design touch too.
You don’t need to wear them as a matching set, they work perfectly as separates too. Both have minimal branding on the outside, besides one small “RC” patch stitched to each item. The hoodie works perfectly as a mid layer.
The Feel
The mid weight terry is soft with a bit of weight to it. These trackies keep you comfortable and cosy from head to toe ankle. They aren’t thick or heavy nor are they thin and airy.
I found the fit great (besides the length), I had read that they run quite slim so I opted for a large. I tend to drift between medium and large depending on the brand and I’m glad I went large this time.
I will note that these trackies are made for taller people. Or people with longer limbs. I probably don’t have the longest arms/legs either, so I did find the length of the sweatpants particularly long. It’s not a huge deal because of the ribbed hem and it’s casual wear after all, but can you even tailor tracky dacks?
Is it Affordable?
Definitely not. You can get a set of trackies for a tenth of the price of this pair. Are they going to be as good as Reigning Champ’s set? Not at all. But if you’re looking to splurge and you’re spending a lot of time at home, or just love athleisure then this is the expensive tracky set for you.
Personally I think it’s a lot of money to spend on clothes like this. But I can see and feel that they are great quality. If you wear them a lot and they last a long time it’s way easier to justify the purchase. At least that’s what I tell myself.
Disclaimer: Even though I bought these tracks with my own cash, some links in this review are affiliate links that help to keep this site running at no cost to you.
