Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Essent High-Rise Leggings

Love the high-rise to tuck everything in. The side pockets are functional and help hide VPLs and not so smooth buh-thigh transitions. The fabric, though, is what makes these really stand out. It’s compressive and slick but not shiny. Dog hair easily brushes off with a swipe of the hand. No lint roller required for these magic pants! True to size for me (30” waist and 40” hips) in a size 10.

I wear these ALL THE TIME. All year-round. The high waist is so comfortable and flattering, the pockets on the side are perfectly positioned, they are durable and don't tear or pill even from rock climbing. I wear them almost daily, for everything - yoga, running, climbing, hiking, errands in town, going out with friends, or hanging at home watching movies. I honestly live in these and couldn't love them more.

super slick, the colour doesn't fade after washing and extremely flattering. Leggings intended for the mover. They don't dig in, pill or slide down and they have great compression.

Since Arcteryx does not cut their pants to allow for women with curvy butts/hips, I always have to size up to get their pants over my butt. Unfortunately in this tight this meant that when I was trail running, they slid down constantly. I would have to stop every quarter mile to hike them back up. I still love them for errands or around the house as the fabric is great and the pocket fits my phone. I really wish their fit model wasn't seemingly built like a flat rectangle.

Lovely material and colour. Smooth and abrasion resistant. Keep you cool if it's hot and transitions well to higher altitude where it's cooler (~3000m in a temperate latitude). But they do bunch up and roll down at the waist- lots of stops to adjust, sometimes not in the best circumstances (think cliff-side). Phone pocket is adequate for a smaller phone (eg iPhone 13 mini). Perhaps I should have sized 1 down from my usual size.

I am always looking for a good pair of leggings, so I thought of giving the Essent collection a try. When I first put them on, they felt very soft and comfortable on the skin. My only issue was sizing. The legging is pretty compressive, and that made it hard to choose the proper size. I would wear them for many hours a day, so I didn't want them to be too tight. I kept debating between two sizes, and decided to get the bigger size. Unfortunately while wearing them, they slowly slide down, which makes them slightly annoying to wear. I realize now that I should have bought the smaller size, but I feel that if they would be a bit less compressive and still hug the right spots, they would be a great pair of leggings.

Arc'teryx is my favourite brand of technical clothing so I'm really disappointed I need to write a bad review. I've been exclusively wearing Arcteryx leggings since they launched the first model, and I've never had anything to complain about until now. My review is from a runner's perspective, I use these leggings for trail and road running. I bought two pairs of Essent leggings as the Oriel were getting a bit old and wow, what a waste of money. The material and initial fit were perfect. But after wearing and washing them a few times, there's absolutely no way I can use these for anything other than lounging around the house. The main problem is the waistband, which rolls down every few metres, making the leggings impossible to run in. I don't think it's an elasticity issue, as the material is the same as the one used for the Oriel model. I believe the waist is simply wider in this model, probably in a bid to catch a broader size group. I bought XS size leggings, but the waist is an S if not larger. These are simply not fit for any kind of active use. And what's even more disappointing is that they haven't made any changes for the autumn range, even after all the bad reviews complaining about the same issue.

I'm 5'2, and 115-120lbs. The Oriel was THE PERFECT CLIMBING TIGHT. I've had mine for several years and they were truly durable and held up to several years of climbing trad and sport. They were tough, comfortable, functional, and breathable. I finally need to start looking for a new pair as the only thing that actually created a hole in them was when a large dog in the park ripped my tights down by the pocket trying to get treats out. Amazingly, the pocket is still holding up and the holes haven't gotten any larger. Alas, I discovered Arcteryx doesn't make the Oriel anymore. Enter the Essent ... High waist is an understatement. It literally sits right under my breasts. I guess this is to address complaints of the waist rolling? I never had issues with the Oriel rolling though and it sat right below my navel. I don't want a high waist let alone a corset. The pockets in the Essent are narrower and higher, so now the leg loops on my harness sit right over my phone which I can barely cram into the ridiculously narrow pocket. I also can fit my wallet in my Oriels, not in the Essents though. I cannot stress enough how disappointed I am. It is so hard to find good quality climbing tights thoughtfully designed for women with the challenges of the sport of climbing in mind. Arcteryx had the unicorn of climbing tights and they got rid of them. PLEASE BRING THE ORIEL BACK!