Zip-Up Tracksuits – A Guide

Short answer: A tracksuit set with a zip on the top is more flexible than a set with a sweatshirt. You can unzip when you get warm, use the top as a light jacket and take it off without ruining your hair and make-up in the process.

The zip is a temperature dial

A sweatshirt is either on or off. A zip gives three steps: fully closed, half open and fully off. On a day that goes from a cold morning to a warm room, that is the difference between being comfortable and having to change.

The top as a light jacket

A zipped top can be worn as an outer layer over a T-shirt in spring and autumn, when a real jacket would be too much. It takes less room in a bag than a jacket and can come along on a trip where the weather is uncertain.

Without ruining your hair

A top that has to be pulled over the head ruins hair and make-up, which is why many choose a zip when the set is also worn outside the home. It is a small thing, but it decides whether the top gets taken off or kept on.

Hood or not

A zipped hoodie is the warmest and most relaxed, while a zipped sweatshirt without a hood is cleaner in its look and easier to wear under a jacket. See bamboo hoodies for women and choose by where the set will most often be worn.

The zip has to last

A cheap plastic zip breaks at a tooth, and then the whole top is unusable. Look for a metal zip or a sturdy plastic one with a flat pull. It is the single part of the set that breaks first, and it cannot be replaced at home.

The neck when it is closed

Always try the top with the zip fully closed. If the edge is hard or too high, it rubs against the neck, and then it never gets zipped all the way. A soft edge with a small guard at the top is what makes the zip actually get used.

The trousers that go with it

The bottom half is the same as in an ordinary set. See bamboo sweatpants for women and choose the same colour and series as the top, so the two pieces fade at the same pace and still look like a set after a season.

The whole set together

If you buy the two pieces together, the colour is certain from the start. See bamboo tracksuit sets for women, where the top and bottom come from the same batch, and check that the pieces can be exchanged separately if the sizes differ.

Washing and the zip

Always close the zip before washing, otherwise the teeth knock against the drum and the rest of the laundry. Wash at 30 degrees without fabric softener and turn the pieces inside out. Hang the top to dry with the zip closed, so the front does not pull crooked. See also the bamboo hoodie.