Hands-on with AVI: Comfortable activewear designed for pickleball players

With pickleball being the fastest-growing sport in America for two consecutive years in a row, companies have begun to create clothing designed with pickleball players in mind. My pickleball partner and I have spent several hours on the court with AVI’s activewear, and there is a lot to love about what they are creating. Head below to learn more.

First impression

The very first thing that you notice about a new product is the packaging it comes in, and I really appreciated that AVI packages its clothing in reusable and environmentally sound bags. It might feel like a small thing, but as the consumer, I feel better about the product knowing that there was care and thought put into the packaging process, as that tends to bode well for the product itself.

In the package was a pair of Jen’s Leggings, the Volley Zip Long Sleeve, and the men’s Pro Joggers. All three of these items are extremely well-made and thoughtfully created for the pickleball court.

Jen’s Leggings

I wore Jen’s Leggings several times – both at my gym while doing HIIT workouts and also on an indoor pickleball court. Something you immediately notice about these leggings is the side pockets, both of which are made of a soft mesh material. One of the side pockets is designed to hold a pickleball without the stretch being too tight; it’s clever in that the pocket is inverted, meaning you can easily access the pickleball as needed. The other soft mesh pocket can hold your phone or any other accessory.

I found the waistband on the leggings to be well-constructed in the way that it holds everything in place while not being too tight – I was also able to easily do squats without the leggings rolling down in any way shape or form. Jen’s Leggings were easy to maneuver around on the court and in the gym, and they are extremely well-constructed. I’d recommend them to anyone looking for a pair of new exercise leggings, whether or not they know how to play pickleball. As far as sizing goes, I am looking forward to when AVI expands its sizing options to include leggings that extend beyond a “large.” Learn more about Jen’s Leggings here.

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Volley Zip Long Sleeve

Avi’s Volley Zip Long Sleeve features an invisible front zipper, a sporty collar, sheer mesh inserts, and more. This is a great piece for warming up on a pickleball court and is also a nice piece for general weightlifting and HIIT workouts.

Right now, the Volley Zip Long Sleeve is only offered in one color, which is the same color as Jen’s Leggings – a deep, midnight-almost-black shade of blue. I look forward to future AVI drops when they are offering a wider color variety for its clothing. That said, I am someone who sweats when they workout, so in a way I appreciate the deeper color choices as it’s not as noticeable when I start to sweat.

For $98, I’m not sure that this particular piece of activewear is specialized enough to justify the cost. Is it comfortable and easy to move in while wearing? Yes, absolutely. Is it that different grom other activewear zip-ups I own? No, and I can get a close-enough performance zip-up from TJ Maxx for a quarter of the price.

Pro Joggers

The men’s Pro Joggers were worn by my pickleball partner, who admittedly plays much more than I do. According to AVI’s website:

The AVI Men’s Pro Jogger is the perfect blend of performance and style, designed for both athletic excellence and casual comfort. Crafted from a comfortable and flexible combination of signature AVI fabrics and recycled materials, these joggers are ideal for mindful pickleball enthusiasts.

My partner thinks these particular joggers are very fancy, and he loves playing in them. He enjoys all of the bells and whistles that they offer, including a zipper in the center back where he could theoretically keep his cell phone (although why he would want to do this while actively playing pickleball, I am unsure). He enjoys the stretchy pockets which are great for holding pickleballs, but noted that the “drawstring mechanism” doesn’t really work, but that “it’s fine since the pants are already tight.”

When asked if he would recommend the Pro Joggers (priced at $118) to a fellow pickleballer, he said he absolutely would.

Wrap-up

Overall, my pickleball partner and I were very impressed with the thoughtfulness and care that AVI has put into its products. The pieces are comfortable, they are easy to play in, and they feel great on the skin. (Each of us also had multiple people ask where we got our clothing from, presumably because of AVI’s impossible-to-miss white logo, which resembles a pickleball paddle.)

As the first clothing brand to focus exclusively on pickleball activewear, AVI has already cornered a popular market. I look forward to more color and size inclusivity in AVI’s future, as well as how they will continue to grow and evolve as a company within the pickleball activewear space.