Tested: Sugoi Bun Toaster

 Who wants a chilly bum? NOBODY, that's who!

Could this be the solution?

What it is: The Sugoi Midzero Bun Toaster is a "4-way stretch thermal under-short for an extra layer of warmth during cold weather workouts."

The same text from their website also appears on the front of the resealable plastic package in which they came

Why you'd want them: To wear under a pair of running tights or pants for extra protection against deep cold.

Assuming you would want them - read onward!

Duration used: Just one chilly (-6c/21f with windchill of -14c/7f) run so far - may update this as I use them more, if I end up doing so.

Price paid/purchased from: MSRP is $65.99 as of Jan 2022 - I paid $50 CAD + tax and received excellent service from Black Toe Running in Toronto, ON!

Getting ready for their test run

What rawks: Sugoi's Midzero fabric - which makes up most of these shorts - is fantastic. I've been wearing their Midzero tights for years, to the point that I bought a second pair a couple of years ago so I'd be able to run in them more often in cold weather: the exterior is a smooth face to which snow doesn't stick (I adore them for snowshoe running!) and has remained snag-free through hundreds of miles of singletrack trails. The inside is a delightfully soft-against-skin fleece with excellent moisture transport. While the seam placement looks a little odd on the front and there are an abundance of seams on the sides, they are all perfectly flat-felled and I don't anticipate any chafing issues. Sugoi has used heat seal for the size and branding in the back, and even put the material content tags on easily-clippable threads so there's no cut-off bit of tag to irritate. The waistband is a smooth elastic that sits comfortably, and a mid-to-high rise gives excellent lower back coverage.

I'm short-waisted, so they come up over my belly button

Detail of the fleecy interior of the Midzero on the leg and hip (this is inside-out, the rear of one side)

What sucks: If you look at the above photo, you can see the problem I have with these - that fuzzy fabric stops just as it reaches your bum, and is replaced by a single layer of softshell-like material that Sugoi calls Firewall 180. 

Inside out - the full rear side of the shorts

When I'd ordered these, I had thought they'd be a full Midzero short with an additional Firewall wind/waterproof panel over the bum - I was shocked to discover that the rear panel is just the softshell material, as everything I could find seemed to indicate these are a next-to-skin item. Who wears softshell against their skin; like throwing a jacket on over a bare torso? 

There's also the minor issue that I think they confused the language on the back of the package with the men's version, which is less of a bun toaster than a hot dog warmer?

Here's the problem: a huge part of staying warm is staying dry, so moisture transport away from your skin is essential in cold weather. That's why base layers are all designed to move sweat away from your body, and cotton is the absolute worst thing in winter (as it simply holds the moisture against your skin). I had trepidations about how this would work out, but figured there was nothing I could do but give it a whack...for SCIENCE

I mean they even mention it on the packaging - maybe they know something I don't?

So I put them on, then threw on a pair of winter running pants with (similar to Firewall, but fleeced interior) windproof front panels and stretch-fleece rear - kind of like these - and headed out my front door onto the face of the planet Hoth.

It was snowing sideways with spindrift pouring off the buildings in winds gusting to 48kph/30mph

Sure enough, my poor butt was FREEZING. Far from "toasty", I was actually colder in the Bun Toaster shorts than I had been while running in colder conditions in the same pants with just a pair of regular polyester-lycra running shorts underneath on Sunday evening. The difference? The Bun Toasters just seemed to hold sweat against my...umm...cheeks, while the other running shorts had wicked it away from my skin.

By the time I finished shoveling out the driveway as well, I wasn't sure I even had a bum anymore..

A review I'd seen online had mentioned that someone wore them over their tights instead of as a first layer, which might help mitigate the problem with the rear panel.

This was from 4 years ago - no idea if construction was the same then

So obviously I couldn't really do that with my looser-fit running pants, but what about tights? That leads me to the other issue, which is not nearly as much of a deal breaker, but still one of which to be aware. These fit quite small compared to other Sugoi products I own, and when compared to their own size chart.

My measurements are squarely in the range of size Medium - the size of both my sets of Midzero tights.
This size chart is from the package, so it seems unlikely that it would have been from a different model year

I definitely had to squeeze my way into these shorts through the legs and hip/bum area, and that's not pandemic pounds - I have stayed about the same weight and size for the past few years, and just measured myself the other day. I do have a big (powerful!) bum and thighs, but since Sugoi clothing is meant for athletic women, I wouldn't expect these to have been such a compressive fit. It's not quite to the point of impeding movement, but if I take down a bag of cookies..

Also, since most people gain some "extra insulation" over the winter, wouldn't it make sense to make cold-weather apparel in slightly more forgiving dimensions?

That being the case, I don't think I would do well to try wearing these over another pair of tights, particularly a thick enough pair to require a second layer - I have fleece skirts for that anyway, and had wanted these shorts for under my winter pants! I'm going to have to consider either wearing some moisture-wicking underwear beneath them (assuming I can even do that with as small as these fit), or possibly adding an internal panel of fabric to the rear to manage sweat.

I feel strongly enough about this that I sent a letter to Sugoi directly with my concerns

Edited to add (30-Jan-2022): Sugoi responded to my inquiry saying they were sorry I was not happy with the product, and would forward my concerns to their design team. They also included a 20% discount code for an item of my choice that they hoped would be more to my liking, so their customer service is more than satisfactory to my mind! Hopefully future iterations of the Bun Toaster will solve this design flaw.

What I'd like to see: Either a full Midzero construction, a fleeced interior applied to the Firewall rear panel, or - better yet - full Midzero construction with an extra panel of Firewall 180 giving the same rear coverage, as I'd expected them to have.

What I'm saying: These are a swing-and-a-miss by Sugoi. I may try wearing them with some wicking underwear between them and my skin, or sewing in a panel of fabric with better moisture transport to sit between the Firewall and my skin. As they stand, though, I can't recommend them.

Our butts deserve better!

For further edification: There's this review from Outdoor Running Adventures (though it's from 2014), and this thread on RunningMania (which is from 2012) - both of these mention a low-riding rear and neither says anything about a Firewall panel in the rear, though, so it seems likely the model has evolved over time. Hopefully its next evolution will turn it into the incredible (which is what the name "Sugoi" means) product it could be!

Stay toasty out there, my friends!