Combat Warrior Gi by Combat Skin Review (Overall: 7/10)

Overall Rate: 7 out of 10.  It's a good looking gi, but it gets hot FAST!  I haven't rolled in the gi enough. When I do i will make another review of it.

I am 5’7.5 ft. and I weight around 137-144 lbs.

Combat Warrior Gi Size: Size 3 A1

I first heard about Combat Skin earlier this year when I saw pictures of their spats and rashguards on the internet with Meerkatsu’s Qilin (A Chinese unicorn!!! Oh!).  They also sponsor up and coming athletes like Jaime Sterling and Taylor Guerra. So right away I thought Combat Skin was a pretty cool brand. 

OK! Enough jiujitsu nerding around… heres my take on this gi!

At first sight:

Oh! Cool bag…

A lot of good great fightwear and gi companies give you shi**y flimsy gi bags with eh.. weak heat transferred logos and what have you, but Combat Skin’s Combat Warrior Gi bag impressed me.  Meerkatsu’s Qilin is embroidered on the bag, and it’s a just a really cool looking bag.  Just as cool as CTRL bags!

The inside rashguard LINING!!! Awesome!  White gi, red trim, no cross color stitching just the right amount of flash.  Embroidered Qilin on the front bottom left lapel and on the top of the back, a lot of room for team and sponsor patches.  Gi pants look nice. Oh! I like the logo on the side.

Here are the specs from Combat Skin’s site:

Jacket

·       550 GSM lightweight pearl weave

·       One piece jacket with no back seam

·       EVA foam collar

·       All outside artwork 100% embroidered

·       Inside artwork sublimated on light rash guard lining for maximum comfort whilst not increasing  weight

·       Triple stitching for durability

·       Heavy reinforced seams at pressure areas such as the underarms and vents

·       Tape lining used to increase comfort

Pants

·       12 oz canvas cotton (rip stop)

·       Rope drawstring

·       Full width drawstring loops keeping drawstrings in place for maximum comfort

·       Heavy reinforced seams

·       Cowboy style knee pads for better movement (diagonal across pants)

If you want to check out more pictures, specs, especially the detailed measurement of this gi check out Meerkatsu’s awesome review on this gi!

The gi jacket is long, almost to my thighs.  It fits very loose, and is almost box-like.  To me the jacket is suited for a stocky guy or a woman.  There is a lot of room inside.  If you prefer a loose fitting gi jacket then the Combat Warrior Gi is perfect for you. 

The collar is soft and rubbery, and is of ripstop material.  The patches on the arms front and back are embroidered.  There is a lot of room for patches.  It is a flashy gi, but they keep it at a minimum.  The inside though is very flashy and colorful.  The Qilin is very noticeable, especially when rolling around and your belt unties, very cool.  The artwork is on a rashguard material.  The gi is well re-enforced on the stress areas around the armpits sides and wrists.  The sided are re-enforced with ripstop material (interesting).

Now moving on to the pants.  Wow! These are gi pants.  They are fitted, and they feel nice.  The first thing I noticed (love at first sight) about these pants are the belt loops!  They go all the way across the front of the gi pants. They make sure the strings won’t get away from you! Very cool.  Then the cowboy style knee pads that go all the way to the bottom ensures coverage.  And hold up! The inside of the kneepads have this smooth gi weaved fabric (something you have to personally feel). I love it! Another thing I like about the pants is the combat skin logo on the side.  Very Tatmi-ish, I like it.  I am absolutely in love with the gi pants.  All stress areas are well re-enforced. 

Rolling in the gi:

I have only rolled in this gi once, so my take on this is very brief.  The gi jacket gets hot, and fast.  It feels very heavy as it absorbs all of the sweat through the rashguard lining.  Other than that it feels good on the skin.  This is a good gi jacket for training in the winter.  I would not compete in this gi, but will definitely be using it in training a lot.  I will try to break this gi, train more in it, and review it again by 2015. I will let the mats judge, but from what I see this gi is of superior quality and is built to last. 

If you are interested in buying the gi check out Combat Skin

Here's a little clip of some Animals MMA flow rolling in the Combat Warrior Gi with my coach and good friend Ariel: 

For more pictures of this kimono, peep my previous posts.

Also check out my coach Jimmy Santiago's Technique of the week.