New womens' (and mens') gis out there!!

Even though I have *cough17cough* gis, I always can use more. I'm SUPER pumped about Black Eagle's second-generation Predator gi, coming out in March. I literally cannot wait to get my hands on one! The Black Eagle I have is my hands-down favorite gi, the one I reach for more than any other, the one that always gets comments. (Yeah, the tiedye gets comments too, but I can't wear that in IBJJF comps!)

The new Predator will be sooooooo sweet. As before they have an expanded range of sizes with some in-betweenies not available in other gis. Here's some changes they made:

1. Ultra light, ultra strong ripstop trousers.

2. Ultra Light Pearl Weave jacket. (I'm told this will be the lightest gi in my collection except for maybe the Kauai Kimono all-ripstop version. Even lighter than my Vulkan Ultralight.)

3. Extra lines of stitching on reinforced lapel with ripstop overlay.

4. Ripstop trimming to sleeve cuffs and jacket trim.

5. New patch designs and Predator embroideries.

6. Sanforized - Guaranteed never to shrink out of fit.

7. Mercerised - Increases the strength of the fibers and further protects from shrinkage. Also lends a "sheen" or "sparkle" to the fabric. No, I won't twinkle like fairydust, but it helps the fabric wear better (and I bet it's hard as hell to get a grip on!!!)

8. Additional loops on trousers for greater comfort fit.

9. Improved Competition cut, and fully IBJJF legal.

The Predator gis on their site now are the first-generation versions, which are really keen too, and if you buy one from stock now you get a free hoodie with it. However, I think they only have sizes 2.5 and 3.5 left. And as soon as they make the Predator II available you will hear about it from me right here!

Now what about those new women's gis? FightersMarket.com is a cool site for MMA and BJJ gear I ran across.

So I started looking just to see what they had, and found a new Keiko Raca women's gi for $149. Comes in teeny sizes too... M3 and M4 (my M4 was my favorite gi till I dyed it peach.. then chocolate, then a little girl in our kids' class wanted it, so I sold it to her cheap..)

Fighters Market also sells a new Vulkan Pro Light women's cut for $169. MMAOutlet.com has it for the same price. This size range is huge, from A00 (4'9" 99 lbs) to A3 (6'2" 206 lbs).

Their Dragao Hana gi isn't new, been out a while, but still cute. $139.

And I liked some of the Dragao mens' gis too... the Tribal gi (if you can get past the arrogant look on the model's face) looks HAWT. But $204 is pricey.

If you like something a little less flashy there's the Iron gi...

Last, check out this convertible gear bag! Great idea...

Yeah, I know, 17 gis is too many. I have a couple I bought when I was new to the sport, or was asked to buy when I belonged to my previous martial art, and so I need to do a cleaning-out and a giving-away. Might be nice for my academy to have some small loaner gis for ladies who come give it a shot instead of wandering around like a tyke in Daddy's overcoat.