I bought these paint last year b/c I was think of doing the AT sill the plan from this year 2014 and just hiking overall. The price was more then right to seventeen on clearance. Got 2 pair so happy I bought another 2. I was looking for paint that solved a multitude of issues. The need for wind and weather protection as well as convertibility so I need to bring less gear. I use these all last year and even parts of this year. Found even in the hottest of day there was not rarely a need to unzip, in the winter just add a pair of thermal on i was fine and warm. Love the bungee bottom, keeps out the bugs and other stuff out. The only compliant I would have is they run a little small in the waste , I was also glad I got talls I don't think I would have been happy with reg I'm only 5'10.
I went back to college, and since I wear shorts most of the time, I suddenly needed some pants for chemistry lab. I tried a few on, but all fit oddly or had some restrictions, and I like my pants a little baggy and not clingy. So, these: They're loose enough in the bum to fit my athletic-girl hips, but also stretchy enough at the top to not gap or be weird on curves, either. They hang fairly straight, slight knee gusset, and drape agreeably over my shoes. The fabric is super light and airy, but keeps a bit of the morning chill and wind off. Haven't done much with the zip-off legs yet, but the zippers up the bottoms have been quite useful, and the snap and drawcord at the bottoms keep me from stepping on them when I'm in a hurry. Pockets are roomy, not huge, though they are stitched to the front, so you'll see details of what you put into them.
I liked them so much I bought a second pair in the same color, ink black, which looks sharp. Why, oh why, aren't there more Small's available?
These pants feel quite durable, though it may be a bit early in their life to call them that. A lot of great features such as the zips and snaps on the legs, and draw strings around the ankles. I like the pocket designs, too: roomy, plenty of them. They are, however, for a tall, slender human being like myself, a bit short if one requires a medium waist. It would be nice if there was a medium, tall option. That said, they aren't too short; nearly all of my hiking pants are a bit shorter, which is nice when on the trail so that my sweat or waterlogged pant legs don't reach underneath my feet. Another 1/2 an inch or so would be nice though. A narrower fit in the thigh wouldn't be bad either. In any case, I like these pants quite a bit and look forward to doing and seeing a lot while wearing them.
I bought these pants for the specific purpose of hiking the 95 mile West Highland Way trail in Scotland. I was very pleased with their performance. The weather was in the 50s, so I ended up not using the shorts feature. It rained a lot, and these pants were great for wet, windy weather. I wore them through most drizzles, only adding rain pants when it was sustained coming down hard and windy. They worked fine under rainpants and dried off quickly in the damp. The drawstrings on the bottom of the pant kept the cuffs snug so that gravel and twigs didn't get into my boots, and bugs didn't get on my legs.
The only drawback and reason I didn't give five stars is that the pants employ a snap rather than a button at the waste. The snap would usually come undone when I unzipped the fly to relieve myself. This is a minor hassle, but it became more of a still-minor hassle to re-button while wearing a pack and a couple layers. Still, a great pair of pants and now an important part of my gear. I'll use them for fishing Colorado's rivers and hiking its peaks.
