Arc'teryx Sidewinder SV Pant - Men's - 2008 BCS

Being an ex-college football o-lineman and an outdoors nut is hard, not many technical shells and pants are made to fit bigger guys. Arc'teryx must know me well because these pant fit awesome, i have a 42 waist and the XXL fit great even with an expedition weight base layer underneath. They are great for skiing, I kayak on my sit on top in the winter/late fall with them on, without geting soaked with dripping water, they are also light so you can pack them on your backpacking trip, or rip through waist deep POW out west, the gaiters on the bottom keep snow out, the waist is easily adjustable with low profile buckles, there are belt loops to keep them up rather than suspenders. I know they are expensive but if you think of the vesatility and the fact that they may well last you the rest of your life, especially if you are thinking about hucking that 100 foot cliff....:)

I picked up these pants at the beginning of the season and got in about 20 days of skiing on multiple trips to Mammoth from Dec - Apr. These pants performed great in all conditions. I previously owned a pair of old school Patagonia pants (8+ years old) that are cut tighter so I loved the roominess and articulated cut. Don't let the "insulation" fool you. It's really more of a soft backing to the Gore tex than insulation designed to provide warmth. On colder days I wore expedition weight long underwear and on spring days I still wore silk weight long underwear.

Cold weather, no problems keeping you warm and they shed dry snow without any issues. The real test was our spring break trip where we had a couple days of cold, wet snow with 30+ mph winds. Top was cold and icey, bottom was wet and every chair lift seat had standing water. The pants kept me warm and dry.

The one thing I will change next year is to add a belt. They have a built in belt but it doesn't feel as sucure as adding an external belt in the belt loops.

Bought these to replace a pair of Arcteryx minuteman pants (and their annoying pockets). I have owned numerous ski pants over the years (north face, marmot, columbia). These are by far the best shell pant I have owned. They have a roomier fit than most arcteryx pants (on par with other brands). The waist cinch are a nice touch to prevent them from slipping down. Can layer with a softshell underneath or just a baselayer. The pants are very articulated- they follow the natural stance for skiing/snowboarding. prevents a lot of movement of the fabric up and down your legs while in motion. This is also why the previous reviewer complained about the seams running in the front and back of the leg. That is how arceryx shapes the legs without the knee gussetts. The fit is phenomenal, it is a perfect choice for winter sports. Completely waterproof (its gore pro shell of course) and seams are top notch. The 2 hand pockets are appreciated to stash a few item during the course of the day. And lastly the vents work perfectly to get rid of the heat when it gets a little warmer.

I have an '09 Sidewinder AR jacket and have loved it for the most part, so it was a matter of time before I decided to open up my frequently abused wallet and get the pants. As with all high end Arc' technical shells, the craftsmanship, simplistic design, smoothness of waterproof zippers, and Gore-Tex Pro is great....so I really really wanted to like it...but I couldn't....and ended up return it. Here are the reasons:
1. I wear size small pants from TNF (Liberation Pant - Gore-Tex Performance) and Burton ([ak] 3L Hover Pant - Gore-Tex Pro) and they fit very well without requiring a belt, which I love. The smalls on these run about an inch smaller. I was able to button it up, but it was too tight for my liking. I thought this was odd.....because the Sidewinder AR jacket runs quite large...well, although the neck is too tight, but that's off topic....
2. I bought coffee bean loving how the brown tint looked from the website...in person....there's a lot of green tint that I hadn't notice on computer....again, a negative for me since I was trying to match it with my teak Sidewinder AR jacket.
3. there's a seemingly permanent fold line on each leg that runs down vertically in front and back....I looked like I'm wearing an old fashioned pleated khakis....I still give it 3 stars because if you don't mind the aforementioned characteristics (which were negatives for me but may be positives for you), this is still Arc'teryx and they are one of top snow sports apparel producers....even if they're being made in China for the most part now....

These definitely run large -- I'm often an "XXL" in other clothing categories, but the XXL/Tall size was WAY too big through the leg and almost TOO tall for me. That's tough to do, since I'm 6'6" and about 265 lbs. I need an XL/Tall, but they don't have it in stock in the closeouts of last year's model.

No actual field experience to report, but seem very water/windproof. High quality construction, laminated seams, 'snagless' interior that won't catch on base layers or gear. NOT insulated (which is good IMO for a shell pant). The bottoms of the legs are reinforced, but not as heavily 'armored' as I've seen on some other ski pants.

Pricey, but if you need high-quality big+tall ski pants, Arc'Teryx makes the best.

I am giving it three stars because this is Arcteryx- with their prices and reputation, the product needs to be near-perfect to live up to the promise. Unfortunately this pant is not. Overall, the pants are nice and well-made and they are available in Tall length- horray... Now the bad parts: The fabric is lightweight and waterproof, but it is not tough enough on the bottom. I got a couple of ski cuts and I have not had those in my previous pants- Cloudveil Koven Plus. Second, the pockets are made in a way that it is a pain in the b&tt to open them on the lift, the zipper is vertical and bends when you sit. Arcteryx- take a clue from the Patagonia Primo and make the pockets slanted. I am sure your testers never touch the lift and prefer to earn their turn in the backcountry, but most of your customers are resort skiers, and if they pay $400 for a ski pant, they don;t want to struggle with the zipper every time they want to take out a cell phone on a lift. Also, for $400 it would be nice to include removable suspenders to give people options.

Awesome pants. I am a bigger person and they fit baggier than most pants which is what I like. I wore them on some super cold (almost 0 degrees) Stowe days and was fine skiing the groomers with a capilene 4 baselayer. I have 4 outings so far with them and they have held up well. Very waterproof!

I'm 6'2" go 215lbs and the large/tall's feel like they've been custom fit. Anytime you forget you have gear on while your out skiing hard as hell you know it's great gear, and fits perfectly!

If you normally have to buy extra big pants just to fit your quad and glute muscles in them, these are the technical pant for you!

Skiing in Indiana in the rain. With more time sitting on a wet chair than skiing these kept me dry were many "waterproof" pants have failed. The regular large fit my six foot 200 pound athletic frame like they were tailor made. The color is kind of chameleon. It can look brown or forrest depending on what other colors you are wearing.

Just for a quick note to those considering the "Coffee Bean" color... It's much closer to forest green than coffee bean brown. I was pleasantly surprised when I got mine and they were not as brown as I was expecting. I find the actual color really great.

They run roomy. I wouldn't characterize them as "goofy-baggy" but probably more than just "relaxed".

I guess you know what to expect from Arc' teryx. They make good stuff!!!!
I am 5"11 and weight 220 and these pants run a little tight at the crutch. Other than that I recommend them.
One more thing. I hope Arc'teryx doesn’t succumb to their on success (quality and design)

I ski almost every weekend at Mt. Baker and these pants are by far my favorite piece of equipment. No matter how wet or windy it is outside, these pants keep me comfortable. They are light and rugged and need only a mid-weight base layer to make you un-stoppable. They breath great no matter how hard you are working at having fun. These pants are worth every cent.

After a few trips out on the slopes these pants have proven their worth every time. Not a drop of moisture or gust of wind made it through, around, or under these pants. While the XL/Tall's did run larger through the legs than I prefer, they fit well everywhere else on my 6'4" frame.

I have only 6 days in these pants so far, three days snowboarding, three days skiing, and there are numerous holes through the bottom of the pant leg, which is annoying. I haven't had a problem with protection yet but if it rips through the second layer i'm sending them back.

the pants are obviously awesome, i'm 6'4" and bought the XL/Talls but i can't believe how easily the pants ripped at the bottom.