Cloudveil Switchback Softshell Pant - Men's - 2006 BCS

The quality, design and technical features are superb. Schoeller Dynamic fabric is without a doubt one of the greatest inventions out there for backcountry exploration. And these pants take full advantage of it. The only downside was the pants didn't fit me quite right. The medium was a little too long in the waist-to-crotch area. I was hoping for more of a technical, closer-fitting cut. These pants may have needed to be worn higher on the waist, but that was uncomfortable for me. Without a doubt, I would recommend them to anyone looking for an all-around Autumn thru Spring pant.

About the material:

I don't know why it is called "Schoeller extreme", for I can use these pants at the office or on cool days during summer (in Finland, that is). At first feel they are like typical, although thickish, nylon pants.

Dryskin shows some spectacular properties, however, if you use it in bad conditions. It is not waterproof but in a downpour leaks in about 10-30 minutes. But it is practically windproof, breathes like any nylon, and dries amazingly quickly. Dryskin also seems to last forever (I have other heavily used stuff made of it several years old).

Good construction. Nothing to complain, except perhaps a bit unaesthetic whitish fabric used in the hand pockets - looks like your underpants when the zippers are open.

I was very impressed with the Cloudveil pants. We climbed Mt. Eddy west of Mt. Shasta over a route that included standard trail and steep snow slopes. The pants were comfortable and useful, and they kept me dry. My one complaint was that when it got warm, I wished that they had more ventilation options.