could not agree more the straps are irritating and they just make them more bulky---I'm sure they are great when part of a system, but alone they are uncomfortable--I'm sending them back

I actually just got an answer from a rep at MHW...here is what he says. Thanks for your interest in Mountain Hardwear and your inquiry regarding the Windstopper Tech Pants. "The four velcro tabs you have described are attachment points for suspenders. The suspenders that are only available on Mountain Hardwear shell pants such as the Stance Pant are compatable with the tabs on the Windstopper Tech Pants." So...it seems that those tabs are pointless if you are not going to layer them under a compatible MHW shell pants...which I will not be doing. Now the question is whether I remove them by cutting them off and risk damaging the pants. Not removing them isn't an option because they irritate the crap out of me unless I am wearing a heavy base layer or sweats under the Windstopper Tech Pants.