Pretty Tough Pants...

By Mo Kelley-Akker Ranked #466 - Women's Pants February 10, 2009

I've been wearing my Backcountry soft shell pants every day for the last 4 weeks, for work, trapping wolverines in the North Cascades.

We snowmobile and snowshoe into our trap sites and do a lot of work with sharp tools during our day. These pants are proving to be tough enough for the job, no rips or blowouts. There's been a few times, going through the woods, I caught them on a sharp stob that I was sure would have ripped them, but so far, so good.

They are way lighter and less restrictive than my old school, heavy wool pants. I love that about them.

I wear two pair of under Armour style of base layers with them. If the temps get lower than 20 degrees I need to wear another insulated layer on top of them while snowmobiling.

We shovel snow for hours at a stretch sometimes, and they are great for doing hard physical labor in, with out getting over heated. The side vents are nice for that.

The thigh pocket is lame. You can fit maybe 2 sticks of gum in there, or a small Bic lighter. Probably not both.

They are not water proof. You need to plan for a waterproof layer over top, if you're in any wet conditions at all.

I'm impressed with the comfort, mobility and so far the toughness of the fabric.

View Details: Patagonia Backcountry Guide Softshell Pant - Women's

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes | 0 No