I really want to like these...

By HokieBrett Ranked #392 - Men's Pants November 6, 2009

I really want to like these, I really do. I like Backcountry.com and their new Stoic line intrigues me...I’ll start off saying that buying pants for outdoor adventures (or even jeans/khakis) can sometimes be annoying for me. I'm normally a 34" waist (33” while training hard, 35” while washing down too many burritos with beer) with a 30-32" inseam. But I'm a soccer player so I'm *ahem* more athletic *ahem* in the butt/thighs... This generally means I have to buy size large pants so they fit right in the waist/seat/thighs. But normally a size large is too long for me so I just have to put up with the extra length.

The cut of these pants is weird ~ for me the M is too small and the L is too big. The M feels like a 32"x32" and fit too tight whereas the L's require a belt/suspenders or they’ll hang loose on my hips. The L feels like a 36" waist and 32-34" inseam. (I easily can pull them off without unzipping/unbuttoning, they could benefit from some more elastic in the waist). Also these pants are cut long, longer than any other pair of size Large pants that I own. When I wear them with my ski boots or snowboard boots, they bunch like a snowboarder. When I wear 'em with just hiking boots (like I would if I were going snowshoeing) I'm walking all over the heels of the pants.Besides the long length.

My other quibble is the zipper cuff. Great feature, but the flap seems like it won't do much to cover the zipper. It kinda has a flap to cover the zipper, but it’s only about 3/8" - 1/2" wide and when you stretch the pants over ski/snowboard boots the flap just sticks straight out, exposing the zipper. Ever had a zipper freeze up while you're out on the mountain? I'm curious if that would happen with these. There’s also no wind/weather flap behind the zipper.

I really wanted some softshell pants for skiing/snowshoeing and I really, really wanted to like these… but I’m afraid I’ll have to send ‘em back…

View Details: Stoic Tour Softshell Pant - Men's

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes | 1 No