over designed, but poorly implemented

By johnny99 Ranked #893 - Men's Hiking and Climbing Pants January 16, 2010

These pants have a kind of strange design. The legs are somewhat baggy for good freedom of motion, but there are also all kinds of weird seams that have dubious value. You can't see the seams very well in in the photo. The crotch gusset reaches all the way down the insides of the pants legs. A gusset is a nice feature on a snugger fitting pant, but I'm not sure if it does anything to baggy pants. There's also an odd seam on the upper thigh and articulation seams above and below the knee. Again, these may be useful on a snugger, more sports-oriented pant, but I don't understand them on a baggy pant.

What gives with the rear pockets? One has a velcro closure and the other has a zipper closure. The zipper makes it hard to put a wallet in the right rear pocket. And the side zippered security pocket is too small. You can put a cell phone or pocket knife in there, but a passport or wallet will not fit.

I do like the fabric, though. And you can sometimes find them on sale for less than $20.

View Details: Columbia Utilizer Pant - Men's

Helpful Votes: 0 Yes