Teriffic do-it-all pants (esp. if you can't afford the Palisade's)

By Mitch Stein Ranked #15 - Men's Hiking and Climbing Pants January 24, 2010

While I prefer to wear shorts when the weather and conditions permit, sometimes you need to keep your legs covered, to protect from the sun or gnarly underbrush, or just because your going to confront varied weather.

Ramparts fit the bill almost perfectly in this case. They are feather weight, astonishingly stretchy/breathable while remaining super wind/water resistant... just another one of ArcT's miracle fabrics in action. In addition to the fabric stretch, the cut, especially the articulated knees make these things super comfortable in any conditions and at any activity level.

While I actually prefer the ArcT Palisade pants to these (zippered pockets, low-profile built-in belt, ever-so-slightly more amazing fabric, configured to accept ankle draw-cords for keeping the mud/brambles/snow out) those bad boys are 50% more expensive than these... decisions, decisions...

I only wish they made both of these pants in a convertible configuration, so you could zip off the legs (it's a little tough to pull off installing radial zippers on stretchy material, but if anyone can do it, my money is on ArcT!).

While I'm wishing: I'd love to see Rampart shorts in a less extreme inseam to fit my vertically challenged self, and the Palisade shorts would be perfect, if they figure out how to put reasonable pockets on them (bigger and better placed).

View Details: Arc'teryx Rampart Pant - Men's

Helpful Votes: 3 Yes