The North Face Varius Guide Pant - Men's - 2007 BCS

I've used TNF gear for well over 20 years and been more than happy with all of their products until this pair of pants. The pant material and weight are just right. The full leg side zippers and pockets are great. They were durable and waterproof. What I felt were faults are the following: 1.) The suspenders only attach in the front. This design flaw enabled my pack's hipbelt to push the rear waistband of the pants down allowing snow and cold air underneath. 2.) The velcro waist cincher did not fully tighten around my waist(Lg pants / I'm a 36" waist). These two afformentioned problems caused the pants to bellow out at the waist when I wasn't wearing a pack. I paid full price and was disappointed. I've returned them. They may be worth the sale price.

I use these for Search and Rescue in the Northwest. We get a lot of rain and I have tromped through creeks & streams and stayed dry. The are amazingly comfortable and very durable. The sizing is a little on the large side but the adjustable waist really helps, as do the suspenders. These are a must if you plan on going out in the rain or snow.

These are a good pant for the price. This is the second pair I've had. I use them for resort and back-country skiing. The new ones have made some changes that didn't improve them. The angle of the pockets has changed, with the result that the opening is about an inch shorter than on the old version. They are too small to get your hand in and out of comfortably. The pockets also seem shallow, and a cell phone in the front pocket is always poking you where you don't want to be poked. That's true on all of the pockets, including the thigh cargo pocket. The full side zips are not great for venting. Zip down from the top, and there isn't much left to hold your pants up. Zip up from the bottom, and you have to come a long way up to get any real ventilation out of them. And the suspenders are just weird. No belt loops.With the addition of a pair of regular clamp on suspenders, these are a perfectly acceptable pair of pants and compare pretty well to others costing twice as much. But they are nothing special. It's too bad, because with a couple of pretty minor changes, they could be really good without adding much to the cost.

Good all around hardshell pant. Its nothing to really write home about, but they get the job done. The full leg zip is good and the front only connected suspenders are great when nature calls, but besides that there's not much else defining these pants as standouts.

I'm 178cm (5.10 to 5.11), 72kg, inseam 31.5, I normally wear jeans size 32-33 waist and 32 inseam, Medium/Regular fits me really well.

Got these primarily for skiing in the resort, but they fit better and are tougher (though heavier) than my MEC goretex pants, so I will probably use these for backcountry skiing and snow camping etc.

Other reviewers are complaining about the suspenders. I really like them, however the pants has to fit for the suspenders to work properly. (If you like a really baggy fit the front suspenders won't work for you, your bum will poke out when you bend forward, which happened when I tried on a size Large. They can be tightned at the waist with velcro adjustment straps which will prevent this if the size is just slightly too big. The front suspenders has never fallen off my shoulders while skiing, which I experience with other suspenders unless i cross them over.

The front suspenders also lets you do number 2s by undoing the side zip and without having to wear pants with a drop seat. (I might be the only person in the world who find drop seats funny, but i doubt it...)

Why not Five stars? I just have not used them for long enough to assess long term wear and tear, at this point in time I would buy another pair of these pants if my pair was stolen.

I reviewed these almost 2 years ago and I'm still wearing the exact same pair even after some tough rescues and operations, and a whole lot of playing as well. They hold up to blackberry bushes and everything else. They still keep the water out and the warmth in. I haven't bought a second pair but only because I haven't needed to. I'm wearing them in my profile picture playing in the snow.

I had to teach last night in the pouring rain and my legs stayed dry, nothing like my upper body gore-tex coat which is bullet proof, but that coat was very expensive. These are solid, good pants for the money but not gor-tex quality, not gor-tex price either though. Great construction and seams, a solid but not bullet proof pant. I recommend these if you just can't bring yourself to pay for a gor-tex pant.

Everyone seems to have a big problem with the front attach suspenders. I bought them not really understanding what they were talking about because the picture isn't clear and I'd never seen front attach suspenders before. That being said, I put them on and freaked out for about thirty seconds, cursing the design. Then my girlfriend pointed out the adjustment tabs on the sides. Now they're my favorite pants since the spyder coach's bibs.

These Pants perform well, just like any other ski pant. The only gripe I have with them is the suspenders. They are a front attach only suspender which is ridiculous. The suspenders are annoying unless you use a belt but wait-- no belt loops, so that doesn't work. The front stays up just fine but the back sags and pushes out. Don't buy these if you want a pant that has suspenders or plan on buying a real pair of suspenders for these. Whoever thought up these front attach only suspenders is an idiot who doesn't use the gear they design.

I've been looking for some suspender ski pants forever and was really happy to find these still available. Even though I've been warned the HyVent doesn't work as well as GoreTex I figured these would work. Great performance so far--functional and fit great. My only complaint is the suspender system. I like things to fit comfortably (loose-ish) but usually wind up with a size that is too long. These fit great and aren't overly long, but the front-attach suspenders allow the back waist to sag and I get snow down the back of my pants from time to time. These pants are great otherwise, but I will not purchase front-attach suspenders again.

The pants work very well,and look great.
The only thing,what's up with the suspenders?That is the dumbest design
i have ever seen.As soon as you bend over,
the back of the pants pull down over your butt.I had to put real suspenders on the pants and it's the only way to go.Plus the
pants come a little large.

Not really happy with these pants. Like others have stated the suspenders aren't really functional and their are no belt loops. Other than that fact the pants fabric does perform well in all weather conditions while out touring.

Just had a week in Val d'Isere and the pants are warm and dry but there are a few design question marks. I have a North Face jacket with a snow skirt on the inside however these pants don't have the loops to clip it onto? Being over 6ft tall I went with the large for length but this leaves me with quite a bit of excess around around my @ss. Lastly, more of a question, why have zips all the way down the sides? Porn shoot in the Alps? Just being critical, otherwise sweet pants!!