BOSS1
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2008
- Messages
- 1,700
Greetings all,
I did a search, and saw some older posting on these trousers (or just 'pants' for us Yankees), but nothing to recent, so I figured I'd do an update.
Bear Grylls, yeah, some love him, some hate him. As for me, I preferred his original 'Man vs. Wild' series to some of his more recent shows, but IMHO, there's alot worse stuff on. At least he was putting in an effort to impart some outdoor skills/knowledge. He's certainly got alot more 'been there/done that' T-shirts than I do. In any event, regardless of what was going on behind the scenes or off camera, I normally found there to be some informative info in his shows. There's plenty of threads on related topics.
But back on track--An on-line dealer had sent me a discount coupon, and were listing some BG clothing for sale. I've always be curious to the distinctive pants I had always seen BG wearing on his series, with the black sections. I had always thought those were some sort of reinforcement patches, maybe even to the extent he'd sewn/clued them put on some other another pair of pants for his activities. Long story short, and some education from reviews on the 'Tube and whatnot, those black sections aren't heavier duty reinforced patches--they're stretch sections. Officially, the materials for these pants are listed as 'polyamide supplex with stretch panels.'
So in any event, with my discount, the pants were down to about $36 a pair (+ shipping). Timing was right, as I said, I was intrigued, so I pulled the trigger on two pairs. I found the contrast to the black sections and what they call 'metal' (which looks like khaki on my screen) to be a little too graphic/funky looking, and I thought the 'dark khaki' looked sorta pea color. Well, they had the Black Pepper/Black, which is basically dark gray/black,and that seemed like the best for me. It really tones down the difference with the black stretch sections.
All the reviews I had seen (most of which were 2-3 years old) said order up a size, so I did. I'm about 5-8 and around 200 lbs +/- and I'd characterize my build as 'semi-stocky'. I've worn pretty much 36 x 30 pants for the past 10 or so years. So I ordered the size 38 waist. Now they list the inseams as short, regular, and long. One of my pet peaves his having the cuffs of my pants drag on the floor, especially if I have shoes/boots on. So I ordered the 'Short' length, which I think is supposed to be around a 29-30 inseam. They're just about right. I would prefer them being a little high-water than dragging around the ground (especially outside). These suit my tastes pretty well, and seem to be about 1-2 inches off the ground when I'm standing in my socks. As for the waist size, perhaps over the past couple of years, Craghoppers has adjusted their sizing, because the 38 waist is definitely not snug. Not falling down around my knees loose, but I'll be needing a belt (which I almost always wear anyway, which is a good thing, and the loops accept my preferred 1.5" belts). On the plus side, the little extra room should ad to comfort and freedom of movement, and they might shrink a smidge after they're washed. And if I decide to put on a base layer underneathe, there will be a little room to play with. I think 36's would probably work, but they'd be a bit snug.
As to the pants themselves, Craghoppers appears to have a good reputation quality-wise, and I on the one pair I unbagged, construction seemed pretty good. I'm no tailor, but overall, quality was favorable, with no obvious weird strands or off stitching that I saw giving them a quick once over. One thing I did note was that previous reviews (pretty much all of which were favorable) showed the two rear/seat pockets used to be fastened with buttons. Too me that seemed a little too involved (one button maybe, but two? Behind you, probably one-handed? Hmmm). Well, they've gone to velcro, which seems like a much better solution. There's all the other pockets (8 total) and whatnot, in the somewhat universal 'cargo pants' layout. There's the zippered pockets, etc. As well as the unsnapping belt loops for hanging them up (a nifty idea). There's also the orange lining, and of course the stretch sections (which actually do seem to work). And yes, there is some bright orange 'Bear Grylls' branding, which if it really bothers you that much, you could tone down with a black permanent marker.
The thing that struck me was how light and thin these pants are (which is why they probably dry so fast, as has been mentioned). These are NOT cold weather pants (tho I think there's a lined version available). They also roll/fold up pretty compactly. In other words, these would be a pretty solid choice for an extra set to stuff in your backpack. But for me, getting out on the trail, especially if there's any slopes or grades, it doesn't take too long to start getting warm if I'm wearing heavier weight clothing, so these lightweight pants should be very good spring/summer/early fall pants, and if you layer, perhaps more than that.
I just got them today (after a painfully slow ~10 day shipping wait) and had the chance to try them on for a few minutes before going out to run some errands. I hope to post some use review(s) later on down the line. I can't comment on all the BG gear, but these pants seem OK thus far for the $$. I think they'll offer me a good lighter weight option when the weather is cooperative.
So if you're looking for a set of double-front carpenter pants like Carhartt's for a roofing job, these aren't the pants for you. But if you're looking for some lightweight 'technical' pants with some unique features, and you can find them on sale, might be worth checking out a pair.
And I know, worthless without the pictures, but thus far, the web will provide you with much better photos than I can.
These have been out for a few years now, if anybody has some extended experiences with them, please, chime in.
Cheers,
BOSS
I did a search, and saw some older posting on these trousers (or just 'pants' for us Yankees), but nothing to recent, so I figured I'd do an update.
Bear Grylls, yeah, some love him, some hate him. As for me, I preferred his original 'Man vs. Wild' series to some of his more recent shows, but IMHO, there's alot worse stuff on. At least he was putting in an effort to impart some outdoor skills/knowledge. He's certainly got alot more 'been there/done that' T-shirts than I do. In any event, regardless of what was going on behind the scenes or off camera, I normally found there to be some informative info in his shows. There's plenty of threads on related topics.
But back on track--An on-line dealer had sent me a discount coupon, and were listing some BG clothing for sale. I've always be curious to the distinctive pants I had always seen BG wearing on his series, with the black sections. I had always thought those were some sort of reinforcement patches, maybe even to the extent he'd sewn/clued them put on some other another pair of pants for his activities. Long story short, and some education from reviews on the 'Tube and whatnot, those black sections aren't heavier duty reinforced patches--they're stretch sections. Officially, the materials for these pants are listed as 'polyamide supplex with stretch panels.'
So in any event, with my discount, the pants were down to about $36 a pair (+ shipping). Timing was right, as I said, I was intrigued, so I pulled the trigger on two pairs. I found the contrast to the black sections and what they call 'metal' (which looks like khaki on my screen) to be a little too graphic/funky looking, and I thought the 'dark khaki' looked sorta pea color. Well, they had the Black Pepper/Black, which is basically dark gray/black,and that seemed like the best for me. It really tones down the difference with the black stretch sections.
All the reviews I had seen (most of which were 2-3 years old) said order up a size, so I did. I'm about 5-8 and around 200 lbs +/- and I'd characterize my build as 'semi-stocky'. I've worn pretty much 36 x 30 pants for the past 10 or so years. So I ordered the size 38 waist. Now they list the inseams as short, regular, and long. One of my pet peaves his having the cuffs of my pants drag on the floor, especially if I have shoes/boots on. So I ordered the 'Short' length, which I think is supposed to be around a 29-30 inseam. They're just about right. I would prefer them being a little high-water than dragging around the ground (especially outside). These suit my tastes pretty well, and seem to be about 1-2 inches off the ground when I'm standing in my socks. As for the waist size, perhaps over the past couple of years, Craghoppers has adjusted their sizing, because the 38 waist is definitely not snug. Not falling down around my knees loose, but I'll be needing a belt (which I almost always wear anyway, which is a good thing, and the loops accept my preferred 1.5" belts). On the plus side, the little extra room should ad to comfort and freedom of movement, and they might shrink a smidge after they're washed. And if I decide to put on a base layer underneathe, there will be a little room to play with. I think 36's would probably work, but they'd be a bit snug.
As to the pants themselves, Craghoppers appears to have a good reputation quality-wise, and I on the one pair I unbagged, construction seemed pretty good. I'm no tailor, but overall, quality was favorable, with no obvious weird strands or off stitching that I saw giving them a quick once over. One thing I did note was that previous reviews (pretty much all of which were favorable) showed the two rear/seat pockets used to be fastened with buttons. Too me that seemed a little too involved (one button maybe, but two? Behind you, probably one-handed? Hmmm). Well, they've gone to velcro, which seems like a much better solution. There's all the other pockets (8 total) and whatnot, in the somewhat universal 'cargo pants' layout. There's the zippered pockets, etc. As well as the unsnapping belt loops for hanging them up (a nifty idea). There's also the orange lining, and of course the stretch sections (which actually do seem to work). And yes, there is some bright orange 'Bear Grylls' branding, which if it really bothers you that much, you could tone down with a black permanent marker.
The thing that struck me was how light and thin these pants are (which is why they probably dry so fast, as has been mentioned). These are NOT cold weather pants (tho I think there's a lined version available). They also roll/fold up pretty compactly. In other words, these would be a pretty solid choice for an extra set to stuff in your backpack. But for me, getting out on the trail, especially if there's any slopes or grades, it doesn't take too long to start getting warm if I'm wearing heavier weight clothing, so these lightweight pants should be very good spring/summer/early fall pants, and if you layer, perhaps more than that.
I just got them today (after a painfully slow ~10 day shipping wait) and had the chance to try them on for a few minutes before going out to run some errands. I hope to post some use review(s) later on down the line. I can't comment on all the BG gear, but these pants seem OK thus far for the $$. I think they'll offer me a good lighter weight option when the weather is cooperative.
So if you're looking for a set of double-front carpenter pants like Carhartt's for a roofing job, these aren't the pants for you. But if you're looking for some lightweight 'technical' pants with some unique features, and you can find them on sale, might be worth checking out a pair.
And I know, worthless without the pictures, but thus far, the web will provide you with much better photos than I can.
These have been out for a few years now, if anybody has some extended experiences with them, please, chime in.
Cheers,
BOSS
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