Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > 180s Quantum Dry Base Layer Pant > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters

180s QUANTUM DRY BASE LAYER PANT
BY KATHLEEN WATERS
OWNER REVIEW
March 06, 2009

TESTER INFORMATION

I started hiking in 1998 after an eye-opening climb up Hahn's Peak in Colorado. Hooked, I return to Colorado often. I've hiked/snowshoed glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in domestic and exotic locations, including Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. At home, I plan for 2-3 hikes of 6-8 mi (10-13 km) weekly and one weekend hike monthly. Weekday hikes take place in Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, a mixture of heavily-wooded moderate hills and flat terrain. Weekend hike locations vary. My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) including food and water

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: 180s Year of Manufacture: 2008 Manufacturer's Website: http://www.180s.com MSRP: US$40.00 Listed Weight: N/A Measured Weight: 5 oz (142 g) Sizes Available: S, M, L, XL Size Tested: Medium Colors Available: Black and White Color Tested: Black Other details: Materials Content: 61% Polypropylene, 31% Nylon Made in Israel

Picture Courtesy of 180s

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

As seen in the picture above, the 180s Quantum Dry Base Layer Pant is a normal looking base layer type black stretch pant. There are no obvious distinguishing features or style. A discreet 180s logo is screen-printed on the front left waistband and there is a traditional cloth tag with washing instructions on the inside waistband.

Where the 180s Quantum Dry Base Layer's looks (and functions) diverge from the ordinary is in the composition of the shell materials.

The knitted weave varies in stitch design and thickness throughout the pant based on the desired function.

On the lower back, inner thighs and behind the knees, there is a looser knit (than the main body of the pant) to provide ventilation. This "zone" upon close inspection reveals a rougher-looking fabric.

Then, there is an embedded ribbed knit (looks like raised stripes) which covers the hip, quad and calf areas. According to 180s this "zone" provides additional support and stretch.

Lastly, there are tightly knit 5" (13 cm) stockinette stitch cuffs on the legs to keep them in place and from riding up.

180s Base Layer Pant Support Zone

180s Base Layer Pant Cuff

FIELD CONDITIONS AND USE

Since I acquired the 180s Quantum Dry Base Layer Pants, I have worn them a total of 15 times. Half of that time was casual wear at work under a pair of very light yoga pants. (I work at home!) Temperatures generally were between 65 F and 70 F (18-21 C).

The other half of my wearing time was time spent on the trail, hiking and backpacking as detailed below.

February 6-7: At night, the trail at the Tennessee Pass was a very pleasant 28 F (-2 C) when we started snowshoeing and a still pleasant 14 F (-10 C) when we stopped. Clear skies, little or no humidity and no wind at all made it a gorgeous trek. We started at an elevation of 10,500 ft (3200 m) and had a slight but constant elevation gain to 10,800 ft (3292 m). The trail was hard-packed snow and meandered through a tall growth pine forest.

The next day, we were snowshoeing on the same trails, but it was sunny and 32 F (0 C). Still no wind and very little humidity were present.

Mt. Sneffels - Ridgway, Colorado

February 20-21: Ridgway State Park and Reservoir, including the Uncompahgre River trails. Elevation started at 6880 ft (2097 m) and rose to 7000 ft (2134 m). Temperatures were from a low of 33 F (0.6 C) at night to 54 F (12 C) in the bright afternoon sunshine. There was, at most, just a light occasional breeze. Terrain varied from sandy beach shore to medium-size rocks to very large rocks at the reservoir's edge, then changed to dry hard-packed dirt to mud to icy snow patches in the offshore higher-treed sections of the trail. The mileage for the entire east side trail was 7.5 mi (12 km).

March 3-5: Hike and camp in the Bureau of Land Management properties in the Royal Gorge area of Colorado (Cooper Mountain range, included). Elevation started at 5400 ft (1600 m) and gained about 200 ft (60 m). Daytime temperatures were a pleasant 50 to 67 F (10 to 19 C) and nighttime temperatures hovered from 18 to 34 F (-8 to 1 C) from Tuesday to Thursday respectively. A pretty steady wind of 10 to 15 mph (16 to 24 kph) was present most of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Wind gusts were plentiful and blew as high as 35 mph (56 kph). The terrain was very dry. We were (and still are) under "red flag" warnings for forest fires. Vegetation was sparse juniper and pinon pine eking out a barren existence on powdery dirt to granite slabs. Desolate, but very beautiful against the brilliant blue sky!

The pants fit me just the way I like a base layer to fit. It is not so tight as to constrict but they are form-fitting enough to hug my body. I can easily wear other layers over the pants and still move about freely. The fit is great for sleeping in, too. I don't get tangled in excess fabric but still can squirm around.

The inside of the pants is very soft and it feels great on my skin. I have found it to be an excellent insulating layer in the cold. I have had very good experiences wearing the pants as my first layer with an additional layer of either hiking-type pants, ski pants or wind pants. This depended on the weather, of course, and what my activity level was. Mostly, I would wear the pants with a pair of convertible pants for hiking or a light snow pants.

Sweating is something I manage to do even in the coldest weather when snowshoeing or gaining elevation rapidly. Wearing the pants, I found I was not having the soaked-pants-syndrome underneath the waistband where the hipbelt of my pack is positioned. I don't mean to say the pants weren't wet, they were. But the wicking worked so well, I was not aware of being wet. Feeling the inside of the pants with my hand, the fabric felt cool, but dry. Touching the outside of the pants was a different story, the fabric was definitely wet! Again, nice!

180s claims the fabric of the pants is able to both wick sweat (I can testify to that from my experiences) and repel water. Unfortunately, I have not had the courage to strip down to only the pants on the trail to test its reaction to precipitation. However, I did splash water onto the outside of the pants while I was wearing it at home. To my surprise, even though I could clearly see darker spots indicating wetness on the outside of the pants, I could not see or feel wetness on the inside of the pants. Touching the outside of the pants confirmed the pants were indeed wet. But most importantly, I was not!

180s Base Layer Waistband

One of the best comfort features of the pants is the waistband. It's a flat (not gathered or elastic) generous 2 in (5 cm) band, so it doesn't pinch me or roll down. And because it is flat, it adds minimal thickness underneath whatever outer pants I am wearing. The 180s pant has not shown any signs of pilling or fabric weakening.

The washing instructions provided by the manufacturer are: "Wash separately in warm water, gentle cycle. Do not use bleach or fabric softener. Do not iron. Do not dry clean. Tumble Dry." The cryptic international symbols for care are also printed with the text in French and English. I'm not usually so oblivious to manufacturers' care instructions, but somehow I just totally missed the 180s'.

After wearing the pants a total of 7 days and three nights on the trail, I finally broke down and threw the pants in the wash. Since, currently, I am using commercial washers and dryers; I knew I would be air-drying the pants. I used cold water rather than the recommended "warm" and there is no such thing in a commercial washer as "gentle"! Even with such rough treatment, the pants came out none the worse for it. It looks just as it did when I opened the package, actually better since air-drying (more like wind-drying) shook out all the wrinkles.

THINGS I LIKE

1.) Fits close to my body without being overly constrictive.
2.) Keeps me warm when worn as a base layer.
3.) Wicks sweat away from my body so I feel dry even when the pants are not.

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

1.) Absolutely nothing!

SUMMARY

My experiences with the Quantum Dry Base Layer Pants from 180s have all been positive and I'm very happy to have the pants in my gear closet. It is very comfortable and versatile, going from a base layer to sleep pants, seamlessly. I have been warm when I needed to be and sweat has never been a problem due to the excellent wicking. The quality is excellent. I'm sure to continue to wear these pants for a long time to come.

Thank you to 180s for introducing me to the Quantum Dry Base Layer Pants!

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters

Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > 180s Quantum Dry Base Layer Pant > Owner Review by Kathleen Waters