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Owner Review by Andrea Murland

Misty Mountain Micra Fleece Pants
Owner Review by Andrea Murland
December 30, 2014

Tester Information

Name:	Andrea Murland
Email:	amurland AT shaw DOT ca
Age:	29
Location:	Elkford & Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Gender:	Female
Height:	5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Weight:	130 lb (59 kg)

I began hiking frequently in 2006 and have since hiked in Western Canada, Australia, and spent 2 months backpacking in the Alps. I spend most weekends either day-hiking or on 2-3 day backpacking trips, with some longer trips when I can manage them. I also snowshoe and ski in the winter, but don’t have a lot of experience with winter in the backcountry yet. Elevation is typically 500-3,000 m (1,600-10,000 ft), in the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirk, Purcell, and Monashee ranges. I try for a light pack, but I don’t consider myself a lightweight backpacker.

Product Information

Manufacturer:	World Famous Sales of Canada
Manufacturer's URL:	www.worldfms.com
Year of Manufacture:	2011
Model:	Misty Mountain Micra 190 Fleece – Women Bottom
MSRP:	Not Listed
Size Reviewed:	Medium
Sizes Available:	S, M, L, XL
Colour:	Black
Listed Weight:	Not Listed
Measured Weight:	240 g (8.5 oz), new

Description

The Misty Mountain Micra Fleece Pants are basic mid- to heavy-weight fleece pants. Misty Mountain describes the fleece as “Micra 190”, but offers no other information. They taper to a cuff at the bottom which is 8 cm (3.1 in) long and 12.5 cm (4.9 in) in diameter. The pants have a 2.5 cm (1 in) wide elastic waistband with a scalloped edge, and with the Misty Mountain text and logo woven in. The rise on my size medium pants is 32 cm (12.6 in) long, and the inseam 74 cm (29.1 in) long.

Although the manufacturer doesn't list a MSRP, I would like to mention that the full price at my local retailer is quite reasonable, one of the reasons that I originally purchased these pants and continue to do so. The pants are not available on the manufacturer’s website, and I am not sure that they are available at retail stores outside of Canada. They are usually sold as “Micra Fleece Pants”.

Field Conditions

I got my first pair of these pants in 2011, and have worn them a lot. In spring and autumn I carry them backpacking to sleep in, and have done that about fifteen times, down to temperatures of about -5 C (23 F). I have also camped in them in the winter twice, at temperatures as low as -18 C (0 F). In addition to sleeping duty, I wear them for hiking and downhill skiing regularly as an insulating layer when it’s cold, and have done that about fifty times, in temperatures between about -10 C (14 F) and -35 C (-31 F) with a variety of other layers. I usually use them as a mid-layer, worn on top of a thinner base layer and under shell or insulated shell pants. Occasionally they turn into an outer layer once I reach camp in the evening. I got a new pair in late 2014, because they’re one of my favourite layers, but I haven’t worn the new pair much yet.

Review

Comfort & Fit:
The Misty Mountain fleece pants are not the most flattering pair of pants I own, but they work. They are comfortable and fairly loose, and the waistband doesn’t dig in. The rise of the pants is quite high, which I usually don’t like, but for this layer I do, as I can easily tuck in a shirt for sleeping or walking and it stays put. I just pull them up to where it’s comfortable and then there’s some extra space in the crotch. The pants are also a bit long in the legs on me, but with the tapered cuff, they don’t drag on the ground. I often pull the legs up to where the cuff is snug on my leg, about mid-calf, to make it easy to pull socks up overtop without wrinkles, or to bring them up above my ski boots. That leaves me with a bunch of fleece bunched up around my knees.

The fleece is soft against my skin, and not usually staticky.

Warmth:
I find the fleece pants to be adequately warm when mixed with other layers. In very cold temperatures I often have them layered over other base layers, and sometimes under insulated pants as well. I would describe the fleece pants as mid-weight.

Care & Durability:
The fleece pants have been pretty good for ease of care. I wash them with my regular laundry and hang them to dry. There is a bit of pilling, and they aren’t as fluffy as they were originally, but they still work. They aren’t quite as warm now as they were when I first got them. There are no loose threads or holes showing.

Setting up camp in the winter, cozy in fleece pants

Summary

The Misty Mountain Micra Fleece Pants are simple, basic fleece pants. They are comfortable and warm, and a key part of my backpacking and winter layering systems.

Thumbs Up:
Warm
Comfortable
Affordable

Thumbs Down:
Not very flattering

Read more gear reviews by Andrea Murland

Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > Misty Mountain Micra 190 Fleece Bottom > Owner Review by Andrea Murland

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