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Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > MontBell Light Down Insulated Pants > Test Report by Gail StaisilMontBellLight Down Insulated Pants  Test
Series by: Gail Staisil, Marquette, MichiganOctober 19, 2019 Tester Information Name: Gail Staisil Age: 67 Gender: Female Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m) Weight: 160 lb (73 kg) Location: Marquette, Michigan USA Email: woodswoman 2001 AT yahoo DOT com Product Information
Initial Impressions and Product Description The MontBell Light Down Pants arrived in the requested size and only available color (Black). The pants appear to be constructed well and I found no imperfections. The pants are available in women's sizes S-XL and they also come in a men's version. I am testing the XL size even though my  measurements
are more in line with size L. Since I will be layering them with one
or two extra layers a lot of the time, I felt like this was the best
choice. Time will tell but I tried them on with a pair of long
underwear, then combined with a pair of hiking pants and they seemed
perfectly sized. The pants feature sewn-through construction sandwiching nylon with down. These pants do not have a fly (the men's version doesn't either). There is an elastic waist with a drawcord. There are also stretchy elastics at the bottom of each leg. The elastic waist measures about 34 in (86 cm) relaxed and 39 in (99 cm) stretched. The bottom of each leg measures 11 in (28 cm) relaxed and 12.5 in (32 cm) stretched. They were easy to put on wearing stocking feet. Most of the time I would be wearing these, would be with bulky winter footwear so I imagine that I will have to remove the latter before putting them on. The XL pants have a 31.5 inseam (80 cm) which is perfect for me. They are incredibly comfortable and the materials of the pants are super soft. The pants came with a stuff sack with a drawcord closure. The pants were easy to stuff into the sack. The pants are incredibly lightweight for the amount of warmth they reportedly will provide. Care instructions are located on a tag inserted into the inside of waistband seam. The pants should be hand washed with cold water. They can be tumble dried on low heat or line dried in the shade. No bleach or ironing but they can be dry cleaned if using petroleum solvent. The other side of the tag says that down-specific detergent should be used and "washing at the end of season should be enough" as too much washing may cause damage to fabric. Summary The MontBell Light Down Pants are a well-constructed insulation layer. They seem easy to layer without any fiddling around. They are very lightweight and could be carried year-round for cool/frigid times at camp. I will be heading out in a few days for a backcountry trip so I am excited to bring them with me. Expected lows will be around freezing. Top of Page Field Report: January 6, 2020 USA Locations and Conditions During the field test period the MontBell Insulated Pants were used on many cold weather trips in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. Elevation ranged from above 600 ft (180 m) to almost 2000 ft (610 m). Location of Trip #1: Hiawatha National Forest Length of Rustic Cabin Trip: 4 days, 3 nights (October 21-24) Distance: 10 mi (16 km) Pack Weight: 28 lb (12.7 kg) Sky and Air Conditions: Cloudy, and some sun Precipitation: A little rain Temperature Range: 48 F to 37 F (9 C to 3 C) Location of Trip #2: Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Length of Backpacking Trip: 4 days, 3 nights (October 31-November 3) Distance: 18 mi (29 km) Pack Weight: 28 lb (12.7 kg) Sky and Air Conditions: Super windy and cold Precipitation: Light snow Temperature Range: 33 F to 17 F (1 C to -8 C) Location of Trip #3: Hiawatha National Forest Length of Winter Sledge Trip to rustic cabin: 5 days, 4 nights (December 30-January 3) Distance: 3 mi (5 km) with sledge; unknown mileage on backcountry ski adventures while there  Sledge Weight: Very heavy; probably 50 lb (23 kg) with fresh consumables and cabin necessities (bare bones cabin so everything must be hauled in) Sky and Air Conditions: Cloudy, snow and one sunny day Precipitation: About 10 in (25 cm) of new snow! Temperature Range: 34 F to -1 F (1 C to -18 C) Trip Talk During the test period I wore the MontBell Insulated Pants on several multi-day trips. The first two trips were during fall weather, the second of which was characterized with winter conditions. Brisk cold winds, low temps and the early arrival of snow became the norm every day. The last trip was during full winter conditions with lots of new snow on top of several feet of snow base. I packed the pants on all these trips and ended up wearing them extensively at camp. That means I put them on as soon as the hike (or snowshoe or ski) was over and kept them on throughout the night into the next morning. All of these trips were based out of rustic cabins. I had protection from the overall elements while inside, but still spent a lot of time outside gathering wood, taking short walks and visits to the outhouse. Inside the cabin(s) were kept somewhat warm, but I always let the fire go out during the night meaning morning temps around 40 F (4 C). Sleeping in the pants helped to keep me warm. In addition I wore a wool hoody, wool underlayer pants and wool socks. A light overbag/quilt was all I needed with these layers. The down pants are super comfortable to wear and take the edge off of a chill. I never felt like they restricted my movement in any way. The waist of the pants has been comfortable without tying off the cordage. One day after I put the pants back on I sat down and soon realized that I had the pants on backwards. The back edge (or really the front edge) slid down as the extra room wasn't there for my back end! Never a dull moment. My normal footwear at camp was a pair of slightly-insulated camp slippers. Sometimes if I was too warm I would remove the insulated pants (or the opposite if I was too cold) and try to slip them on or off with my slippers in place. Although it worked, it was better to take the slippers off, as there isn't much extra room at the bottom edges of pants. I could never remove or put them on with boots while wearing boots as the latter are much too bulky. I haven't had to wash the pants yet as they look fine. So far I love everything about these pants. The lack of pockets doesn't bother me as I rarely use pants pockets for anything. During the next two months I will continue to wear the pants on lots of adventures including winter camping and two more cabin trips. Top of Page Long Term Report: March 2, 2020 USA and Canada Locations and Conditions During the long term test period the MontBell Insulated Pants were continued to be worn on many cold weather trips in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA and Ontario, Canada. Elevation ranged from above 600 ft (180 m) to almost 2000 ft (610 m). Location of Trip #4: Keweenaw Peninsula, Upper Peninsula of Michigan Length of Ski Trip: 4 days, 3 nights (Jan 26-29) Distance: Cross Country skiing about 30 mi (48 km) Sky and Air Conditions: Cloudy, and some sun Precipitation: Several inches (6 in/15 cm) of new snow Temperature Range: 29 F (-2 C) to 21 F (-6 C) Location of Trip #5: Hiawatha National Forest Length of Sledge Trip to Rustic Cabin: 4 days, 3 nights (Feb 3-6) Activity: snowshoeing, unknown distance Sledge Weight: 45 lb (20 kg) Sky and Air Conditions: Super windy and cold Precipitation: Light snow Temperature Range: 33 F to 17 F (1 C to -8 C) Location of Trip #6: Stokely Creek; Goulais River, Ontario, Canada Length of Ski Lodge Trip: 3 days, 2 nights (Feb 21-23) Distance: Cross Country skiing - 34 mi (55 km) Sky and Air Conditions: Sunny, unseasonably warm Precipitation: None Temperature Range: 40 F (4 C) to 6 F (-14 C) Location of Trip #7: Hiawatha National Forest  Sledge trip: 4 days, 3 nights (Feb 25-28) Distance: 18 mi (29 km) Sledge Weight: 40 lb (18 kg) Sky and Air Conditions: Windy and cloudy Precipitation: At least 8 in (20 cm) of new snow and heavy drifting in some areas Temperature Range: 28 F (-2 C) to 10 F (-12 C) Trip Talk During the test period I wore the MontBell Insulated Pants on several multi-day trips. The winter trips were of different variety including lodge, rustic cabin and snow camping. I wore them on all trips for various purposes. They included snowshoeing and cross country skiing or just sitting around trying to keep warm. The pants remain comfortable. They are easy to slip on and remove. I have worn them over light wool long underwear as well as heavier wool tights. They accommodate other layers well. I do have to take my boots or camp slippers off to get them over my feet but that is not a problem when inside. Putting them on outside after an activity is started or at camp is more of a chore. I usually have tall gaiters on that have to be removed as well as boots and snowshoes or crampons. Ski boots are a similar situation. So in the best interest of it being not a long procedure; I usually don them first and adjust the layers on my top to compensate (if I get too hot). Much easier to remove a hat, neck gaiter or outer jacket than deal with balancing on one foot trying to get the pants on or off. I still haven't washed the pants and don't plan to until winter is over. I suspect that I would wear them most seasons of the year here for camp wear except for about two warmer months of summer. The pants remain in great shape and show no signs of deterioration such as popped stitches or abrasions. I am very happy with the pants and they have replaced an older insulated pair that was not as warm anymore. Those could be relegated to cooler summer nights. Pros
Cons
Tester Remarks Thanks to MontBell and BackpackGearTest.org for this opportunity to test the Light Down Pants. This concludes my long term report and the test series. Top of Page Read more reviews of MontBell gear Read more gear reviews by Gail Staisil Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > MontBell Light Down Insulated Pants > Test Report by Gail Staisil | ||||||||||||||||||