Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > Big Sky Products Warm-n-Cozy Epic Pants > Thomas Vickers > Field Report

Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants  Field Test Report

January 7, 2006

Tester Background:
I grew up in the piney woods of southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the mosquito-infested woods behind the house. My style has evolved and over the last 4 or 5 years, I have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping bags and tents, just lighter versions). While I have flirted with lightweight hiking, I feel that I am more of a mid-weight hiker now. My philosophy is one of comfort, while carrying the lightest load possible.

Fit:
The Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants have helped me coin the phrase 'multi-fit' during the first portion of this test.  For me that means that they fit no matter what else I am wearing with them. I have worn them over shorts, long underwear, and just plain underwear.  No matter what layer I was wearing under them, I was able to adjust the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants to just the right size to accommodate my base layers.  The elastic waistband with hook and loop fasteners was perhaps the most flexible part of this system.  No matter how small or large my middle area was, the adjustable waist on these pants made it quick and easy to get comfortable.  Best of all, the pants didn't sag or sink down as they were being worn because once I got the waist to the correct size, it stayed where it needed to be.   

I also like the fact that the overall fit was nice and loose. That means that the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants didn't hug my butt too much. I really hate tight pants of any sort and especially an outer layer that is too tight. That was never an issue with these pants no matter what I had on underneath and that is a big plus for me. 

The last part of the fit that I liked was the fact that the leg cuffs stayed tight and held the pants legs in place no matter what activity I was involved in.  I even wore the metal snaps unsnapped for most of the testing period and the elastic of the leg cuffs still kept things where they needed to be. I have to give the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants a passing grade on the adaptability of their fit. 

Comfort:
There is often a big difference between a good fit and comfortable clothes for me.  When dealing with an outer layer like the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants there is always the fear of overheating or getting wet.  So far I have either avoided these issues or in most cases, been able to deal with them.     For a large part of this test period I wore these pants while jogging in the evenings.  In the beginning I wore shorts underneath them, but I soon found that they were comfortable, even in low temperatures by themselves.  One issue that came up fairly quickly with the high impact activities was that no matter what the air temperature was, it was easy to get hot in these pants.  What I really liked was that as I heated up it was simple to unzip the pants from the waist down towards the knees (all while running). This allowed the pants to vent and cool me off without freezing me to death. 

I utilized this same tactic one day when a cold rainy day of day hiking turned into a hot sunny day of day hiking.  For some strange reason I had only worn my briefs under the pants and as the day heated up I was stuck in the position of not being able to take the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants off and just wear my shorts.  My only alternative was to unzip the pants a bit (down from the waist) and try and cool off.   It wasn't the best way to wear the pants, but it sure kept me from broiling in a surprise sauna of my own making.  I have one warning about doing this though.   When the zippers are zipped down, it is very easy for a branch or door knob to catch in the opening and yank the pants off of my waist. The hook and loop fastener gave very quickly and I found myself standing there with my pants around my thighs on several occasions.  It is just as embarrassing when I am alone in the woods or when my wife is laughing at me in the house. 

On several occasions I have had the luxury of sleeping in the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants while on a camping trip.  I often wear my rain paints to bed to ensure that I don't get cold in my sleeping bag.  I am very happy to report that there was no binding or pinching at all during the night. I can also say that the waistband of the pants don't pinch while being worn under the waist belt of a backpack.   I have been able to carry my pack on two occasions with these pants and when I took the pack off, I wasn't blessed with any special blisters or hot spots from the waist of the pants. 

The last comment I want to make about these pants is that they are very wind resistant in my opinion. This winter here in Texas has seemed to be far windier than normal and on many occasions I have noticed that the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants keeps the wind from biting into me.  I have noticed this when standing still and when jogging in the pants.  It is something that I did not expect from such a light weight pair of pants. 

Construction:
Despite my best efforts to get into trouble with these pants, I have so far avoided any major damage to them.  Even after being ripped off my waist several times (see above) there was no lasting damage to any part of the pants.  I am a master of burning holes in my outer layers by standing around a campfire, but so far I even managed to avoid that disaster despite being around several fires.  The Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants have stood up to pretty normal trail and off trail abuse from me without developing any tears, snags or permanent odors. 

What I have noticed though is that the zippers work smoothly one way. If I am zipping the zippers down (from the waist toward the ankles) the zippers move freely and smoothly. I have even been able to do this while jogging without breaking stride.   The reverse action is just the opposite. The zippers are stiff and hard to move in the opposite direction.  I have not completely unzipped the pants yet because I am worried about getting the zippers all the way back up without damaging the pants.   

Other thoughts:
There are some things that I really want to test, but the weather has not been cooperative.  I have only been able to wear the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants in one or two rain showers and they have not been very serious or lasted very long.  I can't comment on their ability to keep me dry until I have more experience in that department. 

I am also going to do a web search to determine the correct cleaning and care for Epic fabric for the next phase of my test.  There have been a wide variety of food stains on the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants and I have just wiped them off with a rag and warm water.  I just wish that Big Sky Products had included some sort of cleaning instructions so that I have a clue if that is the proper thing to do. 

Last, but not least, I have really grown to wish that the Big Sky Products Warm-N-Cozy Full Zip Epic Pants had at least one pocket.  When I wear shorts under them, I really like the fact that it is easy to unzip the a leg zipper to access my pockets.  The problem arises when I don't wear shorts or pants underneath and I need to stick keys or other items in a pocket.  This isn't a huge issue, but just one pocket would make them just a tad bit more user friendly in my eyes. 

Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > Big Sky Products Warm-n-Cozy Epic Pants > Thomas Vickers > Field Report