Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > DUER Barrel Leg & Fireside Summit Pant > Test Report by Kathleen Waters

DUER ALL-WEATHER BARREL PANT
TEST SERIES BY KATHLEEN WATERS
LONG-TERM REPORT

INITIAL REPORT - January 07, 2022
LONG TERM REPORT - May 02, 2022

TESTER INFORMATION

Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed). Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Dish & DUER - Canada Year of Manufacture: 2021 Manufacturer's Website: http://shopduer.com MSRP: US $199.00 Listed Weight: N/A Measured Weight: 26 oz (737 g) Color Available and Tested: Black Sizes Available: Waist 24 to 34" (61 to 86 cm) Size Tested: Waist 28 Fabric: 70% Cotton, 28% Coolmax All Season Polyester, 2% LYCRA Spandex Membrane: 100% Polyester Other details: "These items are only in stock for the season but may be restocked again next season. Seasonal items can be returned or exchanged within 30 days of your item being fulfilled." Made in Pakistan

Image Courtesy DUER

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

Hmmm, first impressions… The DUER All-Weather Barrel Leg Pant (hereafter called "pants" as I just can't get used to the singular "pant"!) are unlike any pair of pants I own or have seen before! They, initially, look and feel like denim but are more like ski pants in their weight and silhouette. Let me try to explain that better. The outer material of the pants is a normal-looking stretch denim, similar to all my other jeans. However, the wind and weatherproof bonded membrane feels smooth and soft but adds weight. The pants weigh in at 26 oz (737 g), more than double my casual jeans but not that much more than my favorite ski pants. The Barrel pants are a "relaxed" fit, so is a bit looser in the legs (barrel?) than jeans but about the same as my ski pants. That "loose fit" accommodates wonderfully large pockets, both in the rear and front AND on the sides of each leg. I'm talking LARGE - almost 8 by 4.5 in (20 x 11 cm) pockets! The waist is a high-rise style so as to sit on my natural waistline rather than resting on my hips. The closure is a sturdy snap. There are belt loops which I really like for a snug fit. For flexibility on top of the stretchy fabric, the Barrel pants have a gusseted crotch panel. DUER added a convertible cuff that uses two snaps to "turn(s) these pants into joggers." I plan on using these snaps to cinch the cuff tightly to keep out the wind and snow. The snaps are spaced just about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) apart. Lastly, after a close and careful inspection, I cannot find a single flaw in the construction of these pants. Not a single loose thread, uneven stitch, snag, pulll, nothing! Now to see if the usability matches up to the construction quality!

Generous Pocket Size

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

According to the instruction on the DUER website, to keep my pants looking their best I should: "Machine wash cold, inside out with like colours. Only use non-chlorine bleach when needed. Do not use silicone softeners. Tumble dry and warm iron when necessary (Except for our award winning All-Weather Denim. We suggest hanging to dry)"

The same instructions are printed on a very soft waistband tag which includes the international washing symbols which after years of seeing them, still sometimes puzzle me!

TRYING IT OUT

By now, one would think I would know NOT to hold up a pair of pants and say "these are huge"! But, hey, yeah, they fit. Dang!
So, I'll start with the fit. I generally wear a size 8 women's pants. The Barrel Pants are nicely snug around my hips (37 in/94 cm), a teensy-weensy bit loose at the waist and, for me, a tad short.

The DUER waist and hang tags say the waist is 28 in (71 cm) and that is what my waist is (on a good day, not the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). However, when I measured the waist, I found that it is actually 31 in (79 cm).

Speaking of "waists", the pants are "high-rise" so sit where I prefer for outdoor sports - at my waist, not resting on my hips. The zipper is a full 6 inches (15 cm).

The advertised/tagged inseam measurement is 26 in (66 cm). And that is exactly what I measured the inseams at. I usually wear my pants around 28 in (71 cm). With mid-height boots, which is what I mostly wear in winter weather, and with the ankle tabs cinched, the shorter length is not a problem for me.

Cuff Snaps

The lining of the Barrel Pants is smooth and feels good against my skin. There aren't any irritating tags, bulky seams or otherwise scratchy annoyances. The lining combined with the exterior fabric makes for a solidly sturdy, almost heavy construction. The pants feel quite like a pair of ski pants but without the bulk.

And since the pants are wind and waterproof, I'm very anxious to get out into some snow to play! Hey, Hon? Where are my snowshoes?

SUMMARY

With Winter in full swing here in Colorado and with plans for LOTS of snowshoeing and hiking treks over the next two months, I am confident I will be wearing the DUER All-Weather Barrel Pant often. I plan to "rest" my snowpants this season! I'm looking forward to being snug and dry even with the nasty winds we have been having lately. And as the below stamp inside the pants says...

That's what I'm Saying!

LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Most of my experience wearing the Duer Barrel Leg Pants was in the Royal Gorge District BLM lands in southcentral Colorado. I also had a great week in South Dakota Black Hills area over Christmas/New Years.

The terrain in both areas of exploration is roughly the same. Dry, rocky, hilly/mountainous. All wearings of the pants were five + miles (8 + km) day hikes.

These last several months have not been typical of Colorado winters. The weather has been all over the place. We had 60+ F (16 +C) days followed by -30 F (-34 C) days. Lots of sunshine but also more snow days than usual. The most consistent weather feature though, has been the wind. It has been exceptionally windy with many days where gusts exceeded 35 mph (56 kph) and steady blows in the mid-teens (15 mph/28 kph).

My week in South Dakota was a bit cooler with the highs only reaching the freezing point and the lows in the negative digits (-5 F/25 C) at night. It did snow every single night, just a little, so we did have snow on the ground the entire trip. We didn't encounter any "wet" precipitation in the form of rain or heavy snow, just light, pretty snow!

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

I wore the pants on 8 different occasions. In one instance, I wore them 3 days in a row, this was on a trip to South Dakota's Badlands and Black Hills area.

Most of the South Dakota time was spent hiking around acreage for a potential future home. The land was rather rough and I needed serious footwear and sturdy pants. The Barrel pants held up very, very well in the prickly brush and even survived a couple of "rock slides" - me, sliding on rocks on the seat of my pants. The outer fabric of the pants didn't even register any "skid marks" at all! In fact, the pants still look brand-new, even after a couple of washings.

During these SD hikes, I encountered snow on the ground but can't say the pants had to slog through any drifts. Just a bit of blowing snow which never penetrated the outer fabric of the pants. And speaking of "blowing", while I was never cold, despite cold temperatures, I was surprised that the pants weren't windproof. I would say they are wind-resistant, but certainly not windproof.

Mostly, I wore the pants with a light synthetic base layer under them and that was plenty warm.

In South Dakota, we did a lot of long drives checking out various properties. During these drives when I did not wear a base layer, I was aware of the inseam at my thighs a bit more than I would like which was strange since the pants are definitely "roomy". But I have to say, I was perfectly comfortable hiking with my base layer bottoms!

I particularly was happy with the higher-than-most waist. It was so nice to be able to tuck in a base layer or mid-layer top and have it actually stayed tucked-in.

I almost always wear mid-height hiking boots when on trails and off-trails, especially, so the length of the pants was not really a problem and snapping them tight was a big help in keeping out debris. However, I was uncomfortable with the looks and feel of the pants with low-cut trail shoes. The pants just didn't feel right and I had more than a couple of "hitch-hikers" on my socks at night. I suppose I should have packed gaiters but that is a hindsight thought that just flashed through my mind as I type. Duh!

I never did use the pockets on the sides of the pants legs as when I tried, I found the items too far down my legs to retrieve easily (short arms?) but loved, loved, loved the spaciousness of the other pockets, especially since I am one of those people who carry their cell phone in the back right pants pocket!

The pants held up great upon washing and no visible wearing has occurred. All the zippers, snaps, etc. are still just like new.

STARRING ATTRACTIONS

1. Well made, good quality workmanship.
2. Super soft lining.
3. Spacious pockets.

MINOR DISTRACTIONS

1. A bit short in the legs for my liking.
2. The fabric is a bit heavy.

SUMMARY

I was so excited about testing out the Duer All-Weather Barrel Pant and am so grateful I got the chance to do so. I wish I "loved" them but I don't. While they did perform well in the cold (and I DID love the interior lining), I don't think they were as wind-proof as I need for winter hiking/snowshoeing. They also held up well to the minor wetness I experienced. However - again, this is ME - I could not get used to the pant leg length.

Thank you to BackpackGearTest.org and DUER for the opportunity to try the All-Weather Barrel Pant.

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters
BGT Co-Owner and Contributing Writer

Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > DUER Barrel Leg & Fireside Summit Pant > Test Report by Kathleen Waters