Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > Ibex Fall Line Pant > Andy Mytys > Initial Report

Tester's Biographical Information:

Reviewer: Andrew Mytys Email: amytys@gmail.com Homepage: Andy's Lightweight Backpacking Site Location: Michigan Age: 33 Height: 6'1" (183 cm) Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg) Waist: 34" (86 cm)

     Backpacking Background:

I live in Michigan and have been hiking seriously for 15 years, although I've camped since I was 6 years old. I consider myself a lightweight hiker. I carry the lightest gear I can get my hands on which will provide a comfortable wilderness experience and adequately support the goals of my trip. Unless my goals are time/distance oriented, my pace is always slow. I rarely exceed 1.5 miles (2.4 km)/hour. I rest frequently, hike long days, and enjoy whatever nature throws my way.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Ibex (http://www.ibexwear.com) Item: Men's Fall Line Pant Year of manufacture: 2005 MSRP: $225.00 Size: Men's Large Waist: 34 - 36 inches (86 - 91 cm) Inseam: 31 inches (79 cm) Listed Weight: 21 oz (595 g) - size unknown Weight as delivered: 22.5 oz (638 g) - size Large Color: Stone (also available in Black) Warranty: Ibex products carry a complete warranty against manufacturing and material defects for their lifetime. Manufactured In: China

Product Description:

A pair of Polyester/Wool pants designed to support cold-weather, highly aerobic activities such as hiking and backcountry skiing.

Test Unit Description:

The Ibex Fall Line Pants are designed with cold-weather, highly aerobic activities in mind. They fit into the "softshell" category of clothing - the fabric is lightweight, breathable, and highly weather-resistant.

The interior lining of the pants is made up of 100% eco-washed wool, while the outside "shell" of the pants is Climawool® Cirrus softshell, essentially an 85% Polyester (65% PTT and 23% PET) and 12% wool blend. The result is a garment that is soft, stain resistant, and has some stretch to it.

The knees and seat of the Fall Line Pants are fully articulated, and the crotch is gusseted. The cut of the pants is semi-fit for layering. The waist expands, thanks to four short lengths of elastic found at the front and rear of the pants. There are also belt loops sewn into the waistline, in addition to hidden suspender loops. The pants have a zip fly with a snap closure.

The pants have four zippered pockets - two handwarmer pockets and two additional zip pockets, one at the side of each leg. Each pocket's zipper has a pull cord attached to it, with the end of the cord protected by a rubber cap - these caps have the Ibex company logo molded into them. When in the closed position the zipper pulls are shielded from the elements by a small awning, as seen in the image to the right. The lower pocket on the right leg has the Ibex logo sewn into it.

The cuffs of the pants are elasticized, with adjustable draw cords and down loops along their insides. The down loops are located about 3 inches (75 mm) up from the bottom of the cuff, and have cord locks attached to them. When the shock cord is pulled, tightening the cuff of the pants around the leg or boot, its position can be held fast by the cord lock, with the excess cord stowed above the down loop. This system ensures that any excess shock cord is out of the way and unable to poke out the bottom of the cuff.

Fit/Initial Impressions:

When I first held the Ibex Fall Line Pants up in the air they looked rather strange. As depicted near the top of this report, the pants have an angled cut to them - they do not hang "straight" like most pants I own do. The back of pants angle down towards the knees at about 25°, while the angle off the front of the pants is a mere 10°. From the knee down, the pants have a more familiar, straight cut.

The angled cut of the pants hasn't resulted in any comfort issues so far although, when worn, the pants do have a different "feel" to them. When standing straight, I don't feel as though the pants are forcing me into their pre-cut lines but I can feel the pants touching the backs of my knees. The outside seams of the pantlegs don't run straight up from the cuff to the waistline like on traditional, straight cut, pants. Instead, they run at an angle from the knee up, wrapping around the hip and meeting the waistband at the rear of the pants - this translates into a snug fit along the upper thighs.

Overall, the cut of the pants creates a slightly restricted feel while moving, if only because the fabric can be felt pressing up against my legs in various areas. For example, as I move forward I can feel the pants tightening up against the thigh of the leading leg, while the trailing leg has the fabric tightening along the hip, glutes, and hamstring. I've noticed that the gusseted crotch still is not stretched anywhere near its maximum length at the point where the pant's fabric begins to stretch - the "tightening" that I feel seems to be caused primarily by the cut/size of the fabric panels that make up the front of the pants.

Size wise, I fit at the lower end of Ibex's waist size for these pants and, while the pants aren't falling off of me in any way, they tend to ride low on my waist. The cut of the pants makes them feel secure at the thighs and around the hips, but the rear of the waistband and butt of the pants feel extremely loose - there's a "sagging" feeling that makes me want some extra support. I've decided to go with suspenders... nice, smiley-faced suspenders. While the Fall Line Pants do come with suspender loops, the back of the pants has only one centrally located suspender loop. Most of the suspenders I've seen sold, as well as all of those I own, are set up to attach at two separate points, and at distances away from each other that are further apart then Ibex's single center suspender loop allows. Thus, I will be clipping my suspenders to the waistline at the back of the pants, while using the two suspender loops found at the front of the pants.

There are four zippered pockets found on the Ibex Fall Line Pants. Two of these are handwarmer pockets, found at each hip, with an additional pocket along the side of the right and left legs. The interiors of the handwarmer pockets are composed of a thick but soft mesh material, allowing for heat from the body to easily pass into them. The smallest of the four pockets is the side left pocket - it can hold items such as money, a small flashlight, and lip balm. It is rather small, though... too small to hold an energy bar. None of the pockets have any real depth to them, and while the other three pockets are nicely proportioned in terms of length and width, bulky items placed into them, such as gloves and hats, make the pants feel uncomfortably tight. Ibex advertises the larger side pocket as a "map pocket," which I believe to be an accurate description - the pockets can hold items that are long, just not items that have much bulk to them. I've been able to put energy bars and a cell phone in the handwarmer pockets, as well as maps in the larger side pocket, without my movement feeling overly restricted.

The cuff of the pants has a thick band of elastic sewn along its inside. The elastic band has a channel behind it that holds a draw cord that can be pulled by the wearer to adjust the size of the cuff. The adjustment system has a cord lock integrated into it - once sized, the setting can be held fast. There's also a down loop positioned higher in the cuff that holds the excess draw cord above the elastic on the inside of the pants. This system, in theory, allows for a great deal of control in being able to tighten the cuff around the leg or over heavy winter boots, helping to create a tight seal against wind and snow.

The interior lining of the Ibex Fall Line Pants is made up of 100% eco-washed wool. I've already spent a full day walking in the pants with my bare skin touching the wool and I didn't notice any issues in terms of itching or other forms of irritation - the wool is soft and comfortable when worn against the skin.

Craftsmanship/Fit and Finish:

While the materials used in the construction of the Ibex Fall Line Pants seems to be first rate, I ran across some finishing issues that, given Ibex's reputation of producing high quality garments and the pant's $225 price tag, surprised me.

To begin with, I had a small issue with the shock cord adjustment system in the right leg. The shock cord has its two ends sewn together to form a loop. Rather than positioning the thick, joined section of shock cord as far away from the exit hole as possible, it was positioned directly against the exit hole. The result was that, when I tried to draw the shock cord tight, the joint pressed against the exit hole and stopped me from being able to adjust the cuff's size. After using brute force, I was finally able to pull the joint through the hole. This "plug" of material can be seen in the image to the right.

It only took me a minute to realize the overall problem, which I remedied by maneuvering the joint back into the cord's channel and pulling it to a position opposite to the exit hole's.

In addition, the four elastic bands sewn into the waistband are not symmetrically positioned to either side of the pant's center. The result is that, from a cosmetic standpoint, the pants appear as if they're "manufacturer seconds." The photo below outlines this cosmetic irregularity in the rear section of the waistband - a similar situation exists along the front of the waistband, in both the elastic expanders and in the positioning of the belt loops. The front suspender loops are also offset from the center of the pants at different distances, so when used as lash points my suspenders appear in slightly different positions along my chest.

Overall, I feel that that such issues should never make it into the hands of the customer on a "finished" product - certainly not on a pair of pants retailing for $225.

Care and Maintenance:

The Fall Line Pants are to be washed as follows:

• Machine was in lukewarm water up to 30° C (88° F) separately on a gentle cycle, inside out, using a mild detergent
• DO NOT BLEACH
• DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER
• DO NOT TUMBLE DRY
• Hang or lay flat to dry
• Cool iron if necessary 128° C (248° F)
• May dry clean using any solvent except Trichloroethylene

Test Plan:

The Ibex Fall Line Pants will be my sole pants solution over the course of the winter.

Test locations will primarily be in Michigan, meaning that the pants will be exposed to wind, snow, mud, cold, rain, and sleet. They will be used for both on trail hiking and off trail bushwhacking - the trails I typically hike get little visitation so, in both cases, I'm often faced with blow downs to navigate over and various types of plants that like to grab hold of passersby using their thorns and prickers.

Characteristics that I will be commenting on include:

• Fit
  • Does the fit of the pants restrict movement when out in the field? If so, under what conditions and in what way?
  • Do the pants simply feel "baggy" in a few areas, as reported above, or do I find that I actually need a belt or suspenders to keep the pants on?
  • Can the elastic cuff be adjusted to lock out the cold air while wearing trail runners as well as large, insulated boots? Are there any boots that, due to their size, will be incompatible with the Fall Line Pants?
  
  
• Comfort
  • I will comment on how comfortable the wool lining is across various field conditions, in addition to how well the pants breathe in highly active, or warmer conditions.
  • The pants are advertised as being "semi-fit for layering," yet they already feel tight in some areas of my body - what types of insulation can be comfortably worn under the Fall Line Pants without restricting movement?
  
  
• Warmth
  • I will comment on the pant's ability to keep me warm, breathe, and block cold, wind-driven air from penetrating inside. I will also comment on their weather resistance in terms of shedding water and keeping snow out. I'm also interested in what the upper range of temperature is that the pants can be comfortably used for hiking in. Should the pants become damp due to contact with rain or wet snow, I am eager to see to what degree will they maintain their insulating properties.
  
  
• Dry Time
  • In colder temperatures, being able to get wet clothes dry in a hurry is crucial - while in the field, will wet areas of the pants dry while either hung on a line overnight or when worn next to the skin, via body heat? To what degree can the pants be "wet" and still stand a chance at drying while used in the field?
  
  
• Durability
  • Just how tough are these pants? While I'm in no way intending on abusing them, even the marked trails I hike on often have various thorn-covered plants that need to be bypassed. Will the pants material hold up to the occasional brush with thorns? Will removing hitchhikers such as seeds and burrs cause the material to snag or pill in any way?
  
  
• Utility
  • The Fall Line Pants come with a range of pockets, including two zippered handwarmer pockets and an oversized map pocket. What sorts of items will the pockets accommodate? Do I find the size of the pockets to be useful while in the field or are they just designed for "show?"
  • Do the zippers function well in cold, wet conditions? Can they be easily used while wearing gloves or mittens?
  
  
• Maintenance
  • How well do these pants wash? Are there any issues that present themselves, such as pilling, after the pants have gone through many wash cycles?

Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > Ibex Fall Line Pant > Andy Mytys > Initial Report