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Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > Ibex Fall Line Pant > Andy Mytys > Long Term Report
Tester's Biographical Information:
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:
Product Description: A pair of Polyester/Wool pants designed to support cold-weather, highly aerobic activities such as hiking and backcountry skiing.
Field Conditions: The Ibex Fall Line Pant has been worn while dayhiking, backpacking, and performing trail maintenance along the North Country Trail in Northwest Michigan. Outside temperatures have ranged from 5 - 55 F (-15 - 13 C), with wind chill temperatures as low as -10 F (-23 C). The pants have been worn while hiking in periods of both rain and snow, in addition to nice, sunny days and everything in between. The pants have also been worn while bushwhacking, coming into contact with various thorny plants. With spring-like conditions becoming commonplace, the pants have also been exposed to a fair amount of mud.
A Summary of the Pants/Concluding Thoughts:
Fit:
Conversely, the pants fit tight against my hips and thighs and, in temperatures colder than 20 F (-4 C), the fabric pressing tight against my skin felt cold, to the point of my wishing I had packed along a pair of long underwear. I didn't notice that my movement was restricted due to the cut of the pants, but I didn't find the pants' articulated knees or other aspects of the fit to be a benefit while hiking either. I also found the 31-inch (79 cm) inseam of the pants to be a bit short for my tastes - on my long-legged frame, the cuffs came down to about my ankles. When wearing the pants with trail runners, the type of shoe I typically hike in, I found myself having to wear gaiters in order to keep cold air from blowing up through the cuffs. For me, these pants are definitely meant to be worn either with traditional winter boots or a pair of gaiters.
Comfort: Assuming that I was wearing my suspenders, I found the pants to be extremely comfortable. The pants breathed exceptionally well and, even while trail running at the upper end of field temperatures (55 F or 13 C), I couldn't get my legs to sweat. I didn't have any sensitivity or "itch" issues with the 100% wool lining of the pants either.
Warmth: I found the Ibex Fall Line Pant to be warm down to about 25 F (-4 C). In colder temperatures, I found the need to wear a light base layer underneath. The primary reason for this was that the pants, particularly where the fit was tight along the hips and thighs, became cold on their exterior. I could feel this coldness against my skin and conductive heat loss occurred. When worn over a thin Capilene base layer, the pants remained comfortable down to an ambient temperature of 5 F (-15 C) and wind chill temperatures of -10 F (-23 C). At the warmer end of my field conditions, I found myself longing for a thinner, more breathable pair of pants - In my opinion, the comfortable unassisted working temperature range of the Fall Line Pant is from 25 - 50 F (-4 - 10 C). As I mentioned above, the pants fit short on my legs and I could feel cold air entering up from the cuffs of the pants. While cuffs do have lengths of shock cord in them, tightening the cords around the cuffs' 1-inch (25 mm) thick elastic bands caused the cuffs to crumple and develop channels through which cold air and even snow could enter. Wearing boots or gaiters with the pants was the only solution I could come up with to keep drafts out. The Climawool® Cirrus softshell exterior of the pants did an exemplary job of blocking wind, shedding snow, and making the pants water resistant. When hiking in wet snow and rain, the pants stayed dry. I didn't notice any "darkening" of the fabric due to their having "wet through." I only noticed the pants wetting through and becoming cold when water was applied to the pants with pressure, such as when kneeling in wet snow or mud while setting up my camp. However, the pants didn't seem to absorb and distribute water - the area that was pressed into direct contact with water became wet, while those areas where there was no pressure remained dry. Furthermore, once the pressure was released the pants were still warm, even around the wet area - I attribute this to the wool used to line the inside of the pants.
Utility: I have mixed feelings towards the pockets that are on the Fall Line Pant. I liked the tiny pocket found on the side of the left leg - it held small items, such as my Leatherman "Micra" multi-tool, a mini-BiC butane lighter, a single spare car key, or some lip balm, in a way where the items were secure and close at hand without their being difficult to find. The hip pockets worked fine for momentarily sheltering my bare hands from wind and cold, but I didn't notice any real warming effect coming through their mesh lining from my legs - I found that the handwarmer pockets weren't a substitute for even my thinnest liner gloves. The pants' map pocket, found along the side of the right leg, is suitable for holding a folded map, but I found myself wishing it had a more generous cut to it, so that it could be used as a true "cargo" pocket. Overall, the narrow profile of the pockets gave them limited utility for storing bulky winter items such as hats, gloves, and neck gaiters.
Maintenance: The pants proved to be easy to wash. I washed them in lukewarm water on a gentle cycle, inside out, using a mild detergent. My washer's spin cycle pushed enough water out of the pants so that afterwards, they were barely damp to the touch. When pulled out of the washer, the wool lining of the pants felt almost dry, and the outer shell was only slightly damp. The pants dried out completely in a few hours when left hanging or lying out flat in room temperature. The pants even washed clean, without any special care, after being left in a corner lying covered in mud for a week or so.
Durability: The Ibex Fall Line Pant has proven itself to be one tough garment. I've had sticks from the trail pressed into the fabric of the pants hard enough to scrape my leg and draw blood, without leaving a lasting mark on the outsides of the pants. While bushwhacking through thorny terrain, all of my gear, save for the pants, got caught up in the bush - I also didn't notice any snagging to the pants' material after walking through trails covered in old rose and berry bushes. The material of the pants did not seem to attract hitchhikers such as seeds and burrs either. While performing trail maintenance, I found myself moving downed branches and small trees off of the trail, and in many cases had to rest the wood atop my thighs in order to reposition my grip on the wood. To avoid pinching my saw when cutting through logs that weren't completely on the ground, I used my legs as leverage and lifted the wood while sitting on the damp ground. The pants were often exposed to mud and wet material in various states of decay. After an entire weekend in such conditions, the pants pulled through unscathed and washed up without any evidence of staining. Overall, the pants look as they did when new, with absolutely no signs of wear to them.
Final Thoughts: For dayhiking and backpacking, I didn't find the cut of the pants (i.e. articulated knees) or their tight fit to be beneficial. During winter-like conditions, I found myself feeling cold in those areas where the pants fit tightly, and the pants felt warm in these same areas during milder conditions. While I can't say enough good things about the ClimawoolŽ Cirrus softshell exterior of the pants or the comfort of their wool lining, I find myself wishing the pants had a traditional straight-legged cut with generously sized cargo pockets at the sides of the legs. Read more reviews of Ibex gear Read more gear reviews by Andrew Mytys Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > Ibex Fall Line Pant > Andy Mytys > Long Term Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I never did grow accustomed to the fit and cut of these pants. The pants fit loose in the waist and tight along the hips and thighs, with the seat of the pants sagging as if they were sized around a diaper. My waist was at the low-end of the pants' sizing, and I found that I had to wear either a belt or suspenders in order to keep the pants from becoming "hip huggers."