Long Term Report

IBEX Men’s Fall Line Pant
Long Term Report
March 28, 2006

Tester: Coy Starnes Author in Ibex clothing

Gender: Male
Age: 44
Weight: 244 lb (111 kg)
Height: 6 ft (1.8 m)
E-Mail: starnescr@yahoo.com
Location: Grant, Alabama, USA

Tester Bio
I live in North East Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities but backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with friends and family or solo. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3-season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length.

Product Information
Test item: IBEX Men's Fall Line Pant
Manufacturer: IBEX Outdoor Clothing, LLC
Year Manufactured: 2005
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.ibexwear.com
Color: Stone
Size: XL = 38 to 40 (97 to 102 cm) waist
Inseam: 31.5 in (80 cm)
Listed Weight: None, but the website gives an average weight of 21 oz (595 g)
Measured Weight: My size XL = 23.3 oz (661 g)
MSRP: US $225

Product Description
The Ibex Fall Line pants are designed for winter, or more specifically, for individuals who are on the go in winter weather. The website suggests backcountry skiing and backpacking usage.

From the IBEX website

"The newest addition to our pant collection is this all-purpose piece for serious outdoor adventure. The Climawool® Cirrus softshell exterior keeps the elements where they belong. The fabric exterior consists of PTT (in the Lycra® family but much more durable and with stronger stretch recovery) and polyester. The interior is 100% eco-washed wool. Fully articulated knees and seat make this a form-fitting, stress-free companion wherever you go."

The pants feature the afore mentioned Climawool® Cirrus softshell (PTT, Polyester exterior, 100% eco-washed wool interior). The pants are classically styled with a snap closure, belt loops and inside suspender loops. The waist has hidden elastic. There are four zippered pockets in the front and zero pockets in the back. The top pockets are slash style while the ones below these are almost square. Interestingly, the lower pocket on the right side is a lot deeper while the slash pockets on both sides are the same. All zippers except the fly have a small ribbon like pull-tab with the IBEX logo over a raised soft section to making it easy to grab the tab and work the zippers.

The pants have articulated knees and seat. I can clearly see where four V-sections of fabric are removed at each knee which makes the pants bend naturally toward the rear. The bottom (cuff) of the pants has elastic built in. There are adjustable drawcords, boot tie grippers (rubber like ring around inside cuff) and down loops at the inside cuff.

Inside the pants are sewn on patches with information. One label gives care instructions and a breakdown of the fabric; 88% Polyester and 12% Wool. The Polyester is further broken down as PTT 65%, PTE 23%. This is not a laminate but rather a double weave.

Field Testing Locations and Conditions
During the past few months I have worn the Fall Line Pants on several more day hikes and while hiking in on several short overnight hikes. Unfortunately, cold weather has been as rare as hen’s teeth. The coldest weather encountered was 14 F (-10 C) for the half mile (0.8 km) hike home on a short overnight hike in mid February. It has been so warm that I did not wear the Fall Line pants on several other occasions. Trail conditions were similar to previous reports, wet and slick, with ice at times and steep in places.

Long Term Test Results
Due to warm weather, I have not been able to do much "cold weather" testing in the past 2 months. I just looked up the weather data for the month of February for Huntsville, Alabama (the nearest big town) and found that the temperatures were in fact about 1 F (0.6 C) cooler for this month, but apparently this was due mostly to a few really cold snaps. March, as expected, has been even warmer. I know I was not on any extended hikes in really cold weather.

So, I will recall a few of these hikes. In between winter colds I have been trying to get back in shape. I have a 3 mile (5 k) loop here close to the house which involves going down to a creek and out on the other side, then circling up the creek and hiking back down to the creek and back up again on my side. I normally hike this route in shorts even in the mid 40's (around 7 C) so I am not surprised that when I wore the Fall Line pants a couple of times when it was in the lower 40's (around 5 C) that the pants did OK but were really warmer than needed. I wore them a few more times all the way up to the mid 60’s (around 18 C) and found them entirely too hot. It was in the lower 70's (around 22 C) on a couple of these hikes and I did not wear the Fall Line pants.

The bottom line is, the Fall Line pants are serious winter gear. I wish I had a few more opportunities to wear them on long hikes in cold windy weather because they excelled in this type environment. They also excelled in rainy conditions. Here is what my observations have led me to conclude. The Fall Line pants are great for hiking if it is cooler than around 40 F (4 C). On the plus side, I found that when I wore them in warmer weather I sweated a lot but the pants were quick to dry. More specifically, they would dry in a few hours if I left them on for awhile and also dried very fast if I hung them across my deck.

I have concluded that the Fall Line pants are among the toughest pants I own. I have not really abused them but my hiking conditions have exposed them to some pretty rough scraping on rocks and just the typical bumps and grinds of normal trail wear.

I have now washed the Fall Line pants about a dozen times. They were not washed as often as the Ibex Scout shirt I received at the same time for testing because the Scout was worn a lot more. Nevertheless, I have had no issues in washing these pants by following the care instructions provided.

Final Thoughts
As I reported in my Field Report, my number one complaint is the fit of these pants. I feel the aggressively articulated knee cut is not needed for a general hiking pant and in fact contributes to the poor fit I experienced. Maybe a skier would have just the opposite view. I will say that overall, I found the Fall Line pants to be the best winter pants I have ever worn. No, not warmer than my insulated coveralls, but I could move around a lot easier and did not overheat as much. No, not more comfortable than my thick sweat pants but much warmer in wind and also much more waterproof. Let's just say I found their ability to keep my legs warm in cold windy and rainy conditions was simply amazing considering how light these pants are.

I would like to thank Ibex and BGT.org for this testing opportunity. I hope my finding have been helpful.

Read more reviews of Ibex gear
Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes

Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > Ibex Fall Line Pant > Coy Starnes > Long Term Report

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