Ibex Fall Line Pant
Field Report - January 31, 2006
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Waist: 36"/ 91 cm
Hips: 42"/ 107 cm
Thighs: 21"/ 53 cm
Inseam: 28"/ 71 cm
Email address: c4jc "at" hotmail "dot" com
City, State, Country: Snoqualmie, WA, U. S.
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping and backpacking for about 17 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the BSA and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I am generally a lightweight hiker, but will carry extras to keep me comfortable. Most of my hiking and backpacking takes place in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but I can be found exploring the other wild areas of Washington!
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Ibex
Model: Fall Line Pant
Size: Large
Stone (received), Black
Year of Manufacture: 2005
URL: www.ibex.com
Listed weight: 21 oz (595 g)
Measured weight: 23 oz (652 g)
**Disclaimer: The closest my scale will measure is in whole ounces.**
Fabric Content: Climawool® Cirrus softshell (PTT, Polyester exterior, 100% eco-washed wool interior)
Listed Dimensions: Waist 34-36" (86-91 cm), Inseam 31" (79 cm)
MSRP: $225 US
Country of Manufacture: China with imported fabrics
Product Description:
The Ibex Fall Line Pant are winter pants made of a wool soft shell material. For a more detailed description please see my initial report.
Field Conditions:
The Ibex Fall Line Pant has been used on all kinds of outdoor adventures over the past two months. I have used them downhill skiing three times at the Summit at Snoqualmie, on four day hikes to places like Rattlesnake Mountain, Tiger Mountain and Cougar Mountain State parks and I have even used them on a car camping trip on the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie. They have been used in all forms of precipitation from rain and snow to the occasional sunny day. Elevations have ranged from sea level to 3900’ (1189 m). Temperatures have ranged from 45 F to 16 F (7 C to -9).
Summary:
I am torn with these pants. I like the way they withstand the crazy weather here in the Pacific Northwest and the stylish look. However, I am on my second pair because of a zipper breaking and I have had some chafing after a fairly long day hike.
Field Results:
Well it has been two months and my initial concern over the fit of the pants has been mostly allayed. They pants are still form fitting in the thighs but don’t seem to hinder my movement too much. After a 12 mile (19 km) hike on Rattlesnake Mountain, I did have some chafing on the back of my thighs from the pants. I have been on several other hikes including another 12 mile (19 km) hike and have not replicated this problem, so I will continue to monitor this. One thing that I have changed from that initial experience though is I make sure that I pull the pants up every so often. Even with a belt the pants tend to slide down because the waist is too large. I am at the lower range of the large size I received from IBEX. Speaking of wearing belts, I have not had the opportunity to backpack with the pants yet, because of the delay between sending that pants back and receiving the new pair so I cannot report on whether there is any discomfort due to a backpack hip belt. I will test this theory over the long term test period. I use a small day pack that has a hip belt, but it does not conform to me like a hip belt on a backpack will.
The only durability issue that I have had thus far was with a zipper breaking. I was riding a ski lift and noticed one of the hand warmer pockets was unzipped. It happened to be the pocket that had my car keys so I reached down and tugged on the zipper pull to close the pocket and POP! The zipper pulled right off of the track. Once I got off of the lift I put my keys in my jacket pocket so that they were secure and moved on. I called IBEX’s customer service when I got home and they said to send the pants back and they would be replaced. I did and several weeks later a new pair of pants were left on my doorstep.
The durability of the fabric has been great thus far. I have hiked on and off trail and in rain, snow and mud and the fabric has taken it all in stride. There are no tears, or other blemishes on the fabric.
The pants are roomy enough to wear a light layer underneath them. I have worn my GoLite C-thru tights under them while skiing on particularly cold days. I found the pants to be warm enough for skiing and hiking in temperatures to about 30 F (-1 C) or so. Below these temperatures, I found that I needed another layer. The tights helped but on the coldest days I was still cold especially sitting on snow covered lifts.
I am still don’t think the lower two pockets are all that useful. I do use one of them to hold my id cards while in the outdoors. When I day hike I normally do not use poles and I find the hand warmer pockets quite nice. I don’t like gloves so I tend to hike with my hands in my pockets and I am able to do that easily with these pockets.
The boot gripper cuffs don’t really do much for me while hiking in my trail shoes. There is not an upper part of a shoe to grasp like on mid/high top boot. The elastic cord lock seems like it would help, but it is a hindrance while skiing. I have to pull them up out of my ski boots otherwise they get jammed into the front of my calf and cause quite a bit of pain.
The pants are quite weatherproof. They shed water, snow and wind fairly well. I hiked for 5 hours in the misty rain that we have here in the Northwest and the pants stayed mostly dry. They did eventually wet out in the knees and the pockets but once it cleared up the pants dried within a half an hour. They will also wet out when walking in wet brush. The pants shed snow well. I have skied in the heavy wet snow that we get here and it brushes right off and powder does not stick.
Improvements:
I reiterate from before that a more relaxed fit would make these pants even better.
Test Plan:
I will look for the following characteristics in the Ibex Fall Line Pant:
(My answers based on the first two months of use are in parenthesis and italics)
Fit:
How well do the pants fit? (So far they are doing ok, I did notice some chafing initially, but have not been able to replicate that problem.)
Are they roomy enough to have a light base layer of clothing underneath like the Ibex website says they are? (Yes.)
Based on the website picture it looks like the pants have zippered pockets, how easy are they to open?(Easy to open, hard to close unless standing up.)
Can they be opened with gloves on? (Yes.)
How do the pants feel? (Stretchy, Soft.)
Are they itchy like other wool products? (No!!!! They are very comfortable on the inside)
Durable:
How durable is the Climawool Cirrus softshell material? (Have not had any problems with snags or tears while hiking off trail.)
Do I need to be concerned during off trail hiking?(Not so far.)
I normally sit or kneel on the ground while doing everyday camp chores like collecting firewood, cooking or building a fire; do I need to be worried about the pants coming in contact with rocks, sticks and dirt?(Nope, I have not had an fabric durability issues thus far.)
Weatherproof/Breathable:
What exactly do they mean by weatherproof? (That the pants shed water, snow and wind with ease.)
We get a lot of rain here and water resistance is key. Will they make it through a day of hiking in the rain? (Yes for the most part. The pants will eventually wet out after hours of hiking in the rain.)
How breathable are the pants? (Very good. Even when hiking in moderate weather they breathe extremely well. They do heat up a bit when I have performed high exertion activities but everything goes back to normal when I stop doing the high exertion activities, i.e. finish a climb uphill.)
What temperature range are they best used in? (For moderate activities they are ok in the low 40’s F (7 C – 4 C), However I think they are best used near freezing.)
Style:
Living here in the trendy Pacific Northwest are these pants stylish enough to wear on a rainy day diaper run to Target or while out at dinner in downtown Seattle? (Most definitely.)
Thanks to Backpack Gear Test and IBEX for allowing me to participate in this test.
Read more reviews of Ibex gear
Read more gear reviews by Jason Boyle
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