Tester Bio
I live outside a small town in Northeast Alabama. I also enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities. Backpacking is my favorite pastime. I consider myself a knowledgeable backpacker but I am not an expert. I enjoy hiking with my friends and family or solo. I limit my hiking to areas fairly close to home, usually within a day's drive of home. 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 Guide Lite Pant
Manufacturer:	IBEX Outdoor Clothing, LLC
Year Manufactured:	2004
Manufacturer's Link:	http://www.ibexwear.com
Color:	Black
Size:	XL = 38 to 40 (97 –102 cm) waist
Inseam:	approximately 31 in (79 cm)
Listed Weight:	None on my pants but the website gives an average weight of 15.7 oz. (445 g)
Measured Weight:	My size XL = 20.3 oz (575 g)
MSRP:	US $185

Product Description
The Guide Lite Pant are designed for winter, more specifically for individuals who are on the go in winter weather. From the IBEX website; An ideal blend of warmth, breathability and weather protection for:
- Backcountry skiing
- Nordic skiing
- Snowshoeing
- Everyday

The pants are constructed of IBEX's own Climawool® and Climawool Lite® Softshell Fabrics. The label gives this breakdown of the fabric; 74% Nylon, 20% Merino Wool and 6% Spandex.   The outside layer of the pants are made of 74% Nylon and 6% Spandex while the inside layer is made of the remaining 20% Merino Wool. The outside of the pants are smooth feeling (kind of slick) while the inside is much softer (fuzzy).

The pants feature gusseted leg opening with ankle zippers. These zippers allow the foot end of each pant leg to be opened slightly to get the pants on over shoes or fit around larger winter boots but the gusseted feature is supposed to keep out snow. The zippers extend about 8.5 in (21.6 cm) up each leg of the pants. There are 2 front zippered hand warmer pockets and a zippered rear pocket. All 3 pockets are made of a mesh like material but have the same characteristics as the pant material.   The pants feature an elastic waist with belt. The pants are pull on (no snap or button to open) but have a zippered fly. Of course the fly zipper was the one I had to see for myself. It does in fact zip backwards from all other pants I have ever worn (or seen). All zippers except the fly have a small ribbon like pull-tab with the IBEX logo over a raised soft section to make it easy to grab and pull the zippers.

Fit
My pants are a size XL that corresponds to a size 38 – 40 (97 –102 cm). I wear size 38 jeans. I requested a 30 in (76 cm) inseam if available and when I received the Guide Lite Pant they were listed as M's Guide Lite Pant Short. It was obvious these were not shorts so the short obviously signifies the inseam is short. In fact the website shows the normal inseam length of the XL size pants is 34 in (86 cm). I measured the inseam on these pants and found them to be approximately 31 in (79 cm). The pants are a tad long but do not drag the ground when I put them on without shoes. They just go very low on my heel.

I was also tickled at how stretchy the pants feel. The pants allow me to move in all directions, kick up my legs or squat easily. In fact they fit me a lot like my favorite sweat pants.

Field Test Locations and Conditions
Testing was conducted in Northeast Alabama. I wore the IBEX Guide Lite Pant on an overnight hike to The Walls of Jericho and on several day hikes in the woods close to home. I did not wear them on a few overnights when I was trying some warmer clothing in a sleeping bag. The temperatures while hiking on these trips ranged from as high as 70 F (21 C) to as low as 23 F (-5 C). Elevations were between 1300 ft (400 m) and 2000 ft (600 m). I have not worn the pants in any heavy rain but did sit on wet rocks and logs a few times, I also managed to soak the knees while tending to chores in camp on wet ground.

Field Test Results
I have worn them on average twice a week on day hikes both with and without a pack. These hikes were usually around 3 miles (5 km) for 2 to 3 hours per trip. I have worn them to both warm and cold windy cross country meets as a spectator, in other words while standing around for several hours. I wore them on one overnight hike in cold weather then later on a day hike when it was only 23 F (-5 C). I also wore the Guide Lite Pant to church and to a wake. Unfortunatey, I was not able to wear them in any snow unless I count the flurries a couple of times.

Overall, I am impressed with the performance of the Guide Lite Pant. They performed fairly well on warm days and dried out about as fast as I could sweat. This is no small feat because when I huff and puff up the mountain I usually look like I've been swimming. I expected them to perform a little better in cooler weather and they did, but I was surprised at how well they handled real cold weather. I have never worn an article of clothing that handled as many different temperature and activity levels as well as these pants have.

I especially like the pants for hiking. On one overnight hike I got them a little damp and muddy but they dried as I made camp. On the short hike in of only 2 miles (3 km) they were very comfortable under my pack load of 33 lbs (15 kg). It was in the low 30's (around 0 C) as I made camp and enjoyed a full moon for a while before turning in. I then wore them to bed. I have to say they did not seem to add that much warmth to my sleeping bag on this particular trip which is surprising because they felt fairly warm in camp and later when I get up a few times to move around and warm up. In fact the pants were fairly warm every time I wore them on cold days, even the cold windy days when I was not walking much. Once I went on a day hike when the high was 23 F (-5 C) and I could tell the pants were on the edge of needing additional help, perhaps some long underwear. When I stopped for short breaks a few times I felt the cold creeping in. It was pretty windy and I actually sat on some icy rocks down by the creek, but as soon as I started hiking back to the house I quickly broke into a mild sweat. It was tough on my head once I came out of the woods and my damp hair was exposed to a pretty stiff breeze. My legs, protected by the Guide Lite Pants, did not feel chilled as I walked on home.

When I wore the Guide Lite Pant on warm days I felt they were a little to warm, especially if the sun was out bright. The black material seemed to soak in the heat. However, walking around in warm weather was always comfortable in the pants and any sweat quickly evaporated when I slowed down or hit flatter hiking. They never did feel wet against my skin. In fact, the only time they ever felt wet in the field was when I was pressing against a wet object, whether is be a wet rock or knelling on the ground. Stand up and move and the wet sensation left immediatey. I even put them on right after washing them on a chilly day to see how they felt. For about 30 seconds they felt chilly but after that they were warm and I had to concentrate to notice they were wet.

Durability Thus Far
The Guide Lite Pant have weathered muddy trails, sitting on rocks and logs, dogs jumping up with muddy feet, cats sitting in my lap getting hair everywhere and just the general bumps and bruises suffered while hiking and in daily wear. Except for the mud, a quick brush with my hands or a rag usually made the pants presentable. A trip through the washing machine restored them to an almost new looking condition. The outside of the pants have no noticeable wear, picks, or runs in the material. The inside of the pants are still in perfect condition and the wool still has a nice soft feel against my skin.

The zippers on the pocket are still working great. The fact that the zipper for the fly works in reverse from all my other pants has not been a problem. I usually remembered about the zipper but 42 years (minus a few as a baby) of working a zipper from the other direction ingrains a reflex motion which does not disapper easily. I do like the idea of the reverse zipper because once zipped they are not likely to unzip by gravity, thus drawing the feared words "XYZ" (OK, not exactly words.)

General Care and Cleaning muddy pant leg

Usually I would wear the pants a few times and hang them outside to air out for several hours after each outing. After a few times or if I got them muddy I washed them. I noticed the pants did not build up an objectionable smell between washings. On one warm weather hike in the holler I noticed they smelled much better than the poly shirt I was wearing. I hung both outside to air out and the pants seemed to loose all odor but the shirt was still offensive.

I ended up washing the Guide Lite Pant 4 times. Each time I used the gentle cycle/medium load settings on my washing machine and used Woolite for detergent. I would fill the machine about 1/4 full with warm water then add cold only for the other 1/4 to keep the water a little cooler than a full warm cycle would be. When I say 1/4 I am indicating half the water added because the machine only fills about 1/2 full on the medium load setting. I washed them turned inside out and with other delicate items. The pants have held up to each washing very well and I have not noticed any shrinkage.

Drying Ability
I tried to note how long it took the pants to dry after I washed them. The first time was on a warm sunny day of 60 F (16 C) and at 11:30 AM I pulled them from the washing machine and laid them out across a bench on my deck. I went out an hour later to flip them over but they were already nearly dry. After another 30 minutes they were dry. For contrast some thick wool socks took quite a bit longer to dry but a thin poly shirt dried at the same rate. When I washed them the next time it was a lot colder at 42 F (6 C) and the sun was not out. This was the time that after washing I put the pants on a few minutes to see how they felt wet. After this revealing (positive) experiment I then put them on the deck at 2 PM to dry. I left them out till dark about 3 hours later and they were still pretty damp feeling. I brought them in the house and put them across the back of a chair to finish drying. They were finally dry by bedtime at around 11 PM. More importantly, when I got them damp from sweat or sitting on damp rocks etc they seemed to dry as I wore them. My body heat and constant movement seemed to be enough to dry them and the wool helped by not feeling wet and clammy as they dried.

Future Testing
Testing will continue as I wear the Guide Lite Pant as everyday wear and on day hikes. I also hope to wear them on an extended hiking trip this spring. As the weather warms back up I will probably have more to say about how the pants perform in warm weather. So far I am totally satisfied with the pants performance but I will continue to monitor them for comfort, durability and suitability for the different conditions encountered. Stay tuned!

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