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 pant 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.

Long Term Field Test Locations and Conditions
Testing was conducted in Northeast Alabama, Southeastern Tennessee, and Eastern North Carolina. I wore the IBEX Guide Lite Pant on overnight hikes to The Walls of Jericho, Bucks Pocket State Park and The Fierry Gizzard Trail as well as on several day and overnight hikes in the woods close to home. I also wore them at night in my sleeping bag several times. 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 wore the pants in an all day rain one time and sat on wet rocks and logs a few times. I also managed to soak the knees while tending to chores in camp on wet ground. The last time I wore the pants it was snowing but not really all that cold at around 37 F (3 C).

Long Term Test Results
For the first couple of months after the Field Report I continued to wear the Guide Lite Pant an average of twice a week on overnight and day hikes, both with and without a pack. The past couple of months have been much warmer and I have only had occasion to wear them during a couple of cold snaps which included a campout in North Carolina when I was awakened by snow hitting my face. I wore them to cold windy cross country and tennis matches as a spectator, in other words while standing around for several hours.

I have not made any new or significant discoveries since the Field Report as far as the performance of the Guide Lite Pant. In other words, I am still delighted with the performance of these pants in all but extremely cold weather when I was not moving much.

I usually wore the pants without additional layers. On the few occasions I did, I preferred wearing a thin nylon pant over the Guide Lite Pant instead of wearing a pair of long underwear beneath the pants. I tried both ways and the thin nylon pants worn over seemed more comfortable and also served to protect from the wind a little better. I guess it also might extend the life of the Guide Lite Pant to a degree but that was not my goal.

Durability and Appearance
I have now washed the Guide Lite Pant over a dozen times. I always used Woolite and cold water. I always followed the manufacturer's instructions to turn them inside out before washing. Each time I dried the pants either outside laid flat on a bench or if raining across the ironing board inside. The have retained their good fit with no sign of shrinking or stretching.

There is a slight discoloring across the seat area of the pants but it is so slight I could not get a good picture to show it. I sat on rocks, logs and even the ground when a seat (log or rock) did not present itself. Of these seats, the logs were often wet and covered with the slick slime that grows on downed logs. I have no doubt that my many breaks while hiking are the cause of the stain.

I can say that I have now got a few picks (small places where it looks like a hole is trying to develop) in the pants. I have worn the pants off trail several times but I remember getting entangle in a saw-briar one time and think that is when I did the damage. However, I have since worn the pants several times and these picks are hard to find and in no way seem to be trying to get worse. Obviously, the damage is not very bad or I would not have a hard time showing it. If you look closely at the photograph you can see one of the picks. I am pointing to the area but it is hard to tell the damage so I drew yellow arrows which converge on the spot I'm speaking of.

Summary
The Guide Lite Pant is now absolutely one of my favorite winter apparel. They fit and wear like my favorite sweat pants but are much more abrasion resistant. They also dry faster than my sweat pants and much faster than my jeans. They do not retain as much odor as my sweat pants and especially my synthetic clothing. I am continually amazed at how warm the pants are for such a light weight and non-bulky pair of pants.

The special features have neither stood out nor hindered my favorable opinion of the pants. The fly which zips open from the bottom has remained a little weird feeling when zipping or un-zipping. The zippered ankle is very handy for removing the pants over shoes while hiking. I did this several times to change into shorts as the day warmed.

If I could change one thing on the pants it would be making the pants with a more traditional belt loop arrangement that would have allowed me to carry gear on a belt while wearing the pants. Of course with a regular belt loop arrangement it would be likely that a snap or button would be added above the zipper. However, this is not anything major and perhaps just a personal observation others would not prefer.

Bottom Line; the Guide Lite Pant is an excellent pant for winter hiking or even just wearing outside in cold weather. I plan to continue wearing my pants often and if I could afford several pair I would seldom wear other pants during the winter.

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

Long Term Report

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