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Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > Ibex Guide Lite Pants > Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd > Initial Report
Description and Website The Ibex Guide Lite pants arrived in a
simple envelope and folded neatly in a plastic bag. Attached were
two hangtags detailing the features of the Climawool
material with which the pants are constructed. Climawool
is Ibex's proprietary softshell, made with a blend of cordura, lycra, and
merino wool. Like most softshells, this material is advertised as
being "extremely durable, highly breathable...designed to offer
cold-weather performance, while maintaining superior temperature
regulation when skiing, climbing, or backcountry touring." The
exterior of the pants feels exactly like all other softshell materials I
own, but it differs significantly on the inside. Ibex integrates
merino wool into the otherwise typical nylon softshell, giving the
interior of the pants a softer feel than the exterior. It is not a
separate layer, but it feels different enough that upon first feeling it I
thought it was a separate layer entirely. I found the Ibex website to be clean and professional in
its presentation, and had no problem navigating through it regardless of
which browser I used. There are different entry points to get to the Guide
Lite pant information; it can be accessed via the Climawool link or via
the Shop link. By logically navigating to Womens -> Pants, I see the
Guide Lites listed on a page with eight other models of Ibex womens pants.
Clicking on the Guide Lite pants brings up the info panel on these
specific pants on the right side of the page, while leaving a photo list
of all nine pant designs on the left, making it easy to click on another
type to compare details. The small panel contains a good amount of
information - a photo (which I wish was clearer - since the pants are
black the details do not stand out too well), a sizing chart link, and
three tabs - one each for 'description', 'specs', and 'best uses'.
Upon inspecting these pants I saw that they were exactly
as expected. Ibex makes an obviously high quality product and the
stitching and attention to detail is fantastic. There is one
location where the stitching is 'off', with an extra row of stitching
connecting nothing sewn into the pants. One of my
favorite small features are the pull tabs on
the zippers. They have little foam inserts sewn in for
grip, hopefully making them easy to operate with gloves. In
addition, there is a panel of the Climawool fabric behind the
ankle zippers. This means there will be no cold zipper
against my skin, and snow can be kept out when adjusting boots
and gaiters. In fact, the only feature of these pants
that I dislike is the belt buckle, which I have discussed below in the
'Fit' section. Fit Ordering these pants sight unseen, I had to
rely on Ibex's sizing charts in order to figure out my size. Having
not owned Ibex clothing in the past, nor even tried their
clothing on in stores, I couldn't make an assumption on the fit as
I might do if familiar with their clothing. Therefore I relied
100% on the sizing chart posted on the Ibex website. At the time of this writing, Ibex has nine
different pairs of women's pants on their website, and the sizing chart is
the same for all of them. In other words, the sizing chart is
exactly the same for their tight base layers as it is for loose fitting
pants. The Guide Lites are described as having a semi-fit cut, so I
was comfortable choosing my size based on the sizing chart, assuming that
semi-fit would be a nice middle between tight and loose. If I were
choosing sizes for a tight or loose fitting pant I may have been more
uncomfortable with this 'one-size-fits-all' type sizing chart. With respect to pants, there are four
measurement categories that I needed to measure: Normal Size, Waist, Hip,
and Inseam. In this order, my measurements are: 4-6 (US), 28 in (71
cm), 36.5 in (93 cm), 30.5 in (77 cm). My normal size, hip, and
inseam all fall squarely within the middle of the size small.
However, my waist is right in the middle of the medium range.
Knowing that the waist of these pants is elasticized, and therefore would
be the most flexible of the four measurements, I felt comfortable
choosing a size small. However, I expected that if there were any
troubles with the fit, it would likely be in the waist measurement.
Of course, the first thing I did when receiving the pants was try them
on. Details could be saved until later. The first thing I
noticed was that there is no fly to these pants and they pull on much like
a pair of sweatpants - the waist is entirely elastic and there is a
webbing belt to tighten them as needed (providing the same function as a
drawstring on sweatpants). The elastic in the waist is rather stiff and
the webbing length for the belt does not provide a lot of wiggle room. The
problem with this is that although my hip measurement is right in the
middle of their small range, it is very difficult to pull the pants over
my hips. The elastic in the waist will only stretch so far, and right now
the elastic barely stretches to the width of the hip measurement. This led
to some hilarious wiggling and writhing the first time I tried to put them
on. Perhaps this will change as the elastic waist is broken in, but right
now it is very stiff. The main cause of the wiggling was the belt - the elastic waist
stretches a sufficient amount to pull the pants on, but the webbing for
the belt is way too short. If I have the belt at its loosest, it is still
much smaller than the maximum stretch for the elastic and much, much
smaller than the hips. My hip measurement is 36.5 in (93 cm). The
integrated webbing belt, at its loosest, is 31 in (71 cm). I have to
unstring the webbing from the belt buckle, pull the pants up, then
restring the belt. This is already frustrating, and I've only worn them
around for a few hours (after drinking a few bottles of water, meaning
many bathroom trips). Just another few inches of length in the
webbing would save me this trouble. Or, ideally it would be a
different type of buckle mechanism. Below are three photos - the
first shows the belt on the Guide Lites, and the second two show the type
of buckle that I would like to see on these pants as it would
make putting them on and taking them off much, much easier! Every
time I put them on or take them off I have to restring the buckle - I
really, really wish it were a clip! Here is the belt buckle on the Guide Lite pants: Notice that it is a threaded belt - I must string the webbing through
it in order to secure it. With the folded hem at the end of the
webbing this is not a quick and easy task. When it is loosened to
the maximum, where the end of the webbing is just poking out of the
buckle, it is still about 5 inches (13 cm) shorter than it needs to
be. After the test period, I plan on modifying the buckle into some
sort of clip, much like one of these which I found on other similar
fitting pants and shorts that I own: Given the struggle it took to pull them over my hips the first time I
made the reactionary judgment that they were too small. However, once they
were on they fit like a glove. The waist, though snug, is not too tight
and I have a couple of extra inches available in the webbing belt. The
hips and legs fit like they were made just for my body. The length is just
right - they hit just below my ankles - short enough that I won't be
walking on them, but long enough that they cover the top of my boots.
I find it odd that I have a difficult time putting on a pair of
pants that fit so well once they are in place. I will save the layering
experiment for my Field Report. I considered exchanging these for a Medium, but I don't want to
sacrifice the great fit once they are on in the interest of making them a
bit easier to pull on. To me, the great fit once they are on is the most
important part of the experience. And, I expect the pants to 'break in'
and not be too much of a problem in the long run - much like putting on a
pair of freshly washed vs worn and softened jeans. I will definitely
explore this in the Field and Long Term reports. --------------------------------- Test Plan I will be keeping the following questions in my mind as the test period
unfolds. I like my winter activewear pants to be sleek without
unnecessary bulk, but at the same time I should be able to add a base
layer for really cold days. How comfortable are these with another
layer? I intend to be active in these - do they restrict movement?
Under what conditions are they too warm? Too cool? How do they
cut wind and precipitation? How well do they breathe? I don't
want pants soaked with sweat when stopping for a break in the snow -
otherwise I will chill too quickly. How does the Climawool material feel against my skin? Wool
can be itchy, but so far this material feels quite soft and nice. Ankle zips - can I take off the pants over boots/shoes/down
booties to help keep me dry and warm in camp (preventing unnecessary
exposure)? Zippered hand warmer pockets - will they interfere with a pack
belt? Durability - Crampons/snowshoes can lead to accidental damage.
I'm tough on pants - both with dirt and with my gear. Not that
I'd do that to the Guide Lite pants on purpose, but I'm klutzy enough that
it could easily happen during the test period. Ease of ownership - How well do these wash? Will I notice a diminished quality
in these pants the more often I wash them? Do they stink? Wool can smell when it gets wet...am I going
to stink up the car on the long drive home after getting soaked with wet
snow on an afternoon ski trip (I admit it - I fall down a lot)? --------------------------------------- The snow is starting to fall in the Sierra, and I am really excited for
the start of the ski and snowshoe season. I expect to put these
pants through a lot this winter and should be able to report thoroughly on
their performance, comfort, and durability. They have already
taken up a regular place in my wardrobe and I haven't even made it out to
the snow yet! Read more reviews of Ibex gear Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd Reviews > Clothing > Pants and Shorts > Ibex Guide Lite Pants > Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd > Initial Report | |||||||||||||||
