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REI Sahara Convertible Pants - Women's
Owner Review October 19, 2005
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Front
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Side
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Back
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Shorts
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Reviewer's Information
Name: Liz Neely
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight: 145 lb (65.8 kg)
Email address: liz at armory dot com
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Reviewer's Background:
I've been day hiking for many years, and started
backpacking in 2005. My hiking and backpacking has been primarily in
the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in forested areas of partial
to full shade, on well
marked trails, with occasional stream crossings. I've been on four
weekend
backpacking trips, all in state and national parks in the San Francisco
Bay area.
I've learned a lot about backpacking from reading books and from the
internet message board, forums.backpacker.com. My pack weight has been
in the 30 to 35 lb (13.6 to 15.9 kg) range, and I expect it to stay in
that range.
Product Information:
Manufacturer: REI
Year of Manufacture: 2005
URL: http://www.rei.com
Fabric: Nylon
Listed Weight: not listed
Measured Weight: 13 oz (369 g)
Listed Inseam (size 10): 30.5 in (77.5 cm)
Measured Inseam (size 8): 30 in (76 cm)
Listed Shorts Inseam (size 10): 7 in (18 cm)
Measured Shorts Inseam (size 8): 7 in (18 cm)
Available Colors: Carbon, Gravel
Care: Machine wash in cold water; tumble dry on low
MSRP: $55 US
Product Description:
The REI Sahara Convertible Pants are lightweight, fast drying pants
with zip-off legs so they can easily be converted from full-length
pants to shorts. The waist has elastic in the back and on the sides, a
snap and zipper closure in the front, and a belt all the way around.
The legs have adjustable hook and loop fasteners at
the bottom, with zippers up the sides from the bottom of the pant legs
almost to the knee, so the lower part of the pant legs can be
opened up wide. This allows me to remove the legs without taking off my
hiking boots, when I want to convert the pants into shorts.
The fabric is rated at UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor ) 50+ for
protection from the sun.
The pants have nine pockets:
- Right and left back pockets with hook and loop fasteners.
- Right and left front pockets with no closures.
- A hidden pocket inside the right front pocket, with a zipper
closure.
- Two pockets on each side, on top of one another, below the front
pocket,
with hook and loop fasteners.
Field Information:
Day hiking: I have worn
these pants on at least ten day hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area, in
temperatures ranging from 60 F (16 C) to 80 F (27 C). I zipped off
the legs, turning the pants into shorts, on about half of these hikes.
This was very quick and easy to do, since I was able to do
this without removing my hiking boots. I found that even on the hikes
where I did not turn the pants into shorts (generally because I needed
leg protection from poison oak), my legs did not get overheated or damp
from sweat.
Backpacking: I have worn these
pants on four backpacking trips for a total of nine days, in the San
Francisco Bay Area, in temperatures between 55 and 80 F (13 and 27 C)
in
the daytime, and 45 to 55 F (7 to 13 C) at night. My legs were
never too cold or too hot in the daytime, however, at night in camp, I
needed to add an extra layer either under or over these pants.
Fortunately, due to the pants being loose fitting, it was easy to add a
layer underneath. And, due to being a non-bulky fabric, it was also
easy to add a layer over these pants.
Comments:
Comfort: These pants are
extremely comfortable both as pants and as
shorts. The fit is loose so they are easy to move in, even scrambling
up rocks or ducking under low hanging branches of trees. The fabric is
soft, so it does not irritate my skin. They do not get damp with sweat,
even when hiking in them all day. And the zippers around the legs do
not scratch my skin, which is something I had been concerned about when
I bought them. They are also very lightweight, so I don't feel weighed
down by them like I sometimes do when wearing jeans.
Convenience: I find it very
convenient that I don't have to decide first
thing in the morning whether I want to spend the day in long pants or
shorts. When I wear these pants, I retain both options all day. Opening
the pockets with hook and loop fasteners can be inconvenient because
the hook and loop fasteners are so strong it often takes two hands to
get the pockets open.
Durability: I have sat on
rocks, dirt, sand, splintered benches, and
other unfriendly surfaces with these pants, and they still show no
signs of wear or snags anywhere. When I bought them, I was concerned
about snagging or puncturing them since the fabric feels so thin, but
I've found it to be extremely durable, despite its appearance.
Value: When I bought these, I
thought it seemed like a lot of money to
spend on a pair of pants that I expected to destroy within a year or
less, due to the rugged treatment my pants get while hiking and
backpacking. However, after owning them for 6 months and seeing no
signs of wear at all, I think they are an excellent value, and I expect
they will last several years at least.
Sun Protection: These pants are
made of nylon rated at UPF 50+; this means that 1/50th or less of
the sun's UV radiation can pass through the fabric. While I have never
gotten a sunburn while wearing these pants, I can't comment on how
effective the sun protection from the fabric is, because I haven't
gotten a sunburn while wearing the shorts either, with my lower legs
fully exposed.
Foot Protection: One of the
advertised features of these pants is that the hook and loop adjustable
cuff tabs at
the bottom of the pant legs keep grit and creepy-crawlies out of my
boots. I did
not find this to be the case because when I fastened them tightly
around my
boots, with my boots
inside my pant legs, as soon as I started walking, the backs of my
boots
came out of the pant legs. When I fastened them with my boots outside
the
pant legs, stuff still got into my boots. This feature might be
more effective if I had boots that went higher up my ankles.
Top Three Likes and Dislikes:
Three things I like about the REI Sahara Convertible Pants:
- The legs can be removed as I warm up, converting them into
shorts,
and I can do this without removing my hiking boots.
- They have many pockets so I have plenty of places to stash items
I want easy access to.
- They do not absorb moisture, so even when my other clothing has
been damp from sweat, these pants have remained dry.
Three things I don’t like about the REI Sahara Convertible Pants:
- When I want to zip the legs back on, converting the shorts back
into long
pants, I always have trouble figuring out which leg zips onto the right
side and which zips onto the left side.
- I can't wash them in the washing machine with other clothing
because the hook and loop fasteners are very strong and snag my other
clothing.
- The mid-thigh pockets have such strong hook and loop fasteners
that it requires
both hands for me to open them.
Read more reviews of REI gear
Read more gear reviews by Liz Neely
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