I want Thorofare ZIP OFF Pants

[Sanad Toukhly]

Ok, so I've been trying to find a pair of UL Zip Off pants and I simply cannot find a pair that is under 10 oz. So, here's an idea for the BPL staff: How about making a zip off version of the Thorofare pants to add to the Thorofare line of clothing? There's gotta be a few members out there who are also interested in a zip off version. I hope you will take it into consideration. Zip off pants are just so much more versatile IMO.

[Chris Morgan]

I think both Exofficio and Cloudveil have 10 oz models. My guess is that the zip off legs are no more than 4-5 oz of the 10 oz.

CM

[Rick Cheehy]

Roll 'em up.

[Rick Cheehy]

Lightweight Zip offs, btw, is a great name for a ska band.

[Lynn Tramper]

Roll em up second vote. There's nothing I would run faster from than having a zipper running around my leg.

[jim jessop]

Not over-keen on zip offs, though they have their place, but at least might compensate for the extremely poor breathability/sweat-box nature of the Thorofares.

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi,

I have a nice selection of light weight #3 coil YKK 2-way Separating Zippers and when I first got mine I thought about adding side zips to the shirt and inseam zips to the pants.

I was going to use a 14.5" zip on the shirt sides and a 26.5" zip on the inseam of the pant legs. The 4 zippers would add about 1 ounce (+/-) to the total weight of the shirt and pants. Adding the venting is the only way I would ever wear them again.

I was thinking of giving them to someone I don't like.

I put my Thorofare shirt and pants with my collection of Edsel items. If you are to young to know what the Edsel was Google it.

[Rick Cheehy]

I loved my thorofare's in the winter, I haven't worn them in the heat. That bad huh?

[Nick Gatel]

>> I loved my thorofare's in the winter, I haven't worn them in the heat. That bad huh?

IMO, worse.

Go for the Rail Riders Eco Mesh or Mountain Hardwear Canyon pants. Those are the ones I like.

If there is no brush to contend with, I just wear nylon running shorts in the heat. But I have dark skin and don't have to worry about sunburn.

[Sanad Toukhly]

I think I might give the Rail Riders Eco-Mesh pants a try. While I'm on the subject, does anyone recommend the Rail Riders Regulator Wind Shirt? I like the idea of being able to close and open the side vents, makes this shirt suitable for a wide range of temperatures.

[Nick Gatel]

Sid,

I don't have the Regulator, but own several other RR products. It is made from the same material as their other shirts, so it is not going to work as a windshirt. Zipping the side vents might be of some value. But for me, if I need to zip the sides, then I am wearing a BPL Merino Hoody not a RR shirt. A wind shirt needs to be a separate item, IMO.

Another great product RR sells is the Eco Speed T. I wear this a lot. I really hot weather with little water availability, I wear an Adventure shirt to reduce evaporation from my torso. If there is plenty of water, I wear the Eco Speed T. I am not concerned with UPF protection because I have a dark complexion.

With the Eco Mesh pants, I rarely zip up the sides, unless I am in heavy brush. The mesh panels get caught on branches and such. Good think is the mesh does not rip, but it will snag.

Another shirt by RR I like is the Madison River. Similar construction as the Adventure shirt, but it has a collar and several pockets. It also has a zipper pocket behind the left front pocket. Good shirt for long day hikes when I may not carry much of a pack.

[jim jessop]

I've also gone with Railriders shirt and pants for warm weather trekking and am delighted with them.

[Rick Cheehy]

MHW canyon pants are my old g's. In the heat I wear nylon shorts nowadays. I got a canyon shirt that i wore last summer, I was gonna replace it with my Thorofare shirt this summer, but I guess not.

[Nick Gatel]

Rick,

I can deal with the BPL pants, although the light color are see through when they get wet.

The shirt, I cannot handle at all. It works okay in cooler weather, but the BPL Merino Hoody puts it too shame. I really don't like to bad mouth the Throughfare clothing, since it is sold by BPL, but have found them lacking in most areas. On the other hand, the BPL Merino Hoody is my favorite piece of clothing… but I don't use it if the temps are going to be above 80F.

[Kathleen B]

I agree with Lynn about zippers around the leg. No thanks! I just started wearing my brown thorofare pants (I picked up on the warnings about the lighter color being see-through) now that the weather is warming up. I really like them. Of course, this being the PNW, we haven't really hit hot weather yet, so I may not like them when it gets warmer. They're great for deflecting drizzle without the need for rainpants.

I absolutely love my thorofare shirt. But I wear it as a windshirt over a merino base layer. As a base layer it gets too sticky wet. It's the first thing I put on when I set up camp, and it lasts quite a while before I need to add a warmer layer. It also works well when the approach to a summit is getting windy/chilly or if the weather is getting moist.

So by branching away from the original purpose of these 2, I have found they are quite nice.

[Rick Cheehy]

Nick, thanks I read many of your posts, actually, so thanks for all the trail wisdom. I wear the pants for camp/sleeping pants. I got the hoody too and man I love that thing. I'm a furnace though, so too hot for me in the summer. I'm Southern East coast, GSMNP, SNP, etc.

[Lynn Tramper]

The pants are great windpants, and dry very fast, but not really hot weather pants. Better to just wear shorts in hot weather, and throw the thoroughfare over the top if it cools down. Or just get RRs…but for the weight I like the BPL pants as all around proetection from wind, drizzle, insects and sun, just not for hot weather.

[Sanad Toukhly]

Nick,
I wanted to ask you something regarding the RR Madison River Shirt. Does it have a back mesh vent like the Adventure Top? If it doesn't, that would be a real shame because that would've made it the ideal shirt I'm looking for.

[Nick Gatel]

Sid,

Yes it does. Plus it has loops to hold rolled up sleeves in place. Overall a really nice shirt.

I also have a favorite Ex Officio shirt similar to the Madison River Shirt. Not sure of the name. It is built very similar to the Madison River Shirt, except the side mesh panels are not as long and there is a piece of fabric covering the panels, but open along the sides. This shirt is lighter than the Madison River. It is 80% nylon and 20% polyester. The material feels like silk and kind of hangs like silk. It is very well made. I don't remember what I paid for it, but I think it was maybe close to $100. I hike in it an can wear it to expensive restaraunts; it looks that nice. I really am a shirt junkie :)

[Sanad Toukhly]

Wow, the ex officio shirts look really nice. They have ones that are 20% poly 80% nylon and ones that are 50% poly and 50% nylon. Not sure which would be better. I'm assuming the 50% poly shirts will have higher breathability but will sacrifice a little bit of durability.

Nick,
do you recommend the Ex Officio shirts over the Rail Rider shirts? Also do you recommend the Ex Officio Air Strip pants over the Rail Riders Eco-mesh pants? One of the pants has the vents on the outside of the legs while the other has the vents on the inside. I can't decide which would be better.

[Nick Gatel]

>> Wow, the ex officio shirts look really nice. They have ones that are 20% poly 80% nylon and ones that are 50% poly and 50% nylon. Not sure which would be better. I'm assuming the 50% poly shirts will have higher breathability but will sacrifice a little bit of durability

I have both. I like the 20/80 because of the fit and feel. I haven't paid attention to which is cooler. I can also wear them to business meetings if the dress is busines casual. Multi-purpose!!

>> do you recommend the Ex Officio shirts over the Rail Rider shirts?

That is a difficult question.

If it is hot, and lots of water is available, then I wear a Rail Riders Eco Speed T shirt. Loose knit with side panels. But it is rare for me to get a sun burn. I also have many polyester T shirts made by REI, Nike, Adidas, Columbia, and Patagonia Capilene 1. I use them all, but like the Rail Riders best. I have pretty much thrown away all my old cotton T's and wear these for every day wear also.

If it is hot, over 80F and into the 100s and not a lot of water available, I wear a RR Adventure shirt to help reduce evaporation. I keep the sleeves rolled down, even in the heat. I also wear a bandana, ocassionaly soaking it in a little water. I don't need any pockets, except the little pocket for my digital camera. So it is the lightest of my long sleeve shirts.

If temps are going to be below 80F I wear a BPL Merino Hoody.

On day hikes I wear one of several shirts, but all similar construction: Rail Riders, Ex Officio, Columbia Titanium, and REI. Overall, I think Ex Officio has the best quality, but they are all pretty much interchangeable pieces of my wardrobe. I just take the one that is at the top of the stack of shirts in my clothes closet. However if they don't match my pants, and my wife catches me before I get out the door, she will make me wear a color-coordinated shirt. But the brand really doesn't matter that much. I don't take any of them on backpacking trips any more. If I needed to backpack in a long sleeve shirt with pockets, I would probably take the Rail Rider Madison River, with the Ex Officio as a close 2nd. The extra mesh in the side would be the deciding factor. By the way the Madison River is treated for bugs, but bugs don't bother me, I think it is against the law to have mosquitos in southern California.

We are really splitting hairs on most of these shirts. Most breath fairly well, and to me it is more of a question of function. I don't need pockets, and I don't need buttons down the front. For others, those items are important.

But the one shirt I will not wear if it gets over 80F is the Thorofare. It is a sweatbox.

[Sanad Toukhly]

Well what about the Exofficio Air Strip pants vs the RR Eco-mesh pants? The main difference is that the Air Strip pants have the mesh panels on the inside of the legs while the Eco-mesh pants have the mesh panels on the outside of the legs. I'm not sure which would provide better venting. I want to say that mesh panels on the inside of the pants would provide better ventilation just because it would vent the crotch area really well, which is the hottest region down there. What do you think, Nick?

[Nick Gatel]

Sid,

I have several pairs of Ex Officio pants and all are quality garments. But I have no experience with the Air Strips with mesh panels on the inseams. In theory they sound good. I would have to look at them. I would guess that the RR have more mesh in square inches of area. Obviously one would be more likely to catch brush on the outside mesh of the RRs. The Eco Mesh pants do a good job of ventilation.

If I needed to purchase another pair of ventilated pants, I would buy another pair of RRs, because I am happy with them.

Another important factor in hot weather hiking is underwear (which I normally don't wear). But if it is really hot, I wear a pair of Ex Officio Boxer briefs to eliminate chaffing. They are a nylon/spandex blend and do an excellent job of wicking away that unwanted moisture.

[Gary Boyd]

"Lightweight Zip offs, btw, is a great name for a ska band."

Roll 'em up? How bout Pick'emupPick'emupupupeh

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