pants vs shorts vs convertibles

Brian- my legs rarely cool me down, even above treeline and even w/ rain. If push comes to shove, I'll break the Cap 4 bottoms out- but 95%+ they stay in the pack until I stop for the evening. Once I stop moving, bare legs do tend to cool me down.

I have a pair of the now discontinued Montbell Stretch windpants that I used to carry- nice stretchy material w/ zipped pockets and zipped ankles, really good DWR finish and they breathe well. However I found that I didn't wear them much on the trail and once at camp I would be better served by tights (Cap 4), so I made the switch. Weight is about identical (~ 6 oz) betwen the two.

Mike

Dean pretty well summed it up, so I'll just add my vote for pants-only. One pair of thin nylon pants for a trip, and a pair of long johns for insulation. But I'm a wimp who doesn't camp in the winter (I blame my cushy San Diego childhood). If I have to swim while backpacking, it is either in the pants or naked.

I hike super hot, so less is better. Im fine down to the 30s-40s in a windshirt and shorts as long as Im moving. 5" Patagonia Baggies for shorts, Montane Featherlite wind pants when it gets colder or Im dealing with snow or alot of bugs. This combo weighs similar to typical hiking pants.

I wear light weight NB running shorts with a loose liner. They are great for ease of movement, strechy and are cool, dry super fast. In the evening if need be I pull on a pair of my favorite light weight ArcTeryx Rampart pants over the running shorts no need for underwear.

I used to use convertables, but in searching for a new pair I discovered the shorts inseam on many convertables has gotten longer (street fashion?)and restricts my leg movement which is very annoying climbing over a log in the trail.

Those of you hiking in boxers may want to read this article:

http://www.sfgate.com/style/article/Ubatuba-boxer-shorts-a-fashion-breakthrough-3686913.php

:)

Shorts would be great, but it is way too buggy around here, so I always go with pants.
Convertibles — don't wear them anymore.
I like the bathing suit/jogger runner idea. Reminds me of college when you would run out of underwear.

Cool boxer link too — $14 and free shipping.

The old Jackalope and now Rock Craft Pants from Patagonia are pretty good for winter or abrasion.

@Lisa:

Interesting article. It's pretty ballsy to start a new business in this economy, they always seem to get the shaft.

I only wear the legs in the cool morning hours, but remove them for hiking. Once in a while, if it's extra chilly, I'll wear them in the evening. I'd use them more if they were faster to attach. The zippers on the legs aren't noticeable to me.

Day hike – shorts always unless I know there is allot of brush or other rough stuff.

Overnight. Always convertible. Sun and bug protection are very helpful as are extra warmth. And I like the option to convert to shorts. Don't notice the zippers at all. Don't want shorts with a built-in liner cause I like to wash my boxer briefs at the end of the day. Kinda tough if they are attached to your shorts.

I used to wear shorts. But I got tired of bug repellent & dust goo on my legs. So I switched to nylon trail pants. I have a pair of convertibles and I've never unzipped them – just not useful to me. So my favorite is a pair of Columbia trail pants. Most skeeters won't bite through them and they breathe enough to keep my legs reasonable. My legs stay cleaner which keeps my hammock cleaner.

Mr Jones by David Byrne/ Talking Heads

Mr Jones
Put a wiggle in your stride
Loosen up
I believe he'll be alright
Changing clothes
Now he's got ventilated slacks….. etc

Yes, I love my Rail Riders cuz they're ventilated!

…

If you want a convertible pant the REI Sahara ones are still the best. That whole leg zips off from the side and vertically.

I've never gotten used to pants, of any type, as they impede my leg movement when I ascend. I thought RailRiders, with their gusseted knees, would help but they didn't.

Now, I always hike in compression shorts when I can or long lycras otherwise. If it's cool I have warmer stretch lycras I can wear by themselves or over the lycras.

> If you want a convertible pant the REI Sahara ones are still the best. That whole leg zips off from the side and vertically.

Not a fan. In the wind, they flap and billow like crazy. I absolutely hated them for that reason. Some heavier fabric, or a trimmer fit could improve them in this regard, but heavier fabric doesn't make sense, as then they'd be warmer, and a trimmer fit isn't exactly as marketable.

Shorts in the winter, pants in the summer for my local hikes.
Shorts so I don't worry much about getting my legs wet in the rain (it's california, not really that cold), and pants+gaiters for walking around oak woodlands in the summer. All of the stickers and seeds when walking through grass will flood your shoes and force you to stop constantly.

^ you can wear gaiters w/ shorts too :)

That's very true Mike, however stuff can still get uncomfortably wedged between the top of the gaiters and your legs and work it's way down, especially the little slender, poky grass seeds that are everywhere around here. It's like a torrential downpour of stuff falling on your legs and shoes in the grasslands around here. Gaiters with shorts are a lot better than nothing though. Also, there are plenty of poky plants and thistles which make shorts very uncomfortable. And even wading through dense grass for long enough can rub your legs raw. I suppose if you walked through nasty stuff in shorts for long enough, the skin on your legs could toughen up.
When I go hunting with my dad, he usually wears high top boots as a solution. I wear vivobarefoot aquas with those tan REI gaiters.

I agree with Brett. I've used regular REI convertible pants for many years, but the need to take off my shoes or get the inside of my pants muddy resulted in converting them only one time for a creek crossing. It was a ridiculous waste of time for something like that. I might as well remove my pants entirely. The new convertible style looks much more practical.

Everyone’s body behaves different.
I’ve used zip-offs for several years.
A big chunk of my heat comes out through my ankles (skinny ankles do that). Heat stroke is minimized; sweat is tendered when the ankles are exposed (including no socks on the ankles). But when mosquitoes are swarming (like Wind Rivers WY earlier this month), the bottoms get zipped back on. But I feel a little heat relief when I unzip the knees partially.

I’ve never had zipper problems (knock on wood). And as other posters noted, zip-offs are dual use, thus one less thing to pack.

-Barry

Shorts for years – til I realized I may need pants for x-country.

I found a very stretchy pair of pants that will roll up, creating a big cuff right above the knee. Thus I can turn them into long shorts when it's very hot.

– Elizabeth

i bought some north face pants a couple months ago. they have some heel wear. would rei take these back if i wanted to get convertibles?

They'll take anything back.

Never convertibles.
in summer usually shorts however in buggy areas I use the Montane Terra because I can roll them up if I want to but usually just unzip the sides and the mesh under them keeps the bugs at bay.
Not that unusual for me to have both shorts and long pants…
(not one on top of the other)
Franco