AirMesh thermal bottoms prototype initial review. Amazing.

I bought one of the half zips to play around with. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the preliminary insight! I own the AirMesh Hoody and love it.

How is the fit on the AirMesh Pant? Is it loose or trim fitting? And do the cuffs taper or is it straight leg?

I own the competing Arc’teryx Proton Pant, which uses the Teijin Octaloft 98gsm insulation, compared to the Teijin Octaloft 94gsm used on my AirMesh Hoody, which I assume would be the same for the AirMesh Pant but please confirm. The Proton Pant also comes with an integrated 5o denier wind shell fabric called Fortius Air 50, which seems to be about 20 CFM.

I made a video showing how they fit:

https://youtu.be/auPO7QHdUpU?t=1318

Can you comment if they fit the same?

Thanks!

No experience with the Arc’teryx Proton Pants, especially not at $200. lol

Do they have the Octa fabric inside out in their pants? Looks like they have it fuzzy side out with smooth side on the skin. It’s a good combo for some uses and not a good combo for other uses. Having the ability to flip Airmesh is pretty sweet and carries noticeable performance changes.

My pair of AirMesh pants can be worn both ways inside or right side out.

My pants are tapered leg, and would be more difficult to build with straight legs.

For anyone a little confused by my mildly cryptic post about AirMesh pants, should read the whole thread I posted on Teijen Octa AirMesh fabric field testing. That should answer some question about where my AirMesh pants came from.

I’m trying to goad Mountain Hardwear into releasing such a product. I’m even doing the prototyping and market research for them. :)

Thanks for the additional info YoPrawn.

Regarding the Proton Pant, to be fair, it does come with a durable 50 denier and air permeable ~20CFM integrated wind shell designed and articulated specifically to mate with the Teijin Octa Loft 98gsm insulation liner.

I think a similar setup to the Proton Pant available today would be the Patagonia Terrabone Joggers ($99) for a wind shell pant layered over the Patagonia Capilene Air Bottoms ($139) as a similar air permeable insulating layer as the AirMesh, which would bring the total to $238 which is well over the retail price of the integrated Proton Pant, but with of course more versatility.

If Mountain Hardwear is considering releasing an AirMesh pant, I think including a separately sold but matching wind shell pant specifically designed to optionally layer over the AirMesh pant (maybe with some lightweight attachment buttons or zippers; or not) but still work excellent as a standalone, would be the best way to differentiate themselves from both the integrated Arc’teryx Proton Pant and the not specifically designed to layer on each other Patagonia Terrebone Joggers + Patagonia Capilene Air Bottoms. Maybe they can call this the AirWind Pant.

This will not only differentiate from Patagonia and Arc’teryx, but if Mountain Hardwear is able to offer at a lower price point, I think they may have a good selling layering system that can work great as separate standalones in their portfolio.

What do you think about this idea?

Alternatively, if Mountain Hardwear would like the AirMesh Pant to be versatile enough to layer if required under their existing pants, the minimum it would need to layer under is the Mountain Hardwear Trail Sender Pant.

Does the prototype you have fit under those pants?

Or is there a more suitable wind shell pant from Mountain Hardwear, that would be better to layer over the AirMesh pant, when required, that would offer a better solution than Arc’teryx’s integrated solution and Patagonia’s layering solution?

Hope this helps you and Mountain Hardwear in the prototyping market research!

Cheers!

I guess I should just be explicitly clear. I do NOT work for or with Mountain Hardwear. I would probably be talking with a lawyer right now if I did work for them and went about telling the world their secrets. That’s why I poked fun at them not being able to sue me over NDA. lol

What I have done is take the raw material from XXL AirMesh hoodies that were on sale for cheap last year. This allowed me to buy Teijen Octa AirMesh fabric for like $25 a yard, which isn’t too bad compared to other high-end fabrics that are hard to source.

I then cut off the arms and sew them into pants using more material from the shirt body.

I’m doing the prototyping and marketing research for MH, effectively. There seems to be a good bit of interest in AirMesh bottoms online.

I figure if I can make a solid set of bottoms and get people stoked on it, MH will have no option but to make their own version of AM bottom thermals.

The closest thing I can find in a product to my AirMesh pants, are the Thermal Weight Patagonia bottoms. But the AirMesh dries faster, breathes better, and weighs less.

The AirMesh bottoms also work with any sort of pants or shorts. I wear mine under my regular pants and they work great.

Thanks for explicitly clearing that up LOL!

I was thinking you were part of a customer focus test group, providing prototyping and marketing feedback either directly to Mountain Hardwear or a 3rd party consulting group they dealt with. In either case, you would most likely be signing an NDA.

Well thanks for taking the MYOG initiative with your custom Teijin Octa Pant :-)

As for something comparatively close, since there is no pant that I know based on Polartec Alpha Direct 60 or 90, and the Proton Pant has an integrated shell so it’s also not directly comparable, I would still say the Patagonia Capilene Air is the closest vs the Patagonia Capilene Thermal Weight, since the AirMesh and Capilene Air are both “airy” with higher CFM than Polartec Power Grid, and similarly warm, and would both snag easily on branches.

Senchi used to make Alpha Direct pants.

Timmermade AD pants

FarPointe alpha pants.  I have a pair.