I picked up a pair of the ExOfficio Sandfly’s and BD Traverse on a labor day sale. Neither worked for me, but thought I’d add my impressions FWIW:
Sandfly – The fabric is pretty light and the mesh is very open. But as others have reported, the solid fabric isn’t particularly breathable. The OR Ferrosi pants fabric is much more breathable. The Sandfly fabric also has almost no stretch. So even though the pants were on the baggy side and have a crotch gusset, they still caught in the crotch with bigger steps (very similar to the RR Eco Mesh in that respect, though not as baggy). The mesh is nice – it runs from mid-thigh to around the knee. It’s pretty open and see-through, so that’s probably why they didn’t run it higher up the thigh, though the ventilation would have been nice. Overall the pants have a very linen-ish feel. I could see them being nice for the beach and hot casual wear, but for me the lack of stretch made them a no-go for hiking. I have long legs, so YMMV.
Traverse – I really liked these: good stretch, zippered pockets, lace clip for pseudo-gaiter, minimal but effective belt loop/hook. There is a two-way fly, which some may find handy, though I don’t think I’d get use out of it. The fabric seems like a nice balance of breathable and durable. They would be too warm for me in the summer, but I could see them being great for fall > spring. Unfortunately, they don’t come in a long and the inseam is too short for me. It feels like a 32, though the website seemed to say they should be longer. I usually wear a 34″ length and these were just barely hitting my ankles when standing – with any movement they exposed the ankles, and the lace clip wasn’t really usable. Too bad. Pricey, but if they fit and you find them on sale they could be a great option.
… So as the summer is coming to a close I didn’t find a better hot-weather option than the OR Ferrosi. Maybe next year if there’s nothing better I’ll look at putting some mesh in, or maybe the dyneema leg sleeves if I’m up for the level 5 eye-roll I’m going to get from my wife :)
