Awful Durability

I own a lot of OR gear that I love – two jackets, bucket hat, gloves, gaiters, etc., and I had been looking for a pair of nice looking hiking pants that I could wear to the office or business meeting or brewery and also hike in. For 10 years a pair of Kuhl pants served that purpose but unfortunately the (excessive) stitching began to unravel and they no longer looked professional. As I always do, I researched a lot of different pants and decided to go with the Ferrosi pants. I have always been impressed with OR plus Outdoor Gearlab, which I usually trust, rated them very highly. Living in Texas, I did not get to try them out for a while because it was too hot for pants. I wore them inside and appreciated the fit, stretchability and features. So I was very excited to finally get to hike in them during a recent trip to Santa Fe. As expected, the pants performed well during my first hike. However, taking a break half way through the hike I noticed two scrapes/runs in the material near my left pocket (see photo). I could not believe it. I had been hiking on well established trails, not bushwhacking and couldn’t even remember running across any brush that would have caused such damage. Needless to say I am extremely disappointed with the durability of these pants. The aforementioned Kuhls I had owned for 10 years, and backpacked, played disc golf (in Texas (meaning cactus, mesquite and other thorny things), hiked, bushwhacked and not once did they show a visible scrape, scratch or tear. And all the while maintained a professional look But the first time I wore the Ferrosis, they became damaged on a well-manicured trail, apparently with minimal contact. Are they ruined? No. Of course I can still hike in them. And I debated what rating to give the pants and decided that based on my purpose for buying them (hybrid office and hiking use) and the fact that they now look ragged (after one use!) it was only fair to rate them lowly because of their horrendous durability and easy tearability. So now I find myself again in the market for a pair of pants that I can hike and then go to a meeting in – I guess I’ll buy a new pair of Kuhls.

No Gusset, Not A Serious Hiking Pant

Title says it all. Modern hiking pants need, minimally, a zippered thigh pocket, outdoor performance fabric, articulated knees and a gusseted crotch. My old Ferrosi pants had the gusset -- disappointed to find the new ones do not. Love the Ferrosi fabric. It is by far the best for working in hot, humid weather, but that cross-seam riding up into my crotch means I'll be looking elsewhere for my next pair of summer pants.

Lightweight and holdup well. Wore them on a few 3 day trips and they are very comfortable. Something about them I also noticed when I travel for work I am a minimalist and only take a carry-on backpack. Take these out of the bag all wrinkled up in a ball and hang them up for a while and the wrinkles go away on there own. These look good for enough for business casual and nights out and that feature keeps me from looking like a soup sandwich.

Great Travel Pant

I had reservations based on some reviews, but am very pleased with the Ferrosi pants. So much so that I went on to purchase two pairs of the "Ferrosi Transit" pants. They are comfortable in hot weather, breathe well, and so far have held up well. Workmanship on the pants that I've received is good. The in-between sizes (35 waist in my case) combined with stretchy material make it easy to get a good fit. For travel they dry out faster than my other gear.

Favorite Warm Weather Hiking Pants

Awesome pant for warm weather adventures. I use these primarily for backpacking in July/Aug and for early season hunts in Sept. They are soft, quite and breathable. Excellent all around lightweight pant. Due to their lightweight they are not going to be as durable as a heavier pant but that is a trade off for warm weather performance. Highly recommend! Sizing is pretty good I usually wear a 32 to 34 and went with a 33 waist in these for a perfect fit.