As a sizing reference: I'm 5'7", 155 lbs (yeah, I'm a little guy), medium build (BDU top medium/regular, BDU pant medium/short), waist 32", chest 43". Keep this in mind when you read my comments with respect to sizing, so you have an idea of how the garments featured below will fit on you. ALL garments in these pages are size Medium, unless stated otherwise.
TO VIEW FULL SIZE IMAGES: USERNAME and PASSWORD are both "mm"
| 6/3/08 - These are OTTE Gear's matching soft shell trouser to the Alpine Jacket featured above. Well, in a different colour, obviously. The OTTE Gear Alpine Trouser is a lightweight, breathable and weather resistant soft shell pant. It's also available in Black, Crye MultiCam and Foliage Green. Material - The OTTE Alpine Trouser is made of the same Tweave Durastretch fabric as the Jacket, but is unlined (no X-static lining material). In general, the legs require less insulation than the body under the same conditions since they don't generate as much heat or moisture and have less effect on your core temperature. Durastretch is a technical stretch woven with 91% nylon and 9% spandex for the shell/face material. It is a durable, abrasion resistant, water and wind resistant, low-bulk, breathable fabric with excellent stretch and recovery properties. The Multi-directional (4-way) permanent-stretch spandex has 100% memory for shape retention. It's the same fabric as that used on my Arc'teryx Bravo pants, with the addition of NanoSphere DWR coating (more on that below).
Here's a summary of the features on the Alpine Trouser soft shell, medium size shown:
Sizing, fit etc - Shown here is the Medium size,
which has a regular length inseam of 32". I normally wear medium-short,
with a 30" inseam, but I found that the Alpine Trousers weren't
too long for me. Normally, 32" inseam pants cuffs will touch
the ground nead my heels, but the Alpine Trouser cuff diameter is
narrow enough that it doesn't allow the cuff to fall below all the
way to the bottom of the heel. Works for me. If the cuff is tightened
around my boot, it eliminates the issue. The pant cut is very comfortable
and unrestricitve. The stretch nature of the Tweave plays its part
in adding to the range of motion as it stretches. |
OTTE Gear Alpine Trouser (MultiCam)
| 12/26/08 - This is another item that I've been waiting for: OTTE Gear's matching soft shell trousers to the Alpine Jacket featured above, in Crye MultiCam. The OTTE Gear Alpine Trouser is a lightweight, breathable and weather resistant soft shell pant. It's also available in Black, Lt Coyote (shown above), Sand and Foliage Green. The MultiCam Alpine trouser shares the same features as the Lt. Coyote one featured above, which are reiterated here, but with a couple of small differences (the Lt. Coyote one was an early production version): Material - The Alpine Trouser is made of the same Tweave Durastretch fabric as the Jacket, but is unlined (no X-static lining material). In general, the legs require less insulation than the body under the same conditions since they don't generate as much heat or moisture and have less effect on your core temperature. Durastretch is a technical stretch woven with 91% nylon and 9% spandex for the shell/face material. It is a durable, abrasion resistant, water and wind resistant, low-bulk, breathable fabric with excellent stretch and recovery properties. The Multi-directional (4-way) permanent-stretch spandex has 100% memory for shape retention. The MultiCam pattern printing on the Tweave is extremely nice, both in colour and quality.
Here's a summary of the features on the Alpine Trouser soft shell, medium size shown:
Sizing, fit etc - Shown here is the Medium size,
which has a regular length inseam of 32". I normally wear medium-short,
with a 30" inseam, but I found that the Alpine Trousers weren't
too long for me. Normally, 32" inseam pants cuffs will touch
the ground nead my heels, but the Alpine Trouser cuff diameter is
narrow enough that it doesn't allow the cuff to fall below all the
way to the bottom of the heel. Works for me. If the cuff is tightened
around my boot, it eliminates the issue. The pant cut is very comfortable
and unrestricitve. The stretch nature of the Tweave plays its part
in adding to the range of motion as it stretches. I did notice that
the MultiCam pant seems to have a slightly higher rise than the
Coyote pant, and fit a bit tighter at the waist. I couldn't see
any difference in the measurement, so it might have been stronger
elastic in the MultiCam pants that gave me that impression. At a recent range session, the weather varied from chilly to 'okay', with rain on and off. I wore the Alpine trousers and they kept me dry when it did rain, and were comfortable throughout the session. I did get mud on the knees when I went to the kneeling position, but when the mud dried, it flaked right off, leaving no trace.
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| 1/24/08 - For over a decade, Beyond Clothing (formerly separate sites - Beyond Fleece and Beyond Tactical) has been a supplier of high-end custom made cold-weather fleece and soft shells for the outdoor/mountaineering community. With the launch of their new website in May 2007 and a move from Oregon to Seattle, WA, Scott Jones and the Beyond crew now offer an entire line of custom cold weather clothing, from base layers to insulated and wet weather garments. They also integrated their Tactical line into the Beyond Clothing site. Mojave Shock Pant with Convertible Option - The Shock Pant is Beyond's main pant. They also make BDU pants. Like the Shock jacket, the Shock pant is available in different models depending on the material. The Cold Fusion is Winter Weight Schoeller WB-400 w 3X dry. The Cold Play is Spring/Fall Weight Schoeller Dry Skin Extreme w 3X dry. The Steel is lightweight Schoeller Dynamic. There is also a fourth fabric option; the Mojave, which uses an even lighter weight nylon with 3X Dry treatment meant for hot weather. Breathability and comfort in hot environments is the main feature of the fabric, with some water and wind resistance. The Mojave Shock Pant with Convertible Option is shown here.
The Mojave Shock pants are very lightweight and comfortable. I've had a mix of cold and warm weather here and wore them in both. Obviously, they're a bit lightweight for cold weather, but I found them comfortable in temps around 60° and up. You'd want thicker pants for temps below that. The ones I received were a bit snug around the hips. I wore them for a while to see if I really wanted to send them back to get altered, as I really like the pants and didn't want to be without them. I mentioned the snug fit to Scott and he explained that Beyond had designed the Mojave pant a bit snug overall as the wicking nature of the fabric allows for increased comfort. However, since the Mojave fabric doesn't stretch, I felt that a more relaxed fit would have been better. I initiated Beyond's Right Fit Guarrantee and sent them back. It only took a couple of weeks before I got them back (see below). As for specifiying fit, this would be chosen at Step 5 within the "Build" portion of the ordering process. Average, Snug, Loose for Layering, or Baggy are the choices. Beyond always needs skin measurements, so that they know how the person is built, prior to their choice of fit. New Pants Received - Turn-around was a quick two weeks and I got the altered pair (actually a brand new pair) of pants back with the requested change in fit. As you can see in the photos below, the fit is definitely more relaxed. I'd defintely recommend choosing the "Loose for layering" option. Beyond's philosophy with the Mojave fabric is not to have it too loose, since the 3XDry and the fabric itself can wick and cool the wearer, so you don't end up with a Mojave pant that's very loose. In their other products such as the Cold Fusion Shock Pant, Ultimate Cold Blooded pant, or Advantage BDU, the built for "layering" option would probably be even a bit looser as they are specifically for cold weather.
The new pants also had the larger stirrup loops as I requested. Also, from other user input, the side-entry pockets have also been deepened by 1". Both are good improvements on an already great pair of pants. The convertible option is great if you travel light, as you only need one garment that functions as both pants and shorts. I wouldn't mind having the option of a slot or patch pocket on the rear for a wallet. I have not provided a link to the Mojave Convertible Pants on the Beyond website because they have currently been removed from the website for winter. The beginning of winter is an incredibly busy time for Beyond, on both the tactical and consumer sides. Garments that are labor intensive, and are not a winter specific garment are at times taken off the site due to the customization complexity. Any customer already having decided on the product will still be able to order. After the new year, products will be changed back to active status. In summary, Beyond offers something
no one else currently does - custom fit and semi-custom
features on high performance and tactical wear with
prices on par with off-the-shelf garments (depending
on the number of additional options chosen above the
base garment) and a quick turn-around time from when
you order. Granted, you're limited to the options
that Beyond offers for each garment, so you still
may not get a completely custom garment with ALL the
features you want. A fully custom garment would be
prohibitively costly for most (any new or non-standard
feature has to be R&D'd first, which requires
time and effort). But, Beyond has considered their
menu of options carefully and based them on more than
a decade of experience, so the feature options they
offer are very practical and should cover the majority
of users' needs. They're also adding more options
as time goes on, and certain requests become more
popular. Another thing that I noted is the high quality
of construction. These garments do not look custom
(in other words, there are no wavy lines of stitching
like some custom, hand-made, or even factory garments)
- you can't tell until you put them on and feel the
fit. They've got this custom thing down to a science,
and it's pretty impressive.
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TAD Gear Force 10 Softshell Alpine Cargo Pant (2010)
| 3/5/10 - One of TAD Gear's latest releases is a softshell version of their popular Force 10 Cargo Utilities; the Force 10 Softshell Alpine Cargos. Following a similar format to their Force 10's, the Softshell offers the same utility in a more streamlined package; taking advantage of the stretch material properties, while offering near water-proof protection against the wet. I've been bugging Patrick at TAD for a few years to offer a softshell trouser to compliment their softshell jacket line, so I'm glad to see these finally come out. All I was asking for was a pair of Force 10s in softshell material, as I appreciate the utility of the Force 10 pocket layout for every day wear. I have other softshell pants, and for some reason, some are over simplified and lacking the storage that I'm used to in regular pants. One of the hold ups was finding a suitable material for the pants, as the heavier softshell material used for jackets proved to be too warm or stuffy for the legs. Material/Sizing - The F10 Softshell's are made from all-weather, 2-layer Sharkskin softshell material. Upon initial examination, I thought that it was the same 3-layer Sharkskin material as used on the SS v3.0 Stealth Hoodie/Jacket. It is very similar in hand/feel, and has a similar black inner lining fabric. The facing material is 100% poly jersey blend, instead of the didicated Coolmax layer in the 3-layer Sharkskin. Upon closer examination, the Softshell pant material almost imperceptibly thicker/beefier than the jacket Sharkskin fabric, which makes sense since it's a pant and will see more wear and tear. The 2-layer Softshell material was chosen for a couple of reasons. Since these were designed to be an active pant, breathability was a leading requirement. When trying out different fabrics, Patrick found that a 2-layer fabric was more suited to pant construction than the 3-layer, even though the 3-layer was plenty breathable for jacket construction. The 2-layer fabric has a higher moisture vapour transmission rate and is less likely to feel clammy or uncomfortable during strenuous activity. For a soft shell pant, it strikes a good balance between comfort and protection from the elements. The 2-layer Sharkskin fabric is a smooth-faced, relatively quiet, active-stretch outer shell with a smooth inner face. The M.E. Green is shown here. It has a Durable Water Repellant finish that shed water, and is thin enough to dry quickly. As I always do, I performed my rudimentary 'sink test', where I placed the pant leg in a dry sink, then proceeded to fill it up with as much water as possible without crossing a seam. I left it in the sink for about 6 hours, checking it periodically and making sure that I rubbed the submerged fabric to try to force some water into it. I was surprised to find that it performed like the 3-layer Sharkskin - it is essentially waterproof. The face fabric took on a little water, as expected, but the inside was completely dry. None made it through. Since the material is relatively thin, the water on the outside dried quickly. To date, this is the most water-resistant soft shell pant I've encountered.
The F10 SS is available in M.E. Green and U.E. Gray, in even waist sizes 28" through 42". The inseam is 37" and left unfinished. Take it to a tailor/dry cleaners to get them hemmed to the correct length. Shown above is the F10 Softshell with the M.E. Green Ranger Hoodie and F10 Ripstop pants for colour reference. It's a grey-green, almost identical to the the ripstop Force 10s.
Features - Here are the features of the Force 10 Softshell Utility Cargos. (32" waist shown, inseam shortened to 30" by tailor):
Construction and workmanship are excellent, with all points of stress bartacked.
Observations/Notes - The F10 SS pocket design is a departure from the F10's we're used to, with a more streamlined profile from the lack of flaps or bellows cargo pockets. With softshell pants, I usually have two main things I'm interested in: how water resistant they are, and are they stuffy. The first question was answered with my sink test where the F10 SS material proved itself to be practically water proof. This was later supported when we had a few weeks of very wet weather, with a lot of heavy rain. I wore the pants daily, and they kept me dry. The seams aren't sealed, so there's always the possibility of water making its way through the seams, but I didn't observe any rain getting through. I think that the side cargo pocket zipper could have benefited from an outer storm welt over it, as the zipper fabric can get wet, absorb water and transfer that to the contents inside (it'd be minimal, though). Or, use a water proof zipper as used on TAD's hard shells. I was very impressed with the lack of stuffiness when wearing these pants. I wore them in wet and dry weather, cold and warm. I wore them in temps in the high 70's and they didn't feel any different from non-soft shell pants of similar weight. I'd say that they feel lighter and cooler than a pair of jeans in warm weather, and no more stuffy - they seem to allow sweat to escape very well. The 2-layer Sharkskin fabric is lined with the poly face fabric, but I wouldn't consider it 'insulated' as it's relatively thin. It's there more as a comfort layer (wick away sweat so the inside of the pant doesn't feel clammy) than an insulative one. It's also very comfortable on the skin. If more warmth is needed, as thin base layer tight can be worn underneath the pants. The F10 SS pants have a straight cut leg, without any taper. I think that the unfinished hem necessitates this to some extent, so when I had mine shortened to fit me, the cuff is a bit wider (9.75") than the F10 ripstops (9") that I have. I'd prefer a narrower cuff personally, as far as looks go, but it's no big deal here, especially since it covers the shoes a bit more when it's raining. The F10 SoftShell pants are versatile enough that they don't have to be wet weather-only pants; I use them as regular pants even when it's dry.
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