Ferrosi Pants

I bought these pants as my ONLY pair of pants for a 2 year bike packing expedition through Latin America and I could not be more impressed. I've put these through the ringer sitting in the saddle for hours day after day, dragging my bike through jungles in Colombia and over washed out roads in Baja, and hiking up 20k+ volcanos in Bolivia. They STILL LOOK GREAT and are the most comfortable pants I own. These things are worth twice the price.

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.