[pct-l] Convertible hiking pants

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

I believe there is no such thing as decent convertible hiking pants  
for women. There is always something wrong with them. Too tight in  
the waist. Too tight in the legs. Too low-rise. Shallow, useless  
pockets that will guarantee you lose everything. Poor quality fabric  
that stains, pills and shreds as soon as you step over a tree. Legs 6  
inches too long or else all the others are capris. Or a combination  
of all these things.

What I do is check thrift stores first. I can alter pants that are  
too big. Give them a snug waist and have legs that can actually  
straddle a tree. Next up I go for shopping around. I usually have to  
settle for something with a flaw. I hiked in 2009 with a pair with  
terrible pockets but everything else was good. The one pocket with a  
zipper had the zipper lengthwise to ensure if you unzipped while  
walking everything would fall out. Only one pocket could hold  
anything securely and only if I did not lay down. Doesn't anybody  
believe women will actually HIKE in their clothing, not just carry  
their purses to the mall pretending to look like a hiker??? I think  
they were Columbia brand from Sports Authority of all places, not a  
chic brand but they did the job.

Good luck with your search.

On Feb 4, 2012, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Who can recommend a women?s, convertible hiking pants that aren?t  
> too tight in fit and are light weight?
>
> are we there yet