Niche-ish Climbing Clothes designed/available in the US?
January 29, 2015 5:12 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for a pair of climbing pants with specific requirements available in the US. More details to follow.
I've been climbing for a year and am now looking for my first pair of climbing pants. I've been wearing sweatpants/yoga pants/capris but am tired of my legs getting scratched/torn up on the approach or on the rock. I've looked at all the normal sites (REI, BackCountry, CampSaver, Campmor), but the styles available here are just not speaking to me. I've found lots of them like this gramiccipair or this pair from Mountain Hardware to be basically looser cut khakis with a bit of stretch. Which I am sure are serviceable but I want something a little bit more fun. Plus, they all seem to lack the adjustable ankle hem that I've admired in the designs I have liked. It seems really useful to help deal with the heat and to let me see my footwork. I've really liked designs from European companies like the Nihil minimum pants or Monkee's Ubwuzu, or even Moon's Andromeda Pant for something more sanely colored. Black Diamond's Credo is a good midpoint, but it's pretty hard to find on US sites. I'd like to be able to find a pair of climbing pants that I like that ship from the US (I know I can order from European sites but the shipping is crazy and that's BEFORE I have to have the items reshipped to my home in South Korea.) Is there some stone left unturned? Some online site where I can find a wider range of brands than I've found at the other sites I've mentioned? Or some brand available in the US that I've not considered?
TL;DR: I'm looking for a loose fit pair of climbing pants with a gusseted crotch and ankle ties that ships from the US. Where should I be looking?
I've been climbing for a year and am now looking for my first pair of climbing pants. I've been wearing sweatpants/yoga pants/capris but am tired of my legs getting scratched/torn up on the approach or on the rock. I've looked at all the normal sites (REI, BackCountry, CampSaver, Campmor), but the styles available here are just not speaking to me. I've found lots of them like this gramiccipair or this pair from Mountain Hardware to be basically looser cut khakis with a bit of stretch. Which I am sure are serviceable but I want something a little bit more fun. Plus, they all seem to lack the adjustable ankle hem that I've admired in the designs I have liked. It seems really useful to help deal with the heat and to let me see my footwork. I've really liked designs from European companies like the Nihil minimum pants or Monkee's Ubwuzu, or even Moon's Andromeda Pant for something more sanely colored. Black Diamond's Credo is a good midpoint, but it's pretty hard to find on US sites. I'd like to be able to find a pair of climbing pants that I like that ship from the US (I know I can order from European sites but the shipping is crazy and that's BEFORE I have to have the items reshipped to my home in South Korea.) Is there some stone left unturned? Some online site where I can find a wider range of brands than I've found at the other sites I've mentioned? Or some brand available in the US that I've not considered?
TL;DR: I'm looking for a loose fit pair of climbing pants with a gusseted crotch and ankle ties that ships from the US. Where should I be looking?
Barchan is right about Patagonia quality. Arc teryx is also reliably worth their prices. An American company you might want to look at is Prana.
posted by Dashy at 6:14 AM on January 30, 2015
posted by Dashy at 6:14 AM on January 30, 2015
Best answer: Prana's current climbing pants don't meet any of your requirements. Honestly, I think loose fitting + ankle ties is going to be a hard combo to find. Lots of skinny climbing pants out there these days. A quick stroll through the women's climbing pants at Moosejaw reveals very few that meet either of those criteria.
Rock/Creek has a couple that might be ok?
posted by that's candlepin at 8:38 AM on January 30, 2015
Rock/Creek has a couple that might be ok?
posted by that's candlepin at 8:38 AM on January 30, 2015
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I stayed away from them for the longest time because of their prices, but after I bought one piece of outdoor clothing there and it took everything I threw at it and then some - and I'm hard on outdoor clothing - I became a big fan. (Especially when I realize I would spend twice or triple that on multiple sets of clothes.) I don't have a single item of clothing from them that I've had to throw away or put in a "use while painting" pile, which I can't say about any other brand.
Plus, their new women's clothing designer is on a mission to get women to stop climbing in yoga pants.
posted by barchan at 8:39 PM on January 29, 2015