Mountain Hardwear Ridgetop Pant : Stretches and Travels in All Directions

Mountain Hardwear scored another winner in the technical sportswear department with its new, outdoor-inspired Ridgetop pant. The Ridgetop is an exceptional choice for adventure travel and alpine hiking, but I do just about anything in them.

I spent a week or so testing these pants in the Pacific Northwest in April, photographing the forests of Whidbey Island near Seattle. I spent a lot of time on my knees, crouching down trying to snap macro images of bugs and plants at ground level. I loved how free I was to move in these pants - no binding in the knees or butt. They just stayed put, as they should have.  

The Ridgetop pant is made of Mountain Hardwear's proprietary fabric, an elastane and nylon weave called Switchback Plus. It's durable, lightweight, and stretches in all four directions. Major bonus points for that. It even has a water repellant DWR coating, so the mist and light rain penetrating the forests just beaded up and ran off.

During my time in Seattle, Mother Nature threw just about everything at me - driving rain, freezing winds, and even a few hot days. It wasn't just the yucky wet days when the pants shined. They were nice in the sun - lightweight, cool, and breathable. Mountain Hardwear says that this pant is rated at about UPF 50, and I believe it. That means they block a huge portion of harmful ultraviolet radiation, so they'd make a great travel or desert pant. I wish I'd had these last month in Australia.

Last, I loved the chamois-lined waist on this pant. It's super soft, absorbent, and comfortable. It is probably one of the best material choices possible to use in an area that's bound to get compressed and sweaty. I was wearing a heavy camera butt bag filled with lenses, and my hips stayed chafe-free for days. (I haven't been so lucky with chafing problems wearing other pants.)

This Mountain Hardwear bottom is available in a variety of colors, both as a full pant and a ¾ pant. Available in Stone Green, Black, Khaki, and available in different lengths.

Bottom Line: Hiking- and climbing-inspired outdoor pant that works perfectly as an all-weather travel pant, too. --N.W. (May '10)

BUY ONLINE : $75 / long pants, $70 / ¾ pant. Click here for 3/4 pant at REI , click to shop at Altrec , click to shop at Moosejaw.

Manufacturer's Site:  www.mountainhardwear.com

Help us spread the word! Click on DIGG. Thanks.

Check out our online store for this and other items reviewed on FitnessTravelGear.

Sign up Now for Email Updates on Gear Sales