Backpacker Magazine – Fall Gear Guide 2009

Gear Review: Outdoor Research Equinox Convert Pants

These zip-off Outdoor Research pants are practical and stylish.

by: Testers Kelly Bastone, Liz Cornish, Shannon Davis, Jonathan Dorn, Ben Fullerton

Tags:
• Gear
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• Pants
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Convertible
Critics ding zip-offs for looking dorky; fans praise their practicality. This model (and the women's Solitaire Convert) impressed both camps. The fit is relaxed without being sloppy, with a gusseted crotch and enough stretch to allow high-stepping.

Two front slash pockets and two rear flap pockets lend a hint of style that emboldened testers to wear them in town. The long lower-leg zipper slides easily over big boots, and converting from shorts to pants is fumble-free thanks to color-coded zippers. The DWR-treated nylon fabric repelled light rain in the Olympics and dried fast after the showers passed. Hiking in desert Utah, where icy mornings gave way to hot afternoons, testers appreciated the quick swap from pants to shorts. $75; 12 oz.; men's 30-38 (reg and short), women's XS-XL; orgear.com

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