Backpacker Magazine – Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2012

Gear Review: Columbia Triple Trail II Pants

These bullet-proof pants are unbreakable.

by: Dennis Lewon

Tags:
• Gear
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• Pants
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[hard-duty shell]

“They can handle abrasion from knee-drop tele turns in hard snow and speeding impudently through witch-claw spruce,” says our tester of these weatherproof pants. Credit the heavy-duty (and yes, heavy) fabric made with 89 percent nylon. The full side zips (three-quarters on the women’s model) have an inner draft flap that repels snowmelt while keeping a clean exterior. And the internal gaiters totally sealed the tops of our tester’s AT boots. “They diminished chimney venting a bit and it took a bit of wrestling to get the gaiters on, but the elastic kept them securely in place,” he says. Bonus: You also get removable suspenders and Columbia’s Omni-Heat reflective, body-heat-trapping liner. Warning: They’re a bit hot for spring conditions. $250; 1 lb. 13 oz. (with suspenders); men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL; columbia.com

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