Backpacker Magazine – February 2006

Clothing Review: Westcomb Syncro Pants

Proven extra-tough after 30 straight days of hiking

by: The Backpacker Editors

During 4 days in Idaho's Hells Canyon in everything from an all-day snowstorm to 60°F sunshine, Northwest editor Michael Lanza stayed completely comfortable in these highly breathable, weather-resistant pants. Another tester wore them for 30 straight days of hiking, scrambling, and bushwhacking, and says, "The Schoeller Dynamic fabric dried in 15 minutes after a full-dunk river crossing, and even after a month in the field, water still beads right off." Credit the fabric's NanoSphere treatment, which has proven to be the most water- and dirt-repellent finish we've seen on a soft shell--it took nasty peanut-butter mud to even leave a mark. Our female tester liked the flattering, slightly dropped waist on the women's model, but our male tester wished the men's fashionably baggy lower legs were a little more streamlined.

Price: $199

Sizes: men's S-XL (tall in M-XL), women's XS-L (tall in S-L)

Weight: 14 oz.

Contact: (604) 420-8964, www.westcomb.com