Mountain Hardwear Navigation Pant
June 27, 2008
As a professional hobbyist gear reviewer, it’s sometimes quite entertaining to read other reviews, particularly when it comes to the utter body-image defensiveness brought on by the inevitably varying fits of pants. I read one review that consisted of, almost verbatim: “I bought these pants in an 8 when I was pregnant. Then I gave birth and bought another pair in a six! A few months later I’d lost most of the weight and bought these pants again in a 4. And now I’m back to a 2! I love these pants!” Somehow I suspect that was less of a gear review and more of a “hey everyone, I wear a size 2 after having a child!” announcement.
My second favorite was the one berating women for not fitting into Mountain Hardwear pants, but in a passive-aggressive way, as in “Finally! Pants made for women with an actual athletic build!” as if should one not fit these pants, they don’t have an athletic build. I’m relatively sure I’ve been guilty of those little digs before, but now they’ve bitten me in the proverbial ass with the Navigation Pants. I won’t hold that against them, though, for I recognize that different body types exist. So, the Navigation Pants don’t fit me that well. The small size is too small (I don’t need pants that tight in the backcountry. Seriously.) and the medium would be okay but the waist is too big. So I could snap the outer snap to the inside snap and the mediums would work, but the snaps are different so that’s no good. They don’t have ordinary belt loops so a decent belt doesn’t work, and the belt that comes with the pants is too narrow and weird for actually holding the pants up. I’m just kind of out of luck with it, which is sad, because I really like the pants.
They have this cool seam-thing that, combined with the articulated knees, makes them functional AND rad-looking (I am bringing back “rad”). They have zip-off, integrated scree gaiters, well-placed pockets (including my favorite thigh pockets), and they shed rain, mud, and slush. They are fairly breathable even for being shell pants, and I’ve worn them comfortably in temperatures up to 60 degrees.
Fair warning, though, these are not brush-cutting pants. They don’t hold the thorns at bay – but they hold the weather at bay, so for alpine and other non-bushwhacking activities, you’re assured of a day of comfort in the Navigation Pants.
