How To Size Your Mountain Khakis
February 16, 2011
If you haven’t heard of Mountain Khakis by now, you are living under a rock. MK is based out of Jackson, WY and produces a line of some of the toughest and most unique women’s outdoor lifestyle pants on the market. I know, because I keep trying to destroy mine and they keep resisting.
I’ve grown to love all the MK pants I’ve tried, and to me what stands out other than the craftsmanship and the unique, mountain life-based styling, is the fit. Where most manufacturers are going to a slim-cut leg or staying with the tried and true bootcut, MK styles their pants in a flattering yet roomy fashion for women who need to move but need tough pants with no foofy spandex or stretch component. There are a few MK styles that do have stretch, but the majority don’t, which is unusual and kind of cool. We all need options, you know?
I realized that I hadn’t yet discussed ALL of the MK styles so I needed to do some reviews, but I wanted to put all the MK info together because each style has its little idiosyncracies and I thought that you MK fans might be interested in some in-depth info about how each style fits and how you might be sure to order the best size for you.
The Alpine Utility Pant is a total classic. This is the pant you want when you’re splitting wood, cleaning out the stable, tossing around hay bales – you get the drift. I dig the Utility Pant in a size up from my regular so I not only have room to move, but to attain that insouciant slouch one can only truly get from pants that are just a tad too big. The Utility Pants in my regular size are all right, but they are higher in the rise than I prefer, giving me that mommy jeans kind of vibe. I despise a high waist, ESPECIALLY in pants that don’t have stretch. How can I enjoy half a large pizza and two pints of beer in a waistband that’s cutting off my ability to digest food? So, buy a size up in these babies. In general the styling is towards the straight leg which is handy for work stuff, because you don’t want to trip on your boot cuts when you’re wielding a chainsaw. I said this in my original review and I’ll say it again – these need a hammer loop, please, AMK!
The Cottonwood Cords are a little idiosyncratic. my regular size is nice and slouchy, with the low rise of the pants really working for me. The thing about these is that the actual waistband of the pants is a little smaller than typical for low-rise pants. So the slouchy fit never gets TOO slouchy, if you catch my drift. I actually have these pants in both my regular size and a size down and they both work for me. On my bloatier days I find the waistband of the smaller pair a bit too constricting, but my regular size is always dependable. These are straight leg as well, with a bit more flare than the Utility Pants. Not flare like flared jeans from the Gap, but the leg definitely gets steadily wider towards the hem. It’s nice – relaxed and different than the usual and a tad anti-trend. I like anti-almost-anything-popular so I think these cords kick ass.
Teton Twill pants are designed a lot like the Cottonwood Cords. A relaxed fit, with a firmly bias-cut waistband and a flared leg. They have the same material (I think) as the Alpine Utility Pants, only without the reinforcements. The material might even be a little bit softer and thinner, but I don’t know for sure. These are styled like a traditional khaki in a lot of ways but still have that “work pant” vibe about them. You can wear them to the office a little more reasonably than you can wear the Utility Pants though. These are true to size. One size up is WAY too baggy and one size down is way too small.
Granite Creek Pant – what used to be the Snake River Pant – is the most mystifying for me. I tried three different sizes before picking the right one for me. I think the key to these pants is breaking them in. Every size seemed to be all wrong until I buckled down and wore them a few times. These are quick-drying, low-rise, technical pants with a casual, serious-mountain-person air. The waist is small – it’s sometimes takes a strategic effort to get them over my hips – but the pants still adopt a bit of a slouch even in my usual size. I like that, because if they didn’t slouch, they’d be too snug in the ass. For the first few wearings, my regular size had the dreaded rear-waist gap so I had to wear a belt lest I show my day’s choice of undergarment. After 4-5 wearings they’ve adapted to my body shape and no belt required anymore. A size up for these is okay, depending on body type, but you’ll probably need a belt. I’d say regular size, and make sure to break them in. One amazing thing about the Granite Creek pants is that you can beat the crap out of them and get them insanely dirty and they not only wash perfectly but they practically wipe off. I got mine armored in mud and I just shook them out after they dried and wore them to the office anyway. No one was the wiser.
Cargo Capris – the Bermuda Triangle mystery pant. My regular size and a size up seemed to both fit fine. So…buh? Could be a sample thing; maybe I got samples instead of production. Who knows. Regular size is safe for these, just remember – no stretch!
So there you have it, the Geargals Guide to Sizing Your Mountain Khakis. If you liked this info, please let me know – I think sizing is one of the more difficult parts of buying gear in this age of Internet shopping!
Mountain Khakis Alpine Utility Pants
November 27, 2010
I’ve been wearing these damn things for three days straight now, so I better just write about them already. I’ll just say it – these are a “Carhartt alternative,” made for working on things like machines, ranches, home projects, what have you. If only I’d had these during my cabin killing expedition last year. Wait, I haven’t told you about that yet. It’s a good story, so stay tuned; maybe I’ll write it up. But before I do that, I have to get this review done.
It’s pretty obvious these are working pants. Still, I was saving them for a special occasion for some idiot reason. Maybe it’s that I didn’t have any reason to wear them for a while – I’m finished with my full home remodel (thankyouverymuch), I had already gone cabin killing, I finally own a car nice enough that I can’t work on it myself – what could I use these for? I should have sent them to one of my review crew who is a trail ranger in Alaska, but I didn’t. Sorry, faithful writer.
So they sat for a bit. They were so nice and new and clean, I couldn’t bring myself to use them at all. Then I realized I’m not in Alaska this winter and therefore I don’t need to save a “special” pair of utility pants. Yes, in Alaska, there is such a thing as your “dress Carhartts”. I bit the bullet and wore them to the dirtiest of all dirty places, the horse barn. Miraculously they made it out without getting stained (or torn, like my jeans did the first time I wore them there. My SEVEN jeans, may I mention). Pretty soon I was reaching for them a lot. They were tough enough for anything, and always bounced back from stains and dirt. Their stiff, tough fabric started molding to my body shape, so here I am, driving across the country in them. Ladies, you know pants have to be comfortable if you can wear them driving for three days.
The fit is a little different than you might expect from a work pant. They’re kind of cut on the slimmer side, and they don’t have any stretchiness to them, so order a size up if you want room to move. I’m in a size above my regular and they’re still pseudo fitted but roomy enough to climb in without being crazy baggy. The legs are cut straight so you can have a bit of room without a boot cut shape. I’ve used them for a lot of stuff, from work to play – they are actually quite nice to climb in as they are so tough they protect your delicate anatomy from scraping on those big bad rocks. I know it’s not very fashionable of me to climb in utility pants but for some reason I find it appealing, what can I say. There’s a reason I’m not on any best dressed lists, and you’ve never seen my picture in one of those calendars of female athletes who seem to be really good at sports but really bad at remembering to wear clothes.
Is that the mother of all tangents, or what? God, I’ve got to get this review done so I can get some sleep. Back to the fit – my waist is on the small side as is that of many women athletes, so I could get away with availing myself of the side buttons that cinch the waist down, but I don’t mind a bit of droop and I suspect the folds caused by cinching down the waist would be more annoying than having to hitch up my pants every now and then (perhaps a belt might help, there, genius?), not to mention that said folds are not that attractive. Big pleats on my ass? No thanks. I’m not sure who could get away with that look, but it’s not me.
As long as you leave those buttons alone, they look really nice. They’re made of tight cotton duck denim, which means they are pretty darn warm and have to get really wet to soak through. No stretch equals no sketchy spandex to melt if you get too close to a campfire. The fabric is abrasion resistant and easy to care for (a must, in my book). The back hem, the one that drags on the ground when you walk if you are short, is doubled for a reason that I suspect is not limited to the dragging issue, but as you can tell this is not the most well researched review so it’s anyone’s guess what the rest of the reinforcement is for.
So finally a new utility pant for women. I like that the cut is slim enough that I don’t have to drown just to wear comfortable pants for working. They are, like everything else MK, very nicely put together. They could use a few more utility features, like a hammer loop and maybe reinforced knees, so maybe MK will put together another iteration of these pants just for those of us who can’t get enough of double cotton duck.
And with that, I’m off to rehydrate and prepare for one…last…day of driving. Yes, I’m wearing the utility pants again tomorrow. Four days in a row and you really can’t tell – these pants can hold their own.
Mountain Khakis Cottonwood Cords
December 31, 2009
There is this thing that happens to me every time I write a new review of something I really like. No matter how much abuse I put an item through, it lasts and lasts – until I write up a review, at which time the product without fail encounters some freak accident and gets torn or destroyed. So I’ve taken to delaying posts of stuff I really like. Sadly, though, a job is a job and eventually I have to just get on with it. So I had most of this post written when I took a break to go outside and help the Gearguy bring in some of his stuff, and – it happened. The button on one of the back pockets of these cords got caught on the sliding door and pop – no more button. Argh!
So this is the last time I am going to write a review of anything from Mountain Khakis. Really! Why? Because I like their stuff and I’m tired of losing my MK pants to the Great Post Curse! Sorry, Mountain Khakis, you’re just going to have to send me something I don’t like, or no more posts! I mean it. Send a bad pair of pants, something I don’t care about, please!
So yeah, I like these cords – a lot. When it comes to casual dress, I’ve strictly been a denim person until now. The world of khakis and cords has been a daunting and confusing one – so many options, so few with that elusive combination of looks and comfort. I would hardly have considered myself ripe for conversion, but the Mountain Khakis Cottonwood Cords have done it. I’ve been traveling for the last month and have pretty much been living in these pants – they are so comfortable and cozy, and look good after five straight days of car travel. What more could you want?
Our last trip took us through the Yukon, in sub zero temperatures for five days. I wore the Cottonwood Cords every single day, and my travel companion couldn’t even complain because he wore the same pants every day too. HIS cords gave him a rash, though, so score one more for MK. I loved the comfort of the Cottonwood Cords, which is primarily why I first reached for them, but I was also pleasantly surprised by their warmth. Having Geardog along meant frequent stops for walkies, regardless of the temperature, but I was never cold even after venturing out at 15 below. They are now officially my trusty road trip pants and I’d probably bring them along for any trip in cooler temperatures.
The style is relaxed fit, straight leg with a reasonably low rise. Sizing can be a little large, so order a size down from your regular and expect a relaxed, comfy fit. They don’t wrinkle, they look great, and they can be worn for casual kicking around town and be dressed up to go out to dinner as well. Comfy, stretchy, and cute – isn’t that everything we look for in a pair of pants?
