The picture above links to Backcountry.com which will give me a tiny commission if you buy the pants from them. I hope you do, because commissions are sweet!
These pants are not impervious to bleach, as I am sadly aware. I reveal this because it could be possible that I haven’t exactly treated these pants with kid gloves, which is a shame because I really like them. I think they are meant to be climbing pants, based on the fact that they have a little rear-leg pocket for something or other, but I only use them for around-the-house/lounging pants. I hate that they have a bleach spot now because if I wear them anywhere else I look like I live in a trailer court. Bah.
For climbing, they’d be all right. They’re made of stretchy cotton (like sweatpants) so they are not abrasion-resistant. For a climber who might occasionally throw a knee on a hold (not me, no never!) they’d wear through pretty quickly. For a gym climber they would work out a little better, I’d think. I’ll try them the next time I make my annual pilgrimage to the climbing gym and let you know.
I really liked these pants when I got them in this season’s sample shipment from Mountain Hardwear. They were so cute and comfortable and perfect; with a lowish rise and a nice conical wide waistband that was so comfy and flattering. However, in the time I’ve been wearing them, the waist has stretched out a bit and now I can get a bit of a sag going. That’s not quite as flattering, as you might expect. They might work better for a person with a smaller hip-waist ratio, but in general I’d advise buying a size smaller than usual and just going with that. If they are a bit tight at first, they’ll loosen up. The main draw of the High Step pants is that they are so comfortable you won’t even believe it. Oh, and if you get bleach on them you can color them back in with a matching Sharpie.
