I bought these for a trip to Antarctica and they performed well. I was on the water multiple times a day, getting wet, (ocean temp was 1 degree above freezing) and in freezing winds, at temps between 25-34, but these pants didn't let anything get past them. Underneath, I had only a standard wool base layer pant, and two pairs of knee socks, but I never had any coldness in my legs, feet or my hind end. I'm short, about 5'4, and a bit overweight and curvy, so I ordered an XL. It was too long of course, but the adjustable bib straps were enough to hike up these pants to the right size, thankfully, and otherwise it fit great with a little room to spare. The pockets are exactly where you'd want them on the thighs and I love that the bib pocket is accessible from a zipper on either side, since there were various backpack and lifejacket straps in my way regularly. As a photographer, I was squatting, bending, and otherwise moving these pants around in a way that isn't normally good for pants that don't have elastic, but because these were bibs, and a bit roomy, they moved with me no problem, they didn't ride up or fall down, and didn't leave any cold "gap" at the waist for freezing ocean water or wind to get into. These aren't part of a sporty, sexy outfit, I must say in honesty, but they are super functional and I never had to pay them any attention whatsoever. No pulling them up after taking pictures in a weird position, no worrying they were in position before being seated on the edge of a wet boat, no worrying I was going to drag them through a pile of penguin guano and no real worry they were going to get soaked through, either. They washed up like a dream when I got home and I didn't even bother wearing the other pair of pants I brought on the trip because these worked so well. In short, warm, dry, fit well, flexible with my movements, pockets right where you want them, and I'm glad I bought them.
Jennifer S, backcountry.com
January 30, 2020
