Ski Pants Deal

[Carolinacub]

First of all I'd really like @Analisa to chime in here and tell me what she thinks about the technology. As far as I'm concerned she's the guru when it comes to wearable gear and I trust her judgement.

My ski pants from last year were dead so I figured in the middle of summer is a great time to pick up winter clothing. I went on Amazon and typed in ski pants and started looking through what they had.
I ended up getting a couple pair of Columbia Ridge 2 Run III pants with Omni-heat technology. I paid a total of $ 28.50 each plus I ended up getting a $10.00 coupon.
The way it worked was I looked at the full price article and on the right side of the screen they had a place to click for slightly used items at much lower prices. The ones I ended up getting came directly from Amazon and not a 3rd party and they arrived with tags still attached. I figured to save 50 bucks or so it was worth taking a look and see what they send.

@Analisa , What are your thoughts on this gear? I'm wondering if 1. the material itself will hold up worth a darn and 2. how good does this omni-heat work

I do 99% of my skiing in the mountains of Western NC, normally I wear a very thin pair of thermal bottoms and then my ski pants. I can't imagine these will be to cold for me and as a matter of fact I'm thinking they may be warmer than my old one's.

 

[raytseng]

For thr price you paid you got a deal.
Columbia makes midmarket gear and it will work and this is fine from the technical perspective.
Perhaps it wont stand up to 100days/season or pro wear and tear but will be fine for rec use for example 20days/season for a few years.

The biggest issue is does it fit you and not necessarily the technical specs (which are fine). That may also be the source of all the used items, returns for bad fit.

If you're feeling that it is bad because it is too cheap, that's a mental fallacy.

Columbia makes a mass amount of clothes and can have a lot of overstock which leads to pricing like this. This does not make it bad or low quality though.

source: me using columbia skijacket and pants for 5seasons.

 

[Carolinacub]

The biggest issue is does it fit you

I actually bought some others that didn't fit and returned them. For a little while Amazon probably didn't like me much since I was doing so much returning of clothing. These fit just fine and dandy.

It's going to be interesting to see how well they hold up. I did somewhere between 400-450 hours over two seasons in the ones that finally gave up the ghost. Those were some really cheap Arctix, They really surprised me with their durability. The inner lining is what actually wore out on those.

The way I figure it is that for the price I paid even if I ruin both pairs in one season I'm not going to be too upset.

I feel good about this but it's always nice to get an experts opinion even if it's after you have pulled the trigger .

 

[raytseng]

Enjoy! I think I was rocking columbia purchased 2009 through 2015. Near the end of perhaps 100days, the material began to wet out and hold and pass water in rain.
But this was versions purchased even before that date, so the current fabric are different and stepped up from a decade ago.

If you need some more assurance, the exact model line is still carried by REI and backcountry, so it's got some support of it's quality. If a product has a high complaint rate due to failure, or even warranty claims, REI will usually stop carrying it. Even though REI new return policy is much more limited that they're not on the hook; they still have to deal with all the complaints and so they hear about it. They don't want to be in the business or thought of as selling "disposable" cheap gear that fails.

 

[Lauren]

2. how good does this omni-heat work

I’ll throw two cents at this part, purely based on my experience. I have a thick fuzzy fleece with Omni-Heat...it is much warmer than any other fleeces I’ve had of similar weight. The downside it does not breathe AT ALL. My husband has a Omni-Heat base layer and found the same. He’ll only wear it on the coldest of days when he knows he’s not going to sweat at all.

 

[Carolinacub]

I’ll throw two cents at this part, purely based on my experience. I have a thick fuzzy fleece with Omni-Heat...it is much warmer than any other fleeces I’ve had of similar weight. The downside it does not breathe AT ALL. My husband has a Omni-Heat base layer and found the same. He’ll only wear it on the coldest of days when he knows he’s not going to sweat at all.

That could be trouble. We're in a pretty mild climate here. On the other hand the pants do have zips to let out heat so it'll probably be fine, Heck if it's warm I'll just wear shorts under them...…(I thought about going commando but this is a family web site)

 

[Gary Stolt]

I got some great deals on a jacket and pants from steep and cheap and backcountry. Their prices go up and down so it pays to watch and wait. As this is last year's gear, selection is not as good as it was a month or two ago but there are still some 70% off deals available if you can find your size and preferred color

 

[Dwight]

Good reminder. I'll have to see if I can find HH on sale.

 

[ZionPow]

I ended up getting a couple pair of Columbia Ridge 2 Run III pants with Omni-heat technology. I paid a total of $ 28.50 each plus I ended up getting a $10.00 coupon.

I have a pair of Ridge Run pants that I use for skiing on my days off work. They have been very durable and plenty warm for downhill skiing. I do find them too warm for skinning unless it is very cold. I got a good deal on them and they have been well worth the $.

 

[Dwight]

I'm giving these a go for the next few seasons. Couldn't find HH on a decent deal.

https://www.sierra.com/spyder-sentinel-gore-tex-ski-pants-waterproof-insulated-for-men~p~976mn/?filterString=s~sypder%2Fmen~d~5284%2F

 

[chopchop]

Have you considered touring-style pants? If you're in a mild climate (relatively speaking - i.e. not Loveland or Breck) then you don't need the bombproof materials for keeping out wind. I wear touring pants 60% of the time (in UT & CO) and love the flexibility. I prefer the athletic fit and lack of bagginess as well as the "hard stop" of non-stretch pants. If you want to consider this route, take a look at Black Diamond dawn patrol pants. Usually can be had for $150 on sale. Burly softshell construction with tons of stretch.

 

[Dwight]

Have you considered touring-style pants? If you're in a mild climate (relatively speaking - i.e. not Loveland or Breck) then you don't need the bombproof materials for keeping out wind. I wear touring pants 60% of the time (in UT & CO) and love the flexibility. I prefer the athletic fit and lack of bagginess as well as the "hard stop" of non-stretch pants. If you want to consider this route, take a look at Black Diamond dawn patrol pants. Usually can be had for $150 on sale. Burly softshell construction with tons of stretch.

One of the issue of softshell could be moisture going through when you are kneeling in snow. But I have never tried them, so don't know. Since @Carolinacub is a patroller, might play into the equation.