Finding the perfect pair of pants, you know, pants you want to wear every day no matter where you are or what you are doing, is the ultimate challenge. For outdoors people, that challenge is even more difficult because we need pants that perform when we are throwing ourselves at the mountains. Well, Dish & DU/ER are running a Kickstarter campaign to bring what they claim to be the “perfect pants” to market. I got a pair of their performance-denim, “No Sweat” pants to test out, and I’ve been wearing them every day for almost a week. So are they perfect? First, the deets.
Dish and DU/ER no-sweat pants use a proprietary fabric called Nature2X, which they say is a weave of Tencel® made from Eucalyptus trees. They combined it with traditional fabrics like polyester, spandex and cotton to create what they call, “performance denim” – a pant that looks like dress pants, but feels like a sweat pant. They call it “athleisure.” According to the company, Nature2X absorbs sweat, kills bacteria, dries quickly and remains soft and comfortable regardless of your activity. The pants also feature a slim fit option for bike commutes, lined pockets that shield against radiation from cell phones, larger pockets to carry multiple electronics and a built in seat gusset.
So, do the pants live up to the hype? First off, they are very comfortable. They aren’t kidding when they say these pants feel like sweat pants. The material is soft, supple, and stretches, so I never feel constrained when moving around or sitting. Plus, they look dressy enough for the office or going out for a nice dinner; not quite slacks, but like really nice khakis. Rugged and fashionable – score one point for only needing a single pair of pants for everything.
First thing I did in the pants is go on a 10-mile bike ride in the city. I went up from my home in the Sugarhouse neighborhood in Salt Lake City to Foothill Blvd, then down the Parley’s Trail for a nice loop with plenty of ascents to work up a sweat. The pants worked great. The fabric has a considerable amount to stretch, so pedaling in them is awesome. While I got hot, the material did a good job of wicking moisture away, though I was still reminded of why I prefer to wear shorts on the bike. Still, if I’m wearing pants on a bike commute, I’d definitely grab these pants over a pair of jeans.
Another day, I took the pants on a hike with my wife and 6-month old. The autumn evening was cold as we set out on a trail in Emigration Canyon, but the pants were plenty warm and comfortable. Later I decided to get dirty and do some major landscaping in my yard. I must have looked like the most posh yard worker in history while shoveling dirt in such nice pants, but it’s all for the sake of testing, folks. Remarkably, the pants do not absorb stains as bad as other materials, and even after all the dirt and sweat, I still didn’t feel the need to throw them in the wash. In fact, I wore the pants to work the very next day.
The stretch of the material is key to why I like the pants so much. Throughout my time wearing them, I could do anything from pedaling, to running, hiking, or even stepping high to get into the bed of my truck. I suspect these pants would be ideal for rock climbing both in the gym and outdoors. But don’t think the pants’ ability to stretch comes at a cost in durability. These pants are clearly built to last with features like triple-stitched seams and a large gusset for no chance of unexpected rippage. I suspect that the pants would perform well in other outdoor pursuits like backpacking, fly fishing or just hanging out at camp.
If you want to get a pair for yourself, now is the time to do it. Dish & DU/ER is running the Kickstarter where your donation will get you the pants for a lot less than retail. These pants will be $150 when they hit the market. But depending on how much you pledge on Kickstarter, you can get a pair for as little as $77.