>>96554Honestly, not a fan of the Northface pants. Northface has good outerwear (specifically, fleece), but I find their pants and undershirts to be overpriced and not very durable. Light, breathable, comfy? Yeah. They also shred very easily. And there's nothing more bothersome then half-way through a 7 day hike and having one of your 2 pairs of pants rip on a branch in the rain.
>>96546Ahhh, the Bear Grylls kneepad pants. Very durable. Very comfortable. VERY expensive (unless you get something knock-off). I don't know the specific brand he uses, but I had a pair of Burton "Hike" snowboard convert pant/snow pants that were very similar. They did heat up a bit and the knees get a bit stiff with age, however. Also; pricey. Also; kinda makes you feel like a douche with black knee-pads.
>>96539>>96575Now, my answer for the real question: A good pair of reliable, not break-the-bank hiking pants. Winter, a solid pair of (believe it or not) light-weight Chorderoy pants has served me very well in the past. They don't breath well and are a bit heavy, but in cold weather they are hella warm, good in LIGHT rain (heavy rain can be a problem, since if they do get soaked through they get a bit heavy) and don't rip or snag easy. Very tough. And surprisingly good in snow.
Rest of the year? Honestly, a solid pair of light Khakis can do you the trick. They aren't stiff or bind like jeans, they are fairly inexpensive, breath well, if you trash them with mud you won't really mind.
I know a lot of people like the synthetic Northface or Mountain Sports pants. But, honestly, for heavy hiking, they're not worth the cost. Anything you use for real hiking or camping WILL get trashed eventually. And it's not worth the worry of spoiling your hike fretting the hole time about wrecking your $80 leggings of choice.
