Columbia Men's Dolomite Pant-Review
Im 53, 63, 179lb with 36 waist and 34 inseam. Ive been involved in outdoor clothing/equipment development and design since 1978. (Back when the climbing community were trunk rats, nobody ever heard of rock climbing and 5-10s were just being pushed to 5-11s AND Outside was Maria and Chinard Iron Works was still blowing smoke.) Ive been wearing climbing/hiking/trvel pants for everything from casual wear to golf to backpacking for 33 years. The Arcteryx stretch Palisades are great, but pricy. And they dont come in a darker brown/coffee or grey color. This leads me to the Colombia Sportswear Dolomite pants. These are equal to the Arcteryx in terms of style, durability and function. They are incredibly stretchy with articulated knees and a different stretch material in the knees and backside area (it looks like a stretchy rip-stop nylon). I was worried about durability but after working with my chain saws out in the woods fighting blackberry and stinging nettle for two days, I AM THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED! They clean easily and hold there shape perfectly. They fit a little large in the waist compared to others; North Face, Royal Robbins, Patagonia etc., and there really is a 2 difference in length between the 32 & 34 inseams. A very nice touch is an unobtrusive elastic hem with a small tucked away lock. Since the ankle openings are rather wide you can pull in the hem so that the pants just drape over your shoes/boots or you can crank them down on boots when you dont have gators in spring snow. For my waist and inseam the med. Lx34 fits well but a little loose for casual dress. The Mx34 fit perfectly but with no room to grow (girth wise) so I went with the Lx34 in both Major and Black. I like these so much Im ordering 3 more pairs!