The North Face Verto Pants – Outdoor Pants Sure to Impress
Price: $110
Material: Lightweight softshell
Intended Use: Climbing & Hiking
Outdoor Pants are a unique product category in that many people often expect them to fit and look like their favorite pair of blue jeans, but perform as if you can hike up Mt. Everest in them. When you slide on a pair of outdoor pants, your mindset changes almost instantaneously from acting out your typical day, to a mindset of adventure and outdoor freedom. As The North Face slogan goes, Never Stop Exploring, it’s only fitting that they designed an outdoor pant that helps you push your limits.
The North Face Verto Pants are designed for climbing, but for the 95% of people out there, you might wonder how they work for the everyday adventurer that loves to get out for a day hike or a backpacking trip. That is where I drop my hat into the ring as I’m not a climber, but I consider myself as someone who gets outside a fair amount.
The North Face Verto Pants Fit
The North Face Verto Pant Fit from behind
The fit of an outdoor pant can often times make or break an adventure or outing. If you get a pair of pants that rub you wrong, you can get chaffage that can haunt you for days, and even weeks. If you’re hiking for a few days at a time, this can lead to a very uncomfortable adventure and in extreme cases, you have to cancel your journey.
The North Face Verto Pant Front View
Unlike many outdoor pants, The North Face Verto Pants do not have an elastic waist. They come in sizes 28,30,32,34,36, and 38. The waist on the Verto Pants is similar to a pair of jeans, it fits like it’s supposed to at first, and then starts to loosen with time. To keep the pants from falling off your waist, the designers of the Verto Pant include belt loops in the pants to keep you looking like snoop dog.
The North Face Verto Hiking and Climbing Pants that Stretch
Moving down the pant, the legs begin to taper a little. As the Verto Pant was designed for climbing, excess fabric is not something that you want getting in the way of your movements or foot holds. From a hiking and travel pant standpoint, the tapering in the legs will work for most people. I typically prefer a pair of outdoor pants that widen at the cuff to prevent water from flowing down the leg and into my shoes, but after testing the pants in the rain, I found my feet to stay dry.
Slimmer profile in the legs near your shoes and feet
Fabric Used in the Pant
The fabric used in The North Face Verto Pants is a lightweight softshell material. This fabric stretches extremely well, so if you’re hiking along sometime and feel like stopping to do the splits, you’ll have no problem with your pants. As for a more realistic application, these pants will move with you as you scramble or climb up the rock.
Outdoor Pants that Stretch
The material is abrasion resistant, so whether you’re bushwhacking to find the trail or making love to the rock, the Verto Pants can keep up with your activities. The material has a DWR coating which helps keep the pants from getting saturated with water, but this is not to say the material is waterproof. I was out hiking for 30 minutes in a moderate rainfall and the pants kept the rain off at first, but water was able to get through the seems and zippers. If you expect you’re going to be in the rain for an extended period of time, I recommend rain pants to keep you dry.
Storage in the Pants
As for holding on to things like a cell phone, energy bar, car keys, etc., there are two front pockets and one zippered pocket that sits on the right thigh.
Color Options
There are two color options in The North Face Verto Pants, black and a concrete grey. If you want to keep the pants looking semi clean, I recommend the black as the grey pants are very light in color and will most likely get dirty looking pretty quick.
Final Thoughts
The North Face Verto Pants are an excellent pant option for both climbers and hikers alike. If you’re looking for a casual hiking pant that doubles as a travel pant, I recommend looking outside of The Summit Series product line as this line is extremely performance oriented vs. basic function and style.
For more information, please visit TheNorthFace.com
