ISIS Zola Pant Review
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The Zola Pant by ISIS are perfect for gals that are seeking a comfortable, technical pant that doesn’t look out of place once the hike is over. For starters, the Zola Pant is available in three colors: Espresso, Slate, and Russet. These colors are bold and are easy to mix and match with just about anything, and are nothing like the traditional green or khaki hues of traditional hiking pants of old. I tested the Zola Pants in Russet and absolutely loved the vibrant red color.
The Zola pants features ISIS My Expedition LT fabric which is a combination of 96% nylon and 4% spandex. The fabric is a medium weight and best suited for temperatures in the 35-70F range, depending on the intensity of your activity as well. The fabric is stretchy and moves with you, without stretching out too much. Some hiking pants I have tested often gain a full size with a one day adventure; with the Zola’s I didn’t notice any real stretch until the third day of wearing them in a row, and the stretch was quite minimal. The fabric of these pants also doesn’t scream technical and feature a nice finish that isn’t overly crinkly or loud when you walk, while also being relatively wrinkle proof.
The Zola’s feature a 6 pocket design and include a zippered vertical cargo pocket on the right thigh, which is perfect for a set of keys. The front pockets are plenty deep to accommodate whatever you may want to stash within without risking losing the contents while sitting down. These pants feature a zipper and two snap design up top. There are also belt loops as well.
Another great feature is that these pants can easily be rolled up to a pair of capris. When worn as pants, there are no zippers or pulls that give a clue to the untrained eye that these are indeed convertibles. Rather, the Zola pants feature a stretchy loop and snap that remains hidden within the inside and outside of the pants at the knees. When you want to roll the pants and keep them in place simply pull out these loops, roll up the bottoms of your pants about 3 folds and on the inside of the pant leg there is a tab that allows the loop to easily slide through and snap close. ISIS did a nice job of incorporating a loop on the inside and outside of the pant to keep both legs up and at an equal height. If the temperatures are even hotter, you can also roll them up a few more times and they seemed to stay put even without the fancy loops. In the photo below you can see that if you wear hiking boots and long socks routinely, you don’t get a lot of breathing room. If you wear trail runners and short socks, then the capri length allows for a bit more air movement.
The Zola Pants are available in size 0 through size 12. I felt that the sizing was true to size based on their size guide. The pants feature what ISIS calls, Favorite rise; I found the rise of these pants to be a bit high for my tastes as they sat about 1.5″ under my belly button. The higher rise didn’t cause any problems when wearing a pack, as the waistband is flat and works well with your packs hip belt. The higher rise is probably not an issue for most, more of a personal preference on this one. The hips and thigh cuts were generous to allow full movement, without being overly baggy.
The Zola Pants retail for $79 and I feel that this is a fair price in terms of the products quality, versatility, and styling.
For more info on the Zola Pants, visit www.backcountry.com.
