Dirtbag instincts suit the gear reviewer well. Which is why, for each and every day over the last two months I’ve worn the new Outdoor Reseach (OR) Goldrush jeans.
by Luke Mehall, publisher of The Climbing Zine (banner photo: climbing Sig Saur, Indian Creek in the Goldrush Jeans, courtesy of James Q Martin)
They’ve logged time on Indian Creek splitters, desert towers, overhanging limestone crags, sitting at the desk, and out on the town. To put it simply they are my new favorite pair of jeans, but for a second let’s back up.
The Goldrush is one of the few pair of jeans I’ve seen marketed directly as climbing pants. And, for sure, they are the first pair I’ve come across that use different materials other than cotton to increase their durability. They feature a cotton-nylon-Cordura blend, and advertise that they offer, “enough stretch to accommodate even the widest off-width smears”.
I found these jeans to be perfect for climbing. They do have a great stretch for stemming and are more comfortable than your average pair of blue jeans. They are also a $99 pair of jeans, which means you won’t see this climber heavily abusing them in an off-width, at least not repeatedly. In fact, I use these jeans for every type of climbing except desert off-widths. This is mostly because I don’t want to wear them out because they are my go to jeans for around town, in addition to my favorite climbing pants. A desert off-width aficionado knows better than to throw anything but clothes they expect to be destroyed in OWs like Big Baby and Big Guy; they will shred anything and everything.
Let’s get down to why I love these jeans so much. In addition to the excellent stretch-ability they simply fit like a glove, there’s no other way to say it. Everyone has a brand that fits better than anything else and from my experience OR is that brand for me. Plus, these jeans aren’t baggy around the feet. Some jeans can be comfortable, but the end of the pants are so loose that you can’t see your feet. With the Goldrush that’s not an issue.
OR is claiming that these jeans are four times stronger than regular denim. That’s quite a claim, but in two months of use and abuse there’s really no sign of wear, other than a couple pieces of stitching that got rubbed on during desert tower adventures. At first I didn’t need a belt, and they stretched out enough at the waist that I need one now, but that’s typical of any pair of jeans I’ve ever owned.
Bottom line: If you’re willing to spend $99 on a pair of super comfortable jeans, and you want something you can wear out climbing and then head right into a casual business meeting, or out for a drink, these are the pants for you.
Outdoor Research Men’s Goldrush Jeans on backcountry.com
-LM
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In the vertical world, quality gear is as important as good weather or the right partner. At the Climbing Zine, we review gear that we put to the test in our personal climbing pursuits, over months of use. If we like it we’ll tell you, and if we don’t we’ll tell you. That’s our policy…If you have gear for us to consider for a review please contact us at luke@climbingzine.com.
About us: The Climbing Zine was started in 2010 by Al Smith III and Luke Mehall. It continues to the day with the mission of representing the true essence of climbing. Our crown jewel is our printed version, but we also do the interweb thing, and Kindle. You can now subscribe to The Climbing Zine as well!
We have also published two books: The Great American Dirtbags and Climbing Out of Bed, both written by publisher, Luke Mehall.