Are you looking for a synthetic, 3-season technical pant that moves as you move? If so, read on. Featuring NanoSphere® moisture and stain shedding technology the Westcomb Recon Cargo Pant does one thing quite well: wears like a pant for a person looking for just pants without all the bells and whistles.
Retail: $240
When I first received these pants to test, spring was moving into summer and the presence of pants on my lower extremity wasn’t likely. While I will tout the Recon Cargo pant with 3-season usability, it was infrequent in summer – though if you plan to climb in the alpine during summer, these would currently be my top choice.
Constructed with schoeller® Dynamic the Recon features 4-way fabric stretch that flexes with the grace of second skin, not to mention a gusseted crotch and articulated knees. They are light in fabric weight, with velour-lined waistband and velour-lined pockets that, in my testing, never felt too hot next to skin after a long trail run, or numerous pitches of climbing. I appreciated the tight knit of these pants (18 stitches per inch!), as they handled a light to moderate wind like a champ.
This past autumn these pants hit the road with me seeing frequent action on rock climbs in North Carolina, Georgia, and New York – proving to be a versatile and reliable piece of gear that had little to fuss about. The biggest complaint I have, and perhaps the only one, is the waist belt. Westcomb utilizes a 3/4 hidden belt sewn into the fabric of the waistband, with the last 25% out in the open on the front of the pant, allowing for sizing adjustments. While I appreciated the flat lay and low bulk of the tongue-in-grove belt buckle, my particular belt had been sewn in backwards on one side. The sewn into the fabric feature works to prevent the belt from being pulled out of the hidden seam around the sides and back of the waist (which is great for keeping your belt out of your harness business), though with a folded over belt on one side I would occasionally notice the doubled-over bulk of my pant belt whilst wearing my climbing harness for prolonged periods of time. Certainly this is a possible fluke with my particular pant – call it a quality control failure and not a design flaw. Otherwise, I had zero complaints about this versatile and seemingly burly technical pant.
With the arrival of winter in the central mountains of Western Colorado I plan to put these pants to use in the world of Nordic skiing. I’m imaging blue bird days with little-to-no wind will see these pants excelling as an appropriate wind barrier, as well as gatekeeper of heat exchange off the skin.
If you are looking for a pant that feels light on your skin and lower extremity and will function with just the basics – 2 pockets in the typical side places and one on the lateral aspect of your right thigh (great for an easy-fold trail map or topo) – then consider purchasing these pants. The modern styling, laminated zippers, and single-tone coloring of the Recon pant transition well from real sports in the outdoors to the bar or casual restaurant of choice post-real sports. I’ve even found that a good shaking-out (while not in use) made for easy removal of chalk marks and smears from a day out on the rocks thanks to the NanoSphere technology®. Essentially, the easiest method for a clean dirtbag to “wash” his/her clothes whilst on a road trip – three shakes later and these pants looked fresh again; my compliments to the designer. Available in 3 colors, small through 2XL sizing.
Get your own pair of the Westcomb Recon Cargo’s
Reviewed by Al Smith III, co-founder of The Climbing Zine.
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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.
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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.
