Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The pants have a relaxed waist, stretchable. I've hiked with them on 40 degree scouting trips through the Appalachia's and also in 120 degree heat in the desert in Qatar. They are made of polyester, which naturally absorbs zero moisture vs cotton which absorbs 27 times its weight in water. That means they will dry very quickly. A couple hours out on a line will dry them effectively, or being worn after a rainstorm. Because they don't absorb much moisture, they are surprisingly warm, and they do a decent job of blocking the wind. That wind resistance is what makes them OK to hike in fall/spring weather when the temperatures are in the upper 40s, lower 50s. You'll want a thicker material if hiking in anything colder than that. In extreme heat, they do wick the moisture away. In Qatar I found that after travelling 200 ft from an air conditioned bunker across the desert (and it's a wet moisture due to the Persian Gulf), you were completely drenched in sweat. That heat is just a few degrees away from being the maximum that people can endure due to the moisture in the air. The paints would dry quickly once inside again, and protect you from the sun. They are a very light cloth that doesn't feel uncomfortable in extreme heat. I would say the durability is pretty good, I've had one of the forward pocket in one of my paints fail due to the stitching, and some of the material is now starting to look thread bear. For those doing things on the water, I've found these shorts travelling in a rigid inflatable boat in salt water will again dry pretty quickly after being dosed by a bow wave, cotton underwear will be your down fall! Salt absorbs water, and in and of itself can quickly lead to rashes, this fabric absorbs no saltwater per say, so will dry especially if you splash down with a bit of fresh water shortly after you've landed. In sum, they are very effective pants to wear while boating. They pack very light, and do not show wrinkles. You can pack them down in a backpack and they weight almost nothing and take up very little room. The bottoms are compact enough you can remove them and put them in the front pockets. The belt isn't very fancy, but I haven't had any fail, and I've found they are the ideal size for emergency tourniquets (tie it, don't use the buckle), which I've had to do. It's probably not everyone's list of reasons to buy a belt, but unlike leather and dress belts, this can be used to synch something down. I've also used it to synch down loads backpacking when I couldn't find anything else and SUV roof racks. The color works well, and unlike everything else I have, has never born out a stain. Again, that's a nice feature of polyester, the dye is permanent, everything else washes away like engine grease, blood, mustard, dirt. When wet they don't look obviously wet with the color unlike the lighter versions. They don't fade, or pile, but will eventually start to wear, like everything else. In appearance, they aren't formal wear, but from casual dining in Doha to Annapolis, they fit the bill. Of course, they don't look out of place on a military base or a camping trip. They aren't so GI that they scream "search me for hidden weapons and cans of chewing tobacco". Overall I say they deserve around 4.5 stars, with the sole objection being a bit better stitching for the pants pockets, though I have carried probably fairly heavy things in them, so they were under a bit of load. Since I can't choose 4.5 stars, I choose 5.