I went yesterday to the local hiking store looking for some nylon hiking pants (looking for something tough, but getting away from cotton to aid with drying). All they had was some northface paramount peak zip offs that were about 70 bucks. I know that basspro has the columbia zip offs for around 35, but the nearest one is a few hours away, and although I go past it pretty frequently, its rarely ever during business hours.

Long story short I mentioned to the guy working that I really didnt have that much to spend. He told me they needed to move them out to make room for shorts as the weather warms up and I could have them for fourty.

I know alot of deciding on the two will come down to fit, I was just wondering if anyone knows and pros/cons between the two. Thanks.

Have you looked into the White Sierra brand? Cheaper than Northface and Columbia. I bought a pair of their Trail Convertible pants for something like $26 at Sport Chalet. They do the job.

I cant answer your question exact as I have no experience with North Face Pants. I do have two pair of Columbia XRT zip offs and I love them. Very comfortable and light. I plan ahead alot and make such purchases when on clearence. Trouble with the question is to be specific Columbia andNorth Face make and market different pants. By quality, spend once! I learned the hard way!

IMHO, whatever fits you and is comfortable! With some zip-off leg pants, there isn't enough fabric covering over the zippers so that the zippers chafe your thighs, so pay special attention to that feature. Look in discount-type stores like Big 5. If you don't need zip-offs (I have a pair I ordered from Campmor--they're comfortable but I rarely wear them), you can get nylon track pants in the athletic section at places like Target or Walmart.

For most hiking/backpacking clothing it isn't necessary to get the high-price stuff you find at hiking outfitters or REI. The exceptions would be rain gear and really lightweight insulating puffy jackets, or a really good sale.

A pair of lightweight nylon pants and a separate set of lightweight nylon swim trunks (to use as shorts) together might weigh less than a pair of the convertibles.

I would watch for good deals at Sierra Trading Post, as well as Duluth Trading Company. Their "work" clothing does well in the woods. They have some gonzo sales from time to time.

This is the second time today I have mentioned DTC. Their CEO is not my BIL - I am just a satisfied customer, and I think their catalogs are above average.

I really like the Columbia ones because they have one thing that NF doesn't - elastic on the sides or back of the waistband. Think about moving around, going up/downhill...not very comfortable if you don't have some give somewhere. They're also super quick to dry, and do have enough fabric covering the zipper. I found the pair I wanted at REI, then used nylon track pants or gym shorts till I found them on sale on their outlet site for $35. Track pants work and all, but I like the versatility of very light short/pant combo. They're lighter, pack better (although idk why you'd need to have any in your pack), and just more comfortable overall especially when it's hot.

The North Face don't fit me so I've never used them. I like the Mountain Hardware Canyon pants (not zip offs) as I need long pants for bug and sun protection. I just noticed Target is selling 'golf' pants for around $20. Not zip off put felt like a stretchy polyester material. Should dry pretty well and the price is right.

Rayman, No I haven't looked into those. So far the only ones I've actually looked at are these northfaces ones I saw this weekend. I'll check into them though.

Oregonmouse. I've spend alot of time hunting over the years (around alot of thorns usually), and I just prefer something with a heavier weave than the thin track pants. I rarely wear anything besides jeans or jean shorts anyway, so that type of material is just what I'm used to and comfortable with. I have read the other post here on convertable vs regular pants, and know to check the zippers out to make sure they are covered enough and wont rub. Thanks for the warning though.

Oldranger. I dont think either of those places have a location around here, and I really want something I can look over and try on first instead of ordering from a catalog.

Katie. This pair of northface pants does have elastic in the back. Like I said earlier, I always wear denim anyway, even out in the heat doing construction work (another time you need tough pants), so I dont think too much about it.

Thecook. Closest target I know of it about an hour and a half away, in a direction I never go. I may see if there is one in Knoxville though and check it out some time on my way through.

Thanks for the input everyone.

Just to toss another recommendation out...you mentioned looking for toughness. I had a problem with finding tough enough synthetic pants to deal with SAR bushwhacking. Check out 5.11...they manufacture for mainly public safety markets, but they started from Royal Robbins, and their TacLite pant is just great. They have no zip-offs, but they're light, tough, and I stay pretty darn cool in them. I use a different pant when doing a UL trail-based trip. YMMV.

I tried on the north face pants and liked the fit, so I decided to order them. I bought a pair off ebay that was the size I had tried on and liked. I ran into a problem though. I didnt know that the pair I bought was the first generation of the design, and cut a little different. They feel fine on flat ground, but I'm worried they may be a little to tight in the front of the thighs on uneven terrain. I just thought I'd post a warning to anyone else who knows what size they wear in the new design to be careful of buying the old design and having a problem with the fit.

I have since tried the north face pants out on a small hike, and they are too small. I ended up reading a bunch of bad reivews about the new design of the north face pants (zipper problems and things like that), so I tried on some underarmour pants of a similar design. I have read several good reviews of them, with no real complaints, and they feel great. The only problem was, the store I was at didn't have the right length, and couldn't even order them for me. I wound up ordering directly from underarmour in the length I need. If anyone is interested, they have a free three day shipping promotion going on right now (no minimum purchase or anything either). I have a three day trip to the lower part of Cherokee national forest to do some fishing and gold panning so I should be able to give a good review of them pretty soon. My cousin that is going with me will be taking the northface pants, so I'll give his take on them too.