Oh, those leg zippers are torture. I bought a pair of zip-off leg pants for a trip in which I had to do a lot of fording. Believe me, it wasn't worth the bother. The pants (lightweight nylon) were half dry by the time I manated to get the zippered legs back on. And the zippers chafed my legs. The pants went to Goodwill after a couple of trips.

Even on trail in the Pacific Northwest, where brush grows apace and trail maintenancce (where it exists at all) is minimal, I want long pants!