Can't find pants that fit me! Convertibles?

I've always had an extremely difficult time finding pants that fit me well, that don't look too baggy. So far I've been unsuccessful. My main problem is the inseam and the rise, the distance from the crotch to the waist. All pants are too long in both areas. 30/30 is too long. Right now I actually have to roll my waist belt up a few times just so that the rise is the correct length, but this screws up access to the pockets because their openings have been half rolled up as well.

I'm 5'5" ... waist is 30-32.

I've been thinking about just buying women's pants. What's 30-32 waist in women's? Like a size 8? I'm probably going to need to get things hemmed either way, but I just want the rise to be right. I need low rise pants. I can't seem to find a pair of convertibles with quick drying, lightweight cloth.

Resort to what we of rotund dimensions do anyway - don't wear it off the rack. Find a good tailor and spend 15 bucks getting them modified appropriately. I didn't even get a funny look walking into a tailor with a pair of pants from MEC instead of the suit shop.

I have the same problem and I agree with Phat....get them tailored to fit properly. I used to just roll up my pant legs because a 30" inseam is just to long, but I can't find pants with a waist that fits me and a matching inseam. Nothing wrong with having pants modified...I just purchased a pair of convertible pants and had them hemmed up a bit to make the fit better.

Take it from a woman: women's pants won't work for you, unless your hip measurement is a lot bigger than your waist measurement. A waist size of 30-32 inches would be a women's 14 or 16 and have a corresponding hip measurement of 41-42 inches. And I expect that the crotch to waist measurement is a lot bigger in women's sizes. A few women have really slim hips and can wear men's pants, but I don't think any man could wear women's sizes. The waist will be too small and the hips too big.

I suggest that you either learn to sew or find a good tailor, as others have suggested. Shortening the legs at the bottom is easy. Taking off the waistband to shorten the rise and sewing the waistband back on is definitely more difficult. In fact, if you want to do it yourself, it would be easier--and cheaper--to buy fabric and make your pants from scratch. Once you have adjusted the pattern to fit your body (something you need help for!) and struggled through the first pair, sewing future pants will be much easier.

Dude, are you my long-lost twin brother? I am also 5'5" with a 31" waist and I often despair of finding pants. Convertibles are the worst because they are so hard to hem because they generally have a zipper in the low leg( to facilitate getting in and out of them without removing your shoes I guess).

The good news is that I finally found some that work great. The 28" inseam Sahara pants from REI fit me like a glove. I notice they are on sale again so I may get some more.

http://www.rei.com/product/746905

Is shortening the rise even possible? The top of the pocket entrances start right under the waistband. I can't cut away the fabric under the waistband without directly reducing the size of the pocket entrances...

My main issue is with the rise of all the pants that I buy. I HATE having a baggy crotch area and all that extra fabric that tugs at my calves when I'm hiking up hills and stuff. The inseam is not too much of a concern because I know that I can always get it hemmed - unless the bottom of the leg has something like velcro or whatever, like on some convertibles, that allow the legs to be opened wider when detached and slipped over shoes. In this case I don't even think hemming is possible?

babybunny-

What features do you really want in your hiking pants? My current favorite hiking pants are modified wind pants. I found a pair of drawstring-waist pants on clearance. The outer layer was a woven polyester or nylon that had been "peached" to a cottony feel. The sewn-in liner was a cotton knit.

My modifications: Cut off the waistband, roll the edge and insert a less complex simple elastic waist band into a "tunnel" that I sewed for this purpose. This waistband was far lighter than the original and cut out the top of the cotton liner. Next, I took out the stitching on the cuffs, removed that elastic, and added a narrow hem. This got the liner removed entirely with little effort and cut the weight of the pair of pants in half. Finally, I sewed a button hole in one end of each of two lengths of matching color 1/2" (or so) grosgrain ribbon, and sewed the non-button-hole-end inside the pant legs on the outer seam, about midway up the thigh. I added a button that fit the button hole on the outside of the pants, through the attached ribbon, right at the "top" of it. Voila! I had a pair of pants with roll-up legs, so the function of zip-offs was there, but without the hassle of the extra zipper weight or of getting the legs off over my shoes/removing my shoes, safely stowing them, etc. It was great to be able to roll up the legs when I wanted to cool down or drop them again when about to walk through an overgrown area of trail.

Adding a fanny pack to my kit took care of the missing storage of not having patch pockets. With the clearance (slightly oversized ) wind pants, elastic, ribbon, and two buttons, the pants cost me about $10, weigh less than 8 oz, and are comfortable and quick to dry. The fanny pack ended up being more convenient than stuffing pockets, since I can grab it to take with me into my hammock or a store, whatever.

If your REALLY want zip-off pants, I sometimes see 2XLT and XS sizes at REI.

Good Luck!

CamperMom

As Heber said, you might like the Sahara pants from REI. I found that the rise was too short for me. With REI's policy, you can try them out and return them if you don't like it.

That's why sewing your own pants or getting someone to sew them for you might be better. The idea is to fit the pattern to your body so the rise is the proper length and the pockets are in the right place.

You could always try taking in the crotch seam--I'm not sure if that will work because I've never tried it, but talk to a tailor or seamstress and find out.

Better yet, check out the REI Sahara pants that Heber and Leadfoot suggested. I tried the women's version a couple of years ago and the rise was way too low for me. If the men's rise is also too short, it might be just right for you.

I'm not really sold on convertible pants. I wore some on a couple of trips last summer that featured river fords, but found that the nylon fabric dried so fast that it wasn't worth the bother to zip off the legs--especially when the lower legs were muddy and needed a wash anyway! I'm not sure they're worth the extra weight. However, I don't wear shorts--varicose veins and knee surgery scars make my legs pretty horrible to look at, and I'm allergic to most sunscreens so have to keep covered up anyway. I also don't use the pockets, because they interfere with my pack hipbelt. But YMMV.

A really good alterationist would figure out that it is way easier ( and less work) to shorten them from the top of the leg than to reset the zipper at the bottom. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Being short but a little bigger (5'6", 34"waist, 27-28" inseam) I can certainly relate. I have dounf that military BDUs comes in a variety of sizes. They come in a variety of sizes (Xsmall - 3Xlarge) and lengths (short, regular, long although short is hard to come by so I hem a regular). Propper and Tru-Spec make BDUs to military specs, meaning you can get the size varieties. There are many military style BDUs also that are not necessarily made to military specs. Ripstop 100% cotton, 60/40 cotton/poly, and 50/50 cotton/nylon blends are available. Prices usually run from $20-$40 per pair, $35 most common. It might worth looking into.

Tru-Spec size guide
http://www.georgia-outfitters.com/dts.shtml


Propper size guide
http://www.galaxyarmynavy.com/size_chart.asp
http://www.botachtactical.com/propbdu4pocc6.html

Unfortunately the high cotton content rules these pants out for most climates. Cotton soaks up too much water, takes forever to dry, is a sure ticket to hypothermia. Do check military surplus stores, though. I still have a pair of Air Force surplus tropical weight pants, lightweight polyester and wool blend. I bought them in the mid-1980's. The fabric is like cast iron--it refuses to wear out!

If you can find a pair of pants that fit in waist and crotch but have a really long leg length, you could get a tailor to add the zippers to make them convertible.

I find wearing all-synthetic like wearing a poncho in the rain. I sweat so much I may as well just let it rain on me. Not an exaggeration for me. I've tried wearing nylon pants and it was like wearing a plastic bag. The 60/40 poly/cotton blend BDU is a good compromise for me.
Not everyone is me though (smile).

Your fanny pack comments got my attention. I just started this with my day hikes. I need my camera, and a couple other items, at the ready all the time.

My questions:

Do you keep the fanny pack on your front for easy access? Or, as I found today going up a steep trail, that your thighs need more room for motion, and thus, the fanny pack needs swiveling to the L or R, or even, to the fanny?

How do you deal with the waist straps of both the pack and fanny pack? I finally changed out of my shorts with a belt, and slipped into a more summery pair (thankfully it was warm enough today, and I just happened to have this thin pair in the pack!) Sans pants belt, things were much better, but I still had to work out how the pack and fanny pack straps get along together. Which do you think should be under, or over?

It's evolving, like many things, and it was a wonderful hike, even with all this experimentation!

Scott the Borealhiker

I have tried fanny packs worn in front and waist belt pockets - Six Moon Designs, McHale and Gossamer Gear.

What works best for me is the zpack pockets on a separate 1" web belt.

http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/beltpouch.shtml

The pockets and web belt weigh 2.3 oz.

Thanks. I'll look into these. What I'm trying now is a very puffy and protective gadget bag, meaning the camera may be the only thing that survives a fall, but it sticks out a bit too much. These look like they set closer to the body.

Those are great looking packs. That gives me an idea to make my own custom for my specific gear.

Instead of the drawstring I would like to design a flap-lid secured with velcro or large button that could keep the elments out and also get inside easily with just one hand. I will also have to keep it light weight, Hmmm the gears are turning....


Happy Trails,
Jim