It sometimes feels like all the great outdoor apparel and technical clothing designers out there are competing in a high-stakes race to come up with the best, versatile, comfortable, stylish pair of technical chinos out there – a pair of pants that looks like Brooks Brothers but performs like Patagonia on the trail. We’ve come across more than our fair share of pants we’re excited about, but we’ve found another one that we just can’t pass up looking at: the Western Rise Alloy Chino.
The Alloy Chinos are supposed to “blur the line between a city pant and an outdoor pant,” going literally anywhere you go and doing literally anything you do – whether that’s climbing El Capitan or pouring over spreadsheets. The secret rests in the super-stretchy Nylon Supplex fabric, made by combining dozens of lightweight nylon fibers with a bit of elastane (4%) and weaving them into one lightweight, flexible, super-comfy fabric. It feels like cotton but performs and breathes like your favorite pair of nylon adventure pants, shedding water and resisting dirt and stains with a C6 water-repellent treatment, all the while remaining breathable enough for the most hi-octane of activities.
Something else that really sets the Alloy Chinos apart, however, is the relaxed cut – a big break from the many tapered, slim pants dominating the market, and a nice fit for moving around in the outdoors. There’s a knee-length crotch gusset for added mobility, reinforced seams and hidden pockets; the pants are also rated UPF 50+.
All that, and the pants don’t cost much more than a high-end pair of denim or outdoor pants, making them totally investment-worthy. We think the durability and long-lasting cut make them worth it – not to mention the sheer versatility these bad boys from Western Rise offer.