Saturday, December 1, 2018

Gear Junkie - Klattermusen Gere Women's Pants Review

Decided to invest a little more to try these pants out. I didn't find many reviews on them so decided to give my own opinion on it. I wore it for my recent trip. It followed me up the plane, exploring the city and then for a trek in a full day of light rain. Temperatures were about 2 degrees to 20 degrees. I have also worn them in tropical weather without much over heating issues as long as the vents were open.

Length - I'm 160cm, and I'm glad I went with the "Short" version. The fit and length was just right. I like my pants slightly baggier as it covers low cut hikers so that gravel does not get in.


Fit - Looser baggy fit. The stretchy waist allows for a good hug around the waist. Not overly tight. But I'd advise wearing the belt. It tends to fall slightly as the day wears on.

Material - Slightly on the thicker and heavier side. They feel a bit like your old school cotton cargos but better. Very very hardy. It was wind resistant, resistant to light rain and dried up very quickly.

Pockets - LOVE the pockets on these pants and I cannot get over it. Firstly there are so many (6) and all of them are of functional size. I'll go over them in detail of what I love so much about them.

Front pockets - deep enough for your hands. They are mesh on the inside so it does not feet too thick or bunched up when sitting down.
 


Back pockets - once again they are deep. There is no external stitching to emphasize where the pockets are (really think those are weird). The closure of the pockets are using a small overlap flap. No large flaps with buttons or zippers. So no more sitting on hardware...


Cargo pockets - once again large enough to keep any modern day mobile phone. They were also able to store maps for easy access. The right cargo pocket has a small stretchy mesh. Good for organizing a pen or a snack bar. 




Vents - When zipped up it didn't let any wind in. When unzipped it cooled off my legs very quickly. No problems there.


Some people have commented that they may look a little too baggy. Overall I thought these were a really under rated pair of pants, versatile for the city and outdoors.

Gear Junkie - Klattermusen Vanadis Women's Pants Review

Have to admit these pants were more comfortable than expected. The fit is somewhat loose but very stretchy, great for climbing and trekking. Material also cools off and dries quite quickly in hot weather. Really love the clean aesthetic of the pants, simple and nothing necessary. I've worn it on the plane, to the office and for treks all in the same trip. A great all rounder.

Fit around the waist was very stretchy, I found them very accommodating to large hips. There are no zippers. When un-clipped the waist opens up another 2 inches or so, it allows for easy wearing / taking off.  The clip is also easy to fasten. Used it with one hand whilst I was injured - it made going to the toilet a breeze!

Length is slightly long and it just about almost touches the ground with shoes on. No problems with boots though. They drape over nicely.

Ankle ties were slightly odd at first. Didn't think they would work well but they did. It allowed to tighten around the ankle, never got in the way and hasn't come off so far.

Biggest plus for me so far were the pockets. They were large enough to accommodate mobile phones and my wallet. This has been my biggest peeve for ladies trekking pants, they were always too small!

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Gear Junkie - CiloGear 20L WorkSack Review

Got this pack sometime mid 2017, thought to give it a proper test prior to doing a write up. Also a shame that there are a lack of pictures on this nifty little pack so I'll upload some too.

Safe to say I've used it for close to everything now, travel, airplane carry-on luggage, walking around in the city, climbing...

Weight - It's very light and packs small. I typically flatten it instead of rolling. Easily stuffed into any duffle bag or backpack.

Comfort - The pack sits high on your back and above your harness which is a plus. But it makes it slightly hard to reach the side mesh pockets. You'll have to lower the pack in order to reach them. That being said, I love the side mesh pockets. It makes it so convenient to put snacks, trash, camera, shades. You name it it takes it and holds it in place. Never had to worry about anything falling out.
You'd think that with the minimal padding it would be uncomfortable. So far so good, as long as the load is well packed, never had a problem.

Durability - The outer coating started to peel for me after a day out on natural rock. Nonetheless the base material is durable, don't forsee any tears! Even if the outer coating peels I can probably do a recoat. I wouldn't use it as a haul bag though. You might want to look at the other versions of the work sacks with different material for hauling (Guide Service / NWD).

Water Reistance - One look and you'll know its not waterproof. But it is quite water resistant. Walked a whole day in the rain and everything inside was mostly dry. Except for some items that were close to the seams of the pack they were slightly damp.

Storage - Fits all my essentials with always room for more.
Climbing - Approach shoes / Climbing shoes, harness, jacket, water, some trad gear, food.
City - 1 Mirrorless Camera, 1 SLR, 1 Go Pro, Tripod, water, passport, wallet, sunglasses.

The worksack comes with VERY long straps.
Which I think gives most people the option to adjust or to strap on to other things.


White elastic bands and sternum strap.
I appreciate that the haul loop is so wide and attached to where the straps are.
Opening / Exit for water bag tube is between the straps.


Side mesh pockets. Attachments for extension straps.
You can also see the minimal padding in the background.


Opening / Exit for water bag.
Small pouch inside to hold sunglasses or small items (lip balm, keys)


Water bag compartment and hook.


Overall, very simple. Everything that I want and need. No extra frills. Things I'd like to improve on:
  • The type of clips used. They can sometimes be a little clumsy especially with gloves.
  • Cut the excess straps - not fun when the loose ends slap you in strong wind.
  • To use the "newer" quick access cord locks.
Might make those modifications on my own...

Other then those, an overall well made bag, no wonder the design hasn't changed much, there really is no need to. The quality is great and a tonne of applications. My new go-to bag for everything.