The Return of the King (of Pants): A Review of the Evolution Pant Classic from Western Rise

On the heels of my last post where I talked about being intentional with my packing and travel choices, I want to talk about clothing choices a bit more.  Several years ago, as I started working on paring down my travel kit to be able to do one bag travel many of the sources of content I was consuming were talking about the differences in some of the clothing.  At that point my approach to clothing had always been I wanted quality but that apart from quality, pants were pants, and shirts were shirts.  However, these creators spoke a lot about how choices they made enabled them to travel lighter than before.  They talked about pants and shirts that were stain and odor resistant and I was dubious.  I am overly sensitive to ever having an odor about me, so the idea of wearing clothing for days on end has always been something I seldom did.  I would occasionally wear pants for several days when they were largely just around the house, or when I had not been especially active in them, but usually around three days was my max, and at that point I could pick up a slight smell on them at closer distances than someone would get while I was wearing the pants.  Then, things started to change when I heard about Western Rise.  Over and over, the channels I was watching and even sites I would read on would talk about the quality of clothing and how it was a key piece of their travel kit.  Eventually, I would try some pieces from Western Rise.

I started with the Diversion pants as my first item, and I really enjoyed them, they were hella stretchy and somehow not at all uncomfortable despite being my slimmest fitting pants at the time.  But then I tried the Evolution pants, the ones now referred to as 1.0.  I was in love with these pants and started trying to snag pairs anytime they were on sale.  Sadly, I was late to the party, and they were soon making room for the new updated model of these pants, the 2.0 version which I backed on a crowdfunding platform.  I was so excited to see what they would do with these pants and eagerly awaited my kit from backing them.  I wound up getting a pair of the 2.0 pants, the Evolution shorts, and the Evolution chinos in my kit.  I now pretty much exclusively wear the shorts; the chinos are at the ready for any time I might need a chino and the 2.0’s…. well, that was a point of contention.  The quality was great, the feel of the pants was spot on, but suddenly the pants fit was not nearly as compatible with my body as they had been.  They fit my waist, they zipped up fine, but they were far snugger in the area between my knees and my waist.  I have always had thick thighs, but lifting made them thicker and added a butt, so suddenly the pants I loved, in what I felt were the “new and improved” version, were not nearly the pants I loved.  It felt like the king had fallen and like I was going to have to return to the hunt to find pants that worked for me again.

I spent almost a year trying to convince myself the 2.0’s would work but found they often would be bypassed in my closet in favor of other pants.  Then, almost a year after the 2.0’s came out, Western Rise came out with the Evolution Classic Pants.  I was intrigued but also cautious.  I wanted pants that still looked like I put some thought into what I was wearing, I did not want to look like the classic dad in the “relaxed fit” jeans.  I want to be the cool dad.  Or at least look like I could be the cool dad.  I got the chance to try the Classics and have just wrapped up a month where they were the only pants I wore, save for when I lifted and the couple of times I tossed on sweats for a day I was not leaving the house and would wash the Classics.  As it is the Christmas season, I will echo Buddy the Elf and say, “I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it”.  These pants have only had a break when they were drying or when I was engaged in an activity I was not wearing pants for and at no point did I bristle about how they felt nor how they fit.  Sitting around the house watching tv or a football game they were just as comfortable as my sweats.  Going outdoors and wandering around in the woods or walking around looking at Christmas lights, they have held up just as wonderfully.  These are pants I can, and have been, living in.  I could gush and wax poetic more about how much I truly love these pants, but I want to share the reasons I love the whole line and am so stoked to have these specific pants.

Western Rise will say these pants replace jeans, hiking pants, and dress pants and that is spot on.  I no longer have to pack a closet with specialty clothing, nor do I have to make a choice when packing to exclude an activity from possibly happening on a trip, or risk overpacking.  Not only do they fill the spot of three different activities, but they take up almost no space.  My pants take up less space than some of my beefier t-shirts (I love a graphic t and some of those are on heavyweight cotton) which means packing one or two pairs of pants in addition to what I am wearing covers me for weeks and does not mean I need a checked bag.  I have had coffee with and without creamer spilled on these and it wiped right off, no staining and no fuss.  They are light enough that in warmer weather I do not overheat and in colder weather they hold up, until the most bitter winds.  Those are the moments I would debate a layer under them, or possibly the thicker Diversion pants.  Somehow, even in these pants I have ample pocket room too, and never have the fear that my pants are going to wear out or rip suddenly.  With a month straight of wear, a wash about once a week, and multiple activities and miles of walking, these look brand new still.  I feel like these pants are going to take up the space in my closet the way the Evolution shorts have.  Where I do not need anything else because the quality, durability, fit and comfort all keep me a very satisfied customer.  How do I know these are likely going to be like that?  I already ordered another pair and am eagerly looking forward to their arrival.  These pants will be a part of my adventures for years to come.