Gear Review: Siskiyou Convertible Pant

I've spent the last four plus years moving toward a ultralight hiker, and with that, I expect more out of my gear. Case in point, the Siskiyou convertible hiking pants from GoLite. This is an ultralight pant weighing in at 9 ounces, but featuring front and rear pockets and one side cargo pocket. The pants have ankle zips for ease of removal and zip off converting to 11” shorts. For this pant and other clothing, GoLite has morphed 100% Nylon content into a proprietary material they call ‘Suplex’. The result for me was a Nylon that felt more like ultra-thin cotton, breathed extremely well, and is water resistant.

I purchased the pants just before my Utah trip last week and they got quite the workout. What I didn’t have planned for the pants was a rough half day of rappelling, climbing, and sliding down a mix of rock canyons. At the days end, I was nothing short of amazed how well these pants held up. The smooth fabric and lack of exposed stitching around pockets kept the pants from snagging. The articulated knees worked very well when climbing. These pants are very packable, look almost good enough for the office, and are well suited for all-day adventure/travel.

MSRP $90

(paid $50 at GoLite sale)

Size: Small to XL