I've now had and used three pieces of Outdoor Research clothing (Deadpoint pants, Voodoo pants, and Wayward Sentinel shirt) for hiking, camping, and general travel on three continents and in varied conditions and feel fully confident in my ability to review them for all occasions. I should note I felt especially attracted to Outdoor Research because of their "Infinite Guarantee," which states: "We believe so strongly in the quality of the apparel and gear we make that if our product fails to meet your needs at any time, we are happy to replace it. Our products are guaranteed forever, and your total satisfaction with our product is our goal." Warranties like this always attract me, especially for pricey outdoor gear, and it's something a consumer should be aware of before purchasing.
I'll split this up by article of clothing and write a little on how each performs for both travel and outdoor use.
I'll split this up by article of clothing and write a little on how each performs for both travel and outdoor use.
DEadpoint Pants
Man, these pants are heavy-duty and you can feel it as soon as you pick them up. Made of thick cotton canvas with double-layered knees and thighs, they feel bombproof (if a little stiff and unwieldy the first time you wear them around; this faded completely after the first washing for me). They right-away became my go-to pants for bouldering and rock climbing (after hitting and scraping them on untold craggy surfaces over 6 months, they don't bear a single mark). I was also happily surprised by how well they breathe. I've had numerous other pairs of thick climbing pants before, and these are the only ones I feel just as happy hiking with as climbing. I have a pretty extended range of motion because of the stretch canvas as well. They're thick pants, don't get me wrong, you have no business wearing these on a summer hike, but for use in the other three seasons, I've really loved them.
The obvious travel downside is the weight. At 20.6 oz, they're heavy for travel pants. But, if you're used to packing a pair of jeans or something similar, I'd through these in instead. They look just as nice as any pair of jeans and have much more functionality and comfort. They kept my legs warm biking through Croatian national parks in hail, doing some of the NJ AT in early Spring chill, and have kept me cozy hiking up here in the lower Himalayas. With their five-pocket, standard jean layout too they're convenient for holding onto your keys, wallet, etc. with generously-sized pockets. Here in India, they're my go-to hiking pants, and breathe well enough to keep me from sweating too much with the full mountain sun bearing down. Another complaint I have is, to me, the crotch on these pants seems a little high and tight, but this has never caused me any overt discomfort. Also, these aren't good pants at all to be caught in the rain with. They'll resist admirably for the the first few minutes of downpour, but once these things get soaked they hold tons of water and take forever to dry out to the deepest layer of fabric. They also lose a lot of their insulating power in the rain. Only once I've been left shivering and miserable on a hike and now I check the forecast before I whip these out.
In the 6 months I've had these, they've quickly become my favorite pants for general-use in all conditions except upwards of 80 degree F heat. I also use them for rock-climbing and for hiking and find they perform incredibly well.
The obvious travel downside is the weight. At 20.6 oz, they're heavy for travel pants. But, if you're used to packing a pair of jeans or something similar, I'd through these in instead. They look just as nice as any pair of jeans and have much more functionality and comfort. They kept my legs warm biking through Croatian national parks in hail, doing some of the NJ AT in early Spring chill, and have kept me cozy hiking up here in the lower Himalayas. With their five-pocket, standard jean layout too they're convenient for holding onto your keys, wallet, etc. with generously-sized pockets. Here in India, they're my go-to hiking pants, and breathe well enough to keep me from sweating too much with the full mountain sun bearing down. Another complaint I have is, to me, the crotch on these pants seems a little high and tight, but this has never caused me any overt discomfort. Also, these aren't good pants at all to be caught in the rain with. They'll resist admirably for the the first few minutes of downpour, but once these things get soaked they hold tons of water and take forever to dry out to the deepest layer of fabric. They also lose a lot of their insulating power in the rain. Only once I've been left shivering and miserable on a hike and now I check the forecast before I whip these out.
In the 6 months I've had these, they've quickly become my favorite pants for general-use in all conditions except upwards of 80 degree F heat. I also use them for rock-climbing and for hiking and find they perform incredibly well.
Voodoo Pants
Let me start off with the glaring thing that would lead me not to purchase these pants again, given the choice. Within an hour of wearing them, near-inevitably, the inner mesh of the pant legs seems to snap each individual one of my leg hairs at once and stay snagged. I have no idea why this happens! Nor have I come across any reviews online stating a similar problem. Must be some weird genetic quirk of mine, but it's seriously limited the amount I wear these pants, especially on flights, where after it happens I have to awkwardly stand up and shuffle around the fabric until it unhooks. Now on to the part of the review probably more relevant to everyone:
These pants are extremely light-weight (12 oz.) and very wind and water-resistant. They also dry extremely quickly which is a great quality to have. In this technical sense, they are great, however, I honestly don't find them nearly as comfortable as other pants. Some of this is due to the inner mesh, which feels a little awkward directly against skin (or leg hair...), some of it is due to the fact that the main pockets are incredibly shallow (my phone, a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, has the top 1/3 or so poke out when I try to put it in, and the other zip pocket is low enough that if you put anything of weight in it it stretches the whole of the pants down towards the bottom right), some of it is because I really don't find the pants insulating at all. They definitely wick-away moisture, much better than the Deadpoint pants, for example, but I haven't found any real, substantial insulation to them at all. This is a minor point as well, but the fabric makes that sort of space-age "swoosh" noise when it rubs against itself.
I just haven't been in many situations where the apparent upsides of these pants outweigh the awkwardness of their construction (though there have been a few). If I knew it was going to rain on a hike, I would definitely bring these, as I did when I went to Chota Bangal. Or if I needed a pair of light, travel pants for outdoor summer weather. But, honestly, most times when it would've been hot enough to prefer these over the Deadpoint pants, I've just been much more comfortable in shorts. This is added to by the fact that the pants themselves produce very little real protection; while durable, the fabric is thin and feels flimsy to the touch. If I banged against a rock in these pants, I really don't think it'd be any less painful then without, though a scrape definitely would be better with. I don't mind getting dirty, so I'll take shorts most days. I also really feel as if they look kinda dorky outside of an outdoor environment (it has something to do with the constant "swoosh noise" and definitely with the fact that they look like technical pants, complete with the dull, pallid appearance of the fabric). I slip these on now and then, especially for hot days or when I know it'll rain, but going back, I think in most environment where I'd use these pants, I'd just be more comfortable in a cheap-o pair of mesh shorts.
These pants are extremely light-weight (12 oz.) and very wind and water-resistant. They also dry extremely quickly which is a great quality to have. In this technical sense, they are great, however, I honestly don't find them nearly as comfortable as other pants. Some of this is due to the inner mesh, which feels a little awkward directly against skin (or leg hair...), some of it is due to the fact that the main pockets are incredibly shallow (my phone, a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, has the top 1/3 or so poke out when I try to put it in, and the other zip pocket is low enough that if you put anything of weight in it it stretches the whole of the pants down towards the bottom right), some of it is because I really don't find the pants insulating at all. They definitely wick-away moisture, much better than the Deadpoint pants, for example, but I haven't found any real, substantial insulation to them at all. This is a minor point as well, but the fabric makes that sort of space-age "swoosh" noise when it rubs against itself.
I just haven't been in many situations where the apparent upsides of these pants outweigh the awkwardness of their construction (though there have been a few). If I knew it was going to rain on a hike, I would definitely bring these, as I did when I went to Chota Bangal. Or if I needed a pair of light, travel pants for outdoor summer weather. But, honestly, most times when it would've been hot enough to prefer these over the Deadpoint pants, I've just been much more comfortable in shorts. This is added to by the fact that the pants themselves produce very little real protection; while durable, the fabric is thin and feels flimsy to the touch. If I banged against a rock in these pants, I really don't think it'd be any less painful then without, though a scrape definitely would be better with. I don't mind getting dirty, so I'll take shorts most days. I also really feel as if they look kinda dorky outside of an outdoor environment (it has something to do with the constant "swoosh noise" and definitely with the fact that they look like technical pants, complete with the dull, pallid appearance of the fabric). I slip these on now and then, especially for hot days or when I know it'll rain, but going back, I think in most environment where I'd use these pants, I'd just be more comfortable in a cheap-o pair of mesh shorts.
Wayward Sentinel Shirt
Since purchasing, this has really become my top piece of travel clothing. In hot weather it wicks sweat well (though, for a really sweaty guy like me, in coastal Turkey heat it would get soaked through within two hours but I don't think that's preventable), in cold it insulates. It's light (9.7 oz.) and easy to just stuff in a bag. And, the best part, it's so quick-drying I could wash it with me in the shower after a long day, hang it up inside, and have it be ready to go in 2-3 hours. It dries in the sun in under an hour. I have a completely full range of motion in it and really love the fabric as well for it's stretch. And it looks like a normal shirt! The UPF 50+ treating in this shirt as well as the Insect Shield permethrin treatment show no signs of stopping after six months of use.
There's honestly not too much to say about this shirt, which to me is a great thing. It does exactly what it's supposed to, and it does so very well. This may be the only article of clothing that gets taken on every camping trip I go to, regardless of the season, and it's my go-to casual travel shirt as well. I have too many good things to say about this shirt so I'll stop here. It's also on sale on the OR website with the above link and I can wholeheartedly recommend buying it.
There's honestly not too much to say about this shirt, which to me is a great thing. It does exactly what it's supposed to, and it does so very well. This may be the only article of clothing that gets taken on every camping trip I go to, regardless of the season, and it's my go-to casual travel shirt as well. I have too many good things to say about this shirt so I'll stop here. It's also on sale on the OR website with the above link and I can wholeheartedly recommend buying it.
Conclusion
I don't make a habit out of buying outdoor clothing, mainly because of it's huge cost. I could only afford to pick up these pieces because of prodeals related to the work I'm doing on this gap year. However, these three pieces alone have been enough real, complicated, fancy technical clothing for everything I've done so far, including a ton of hiking and camping in extremely varied climates. Even my least favorite, the Voodoo pants, I bring with me when I travel because of their quick-dry ability. I think if I got one more shirt similar to the Sentinel, I could travel for up to two weeks with only those four pieces and a t-shirt or two and feel comfortable the whole time. I came out of this heavily impressed with the quality of Outdoor Research clothing and recommend, if you haven't so far and are in need of some technical gear, consider buying some as well.