The Argali Clothing Project

[Brad@Argali]

Brad I'm a 33" waist; the 34" fits pretty well, but a 33" would fit better—not sure if I could have squeezed into a 32 or not?

There is some bagginess at the waist area w/ the 34 for me (this is w/ the Vesper, hasn't been cool enough to try the Torex yet).

That makes sense. Our sizing is true to fit, meaning a 34" waist is supposed to be exactly 34" in circumference. We have had a few testers outside of Rokslide that are in between sizes, and the common theme has been that the fit works with a belt or suspenders well. Not defending anything here, but all the big players also only offer even sizes. We will for sure offer odd sizing down the road!

The honest truth is I'm certainly trying as much as I can to offer the greatest variety of sizes possible, but every size/color option adds a significant amount of cost, and as we launch into clothing I'm doing everything I can to make it work for as many people as possible while trying to keep it manageable for our business.

We don't have private equity or corporate backers, so we're doing what we can and it's great to hear the feedback on sizing because it does shape where we go in the future and what we offer!

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

@Brad@Argali are you using spandex/lycra? And if so, what percent are you using in the pants? In my experience the magic number is under 10% spandex. Over 10% it seems to hold onto moisture. That 5% - 7% spandex seems like the sweet spot.

 

[Brad@Argali]

@Brad@Argali are you using spandex/lycra? And if so, what percent are you using in the pants? In my experience the magic number is under 10% spandex. Over 10% it seems to hold onto moisture. That 5% - 7% spandex seems like the sweet spot.

I agree with your take on elastane/spandex percentages as a general rule of thumb. The Vesper is 96% nylon/4% Elastane and the Torex is about 90/10 polyester/Elastane. I was concerned about the Torex elastane percentage when we started testing it, but we have not had any issues with it not recovering or bagging out. I wore the same pair of Torex pants for 13 days in AK this year and they were wet every day and dried out surprisingly fast. The other thing that comes into play is whether it is a nylon/elastane fabric since nylon absorbs water where polyester is naturally hydrophobic.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

I agree with your take on elastane/spandex percentages as a general rule of thumb. The Vesper is 96% nylon/4% Elastane and the Torex is about 90/10 polyester/Elastane. I was concerned about the Torex elastane percentage when we started testing it, but we have not had any issues with it not recovering or bagging out. I wore the same pair of Torex pants for 13 days in AK this year and they were wet every day and dried out surprisingly fast. The other thing that comes into play is whether it is a nylon/elastane fabric since nylon absorbs water where polyester is naturally hydrophobic.

Thanks Brad. This is music to my ears. I love the 4% in the nylon light weight version. Yes, poly absorbs much less water.

 

[Bad Apple]

I'm with you. One of my pet peeves is elastic in waist bands. I'm hyper focues on a waist band that fits well even after a week of wear under a hip belt.

I really hope you nail this as I usually use Prana stretch Zion from early to late season and just add base layers under it. My biggest complaint is the waist band stretches out over 4 ish days. Usually to the point I need a belt to keep the pants on vs carrying an extra set of pants.

Yes, internal belt on Zion’s starts off slightly snug then maxed out by day 3 and loose day 4/5 ish.

 

[Bad Apple]

Just curious, what’s the use case for single chest pockets on light weight base/mid layers?

I think it depends on personal preference. I use them for elk reeds during archery elk season, but that's about it. Some people use them for other small items as well. Some people, like you, don't ever use them. I'm listening to what people have to say on this. So far the feedback we have received is that a lot of people like the option of having it, or it doesn't matter one way or the other to them. Haven't had a lot of people say they dislike it altogether, but I'll be listening to what you all say.

Woof I would prefer the weight saving as compared to a zippered pocket under the bino harness that would be my 2 cents. Plus anything with weight would stretch out the pocket

 

[Brad@Argali]

I really hope you nail this as I usually use Prana stretch Zion from early to late season and just add base layers under it. My biggest complaint is the waist band stretches out over 4 ish days. Usually to the point I need a belt to keep the pants on vs carrying an extra set of pants.

Yes, internal belt on Zion’s starts off slightly snug then maxed out by day 3 and loose day 4/5 ish.

I hear you. Part of the challenge is that over a 5 day period our waists will change size if you're really burning calories. But so far I've tested this pretty extensively and measured the waist band pre and post hunt and it just doesn't stretch out. You will likely still need some type of belt or suspenders to keep your pants on your hips with a heavy pack, but that's not a function of your pants stretching out and has more to do with the hip belt pushing down.

 

[Brad@Argali]

Woof I would prefer the weight saving as compared to a zippered pocket under the bino harness that would be my 2 cents. Plus anything with weight would stretch out the pocket

It doesn't sit directly under the bino harness...it's off to the side. The stretch I don't think will be an issue.

 

[mtwarden]

Got to try out the Torex pants on a three day trip. One the way in it was pretty warm, 50’s. Just boxers on and opened up the vents—perfect. The next morning it was in the mid 20’s—wore long johns (Kuiu Pelton 97, sadly discontinued) with the Torex—again perfect. It warmed again and opened the vents. I found one nick with mesh, you can’t open up zipped long johns without dropping your pants.

I went through a shit ton of blowdown on this trip and am so far impressed with the durability. They also allowed pretty full motion getting over/under/around the blowdown.

The DWR worked really well, but they were brand new too.

 

[mtwarden]

Also three days, about ten miles of hard hiking/day with a pack on and didn’t notice any stretching in the waist.

 

[fngTony]

Got to try out the Torex pants on a three day trip. One the way in it was pretty warm, 50’s. Just boxers on and opened up the vents—perfect. The next morning it was in the mid 20’s—wore long johns (Kuiu Pelton 97, sadly discontinued) with the Torex—again perfect. It warmed again and opened the vents. I found one nick with mesh, you can’t open up zipped long johns without dropping your pants.

I went through a shit ton of blowdown on this trip and am so far impressed with the durability. They also allowed pretty full motion getting over/under/around the blowdown.

The DWR worked really well, but they were brand new too.

Just leave the base layer zipped down so when you open the vents on the pants it’s a straight shot.

 

[mtwarden]

Good idea

 

[fngTony]

Good idea

I have one every few years