Switchbacks/zip-offs
Asked a bit before about cargo pants/fatigues and got some good info. Wanted to ask something tangential that looks un-discussed (at least according to the search bar)
Switchbacks/zip-off pants. Generally cargo design/made for hiking/outdoors. Looking for a pair since I had switchback scout pants growing up. After doing some research, it seems hard to find any made of natural fibers.
The standout option (for natural) seems to be: https://tagsafari.com/products/tag-safari-mens-zambezi-convertible-zip-off-cargo-pants?variant=47356041068790 however I don't know the rep of the brand and can't find much discussion online.
REI's Sahara Convertible pants come up, these might be the best straightforward option, recycled nylon/spandex: https://www.rei.com/product/236065/rei-co-op-sahara-convertible-pants-mens?
Lastly, there are just men's scout pants, which says both polyester and cotton, but pretty sure its all polyester: https://www.scoutshop.org/boy-scout-mens-polyester-microfiber-switchback-relaxed-fit-pants-612141.html
Any thoughts on other options? Anyone have experience with the Tag Safari brand? Says made in Africa and built for the safari, so it seems like it should be decent build quality?
8 Replies
Tbh I wouldn't worry about fabric composition here. The vast majority of zipoffs that are worth buying are from outdoor companies using technical fabrics. REI makes good stuff but I don't like spandex, I would shop around their site for other options.
As a boy scout dropout I do have a soft spot for the BSA pants - for a time, the switchbacks were a cotton/poly blend that feels kinda similar to OG-507s. It seems they still sell that style for womens pants but you might need to hop on ebay to find them in mens sizes
There are people who are as big geeks about that as there are about milsurp so I'm sure info about production years/styles/whatever is out there
Thanks for the reply. I was mainly worrying about fabric composition from the perspective of just not wanting polyester/micro-plastic producing clothing in general. I generally look for non-poly options, but I do see the trend is technical fabrics that utilize manmade materials. Do you think the technical benefits of these fabrics are important enough to really prioritize?
if you're looking for specific functionalities or aesthetics, synthetic materials are sometimes the only option.
Cotton dries relatively quickly, but it isn't water resistant. You can use DWR to make it water resistant, but the chemical wash from that is just as if not worse for the environment as synthetic waste water.
If you're looking for gorpy granola outdoorsy pants with natural materials tho u should check out gramicci. They usually use cotton or hemp or other natural materials for most items (but they arent claiming to have sweat wicking moisture resistant tech either)
I understand where you're coming from with regard to micro plastics. It's less about the benefits of these fabrics, and more that the companies that make this style of pants are not using natural fibers.
definitely get that. was essentially just seeing what I could fine given that most stuff in this area uses synthetics. and yeah DWR would just be another form of the same issue. Thanks for the brand rec, will check them out!
got it, and that is what ive seen. just wanted to see if others had seen that or if there was anything i was missing (or if anyone had used the african brand! tho knew that was a low chance)
i figure i went so long with a cotton blend in the scout pants working, and people have gotten buy doing outdoorsy stuf before the invention of poly-materials, that i can make do with natural fibers if i can find someone who makes a pair of pants in em. im also not pushing to the extreme edge of activity, so the min maxxing of synthetics is something i think i wont miss out on too much by going with cotton. not trying to climb everest
I get stuck with not finding anything close to what I want once I figure out what I want. I've started looking into custom options before.
Check out Rayon as a material though - I think it is a poly-ish material but made from bamboo.... not sure if it counts as natural after the level of processing though. I kinda wonder if anyone is doing wool though, as it is getting popular for the water resistance. Darn Tough for socks is an example of wool getting popular especially for underlayers.
Anyway, yeah, I've found outdoor gear going hard for plastics, but if you aren't ready to try custom see if you can find someone doing rayon or wool ... I can't promise anything but you already looked for linen and cotton.
i would be open to trying rayon. for this i probably wouldnt look into custom, but as a general approach i might look into it more
im a big darn tough stan