REI schoeller pants

[Alpine_Tom]

The evil empire's fall sale catalog came in the mail the other day, and they've got their Mistral schoeller pants on sale for $75. Apparently it's mandatory now, so I guess I need a pair, and this is a pretty good price.

I've heard various things about some brands pilling and whatnot; does anyone have any experience with REI’s schoeller, plus or minus?

 

[Lambone]

I like them, bought mine for $100. I have had them for about a year and they are starting to "pill," but that doesn't bother me much.

 

The little velco tab on the ankle came part....

[lI1|1!]

i thought all schoeller fabric was made by the same company in germany (named schoeller oddly enough) and the different brands cut and sewed it into their product.

[cj001f]

lI1|1! said:

i thought all schoeller fabric was made by the same company in germany (named schoeller oddly enough) and the different brands cut and sewed it into their product.

Oh and next your going to tell me that all Polartec is made by the same people!

[Lambone]

It is. Scholler is a company, like Gore.

 

REI uses Scholler Dryskin in those pants. It is the lighterweight/less durable kind.

[Ursa_Eagle]

REI uses Schoeller Dynamic in their pants.

 

Having said that, I have a pair, and I love them. I got the Buckskin color (tan), and I wore them all summer while climbing. I have a black pair of dynamic pants that I wear in the winter. They pill up a little, but it's not bad (and is to be expected). I'd say go for it.

[Lambone]

ooops, your right.

 

Dryskin is the tough stuff Patagonia uses in Guide Pants.

[layton]

buy the MEC Feretta pants. They are about the same price, cut much much better, have better pocket placemwnt, and are made of Dryskin Extreme which is much more durable. They rule

[cracked]

Lambone said:

ooops, your right.

 

Dryskin is the tough stuff Patagonia uses in Guide Pants.

But the Guide Pants suck! Don't buy scholler.

[cj001f]

Lambone said:

Dryskin is the tough stuff Patagonia uses in Guide Pants.

Pasttense -

Now they use some propreitary junk (which may be the same, who knows).

[russ]

cracked said:

[but the Guide Pants suck! Don't buy scholler.

 

I've got 2 different types of Schoeller pants and they're both great. For winter use Mammut Castors - which combines schoeller with a breathable membrane rule. For warm weather skiing and climbing BD Alpine pants have worked well thru 3 years of use.

 

Just don't get a lighter style pants and expect them to work best in all conditions/all temperatures.

[Ursa_Eagle]

the Black REI pants will work great for x-c skiing, light climbing, snowshoeing, etc in the winter. Don't expect to wear them in the summer, black is too friggin' hot! Also, it'd have to be in warmer temps (20's or above) because the fabric is thin (otherwise, go with polypro underneath). REI screwed up majorly by not continuing with the tan dynamic pants, they're perfect for summer climbing (and I haven't seen them around since early spring.)

[Beck]

for high altitude Northwest winter stuff, try the think Scholler WB400, it is a fleecey, softshelled warm fabric with a WB as well. SUPER stretchy fabric, wow. warm enough for sitting on chairlifts, great for 7,000 feet and above mid winter... this is NOT a four season soft shell fabric, more like one and a half to three season...

[cracked]

The warmer fabrics aren't versatile enough. WB400 would be perfect for really nasty conditions, but what about when the approach is in the warm woods, but once you hit treeline it gets cold and windy? I think a better system would be EPIC pants, combined with polypro long johns, and a pair of 100 weight fleece pants. Windproof, warm, versatile, and light.

[Jens]

I bought the REI pants made from Schoeller Dynamic fabric you are talking about 5 months ago. They were on sale for 69 bucks.

I love em. They have been light enough to wear sport climbing and have still worked great in light snow on Rainier.

Cloudveil is selling the exact same pant for $165. I am pretty sure some sweatshop is ordering the bulk fabric from the Swiss and then sewing pant orders for various outdoor brands as is the case with most of our clothing.

My only complaint is that the zippers on the pockets seem to work their way open while I am climbing to let snow in. Does anyone know how I can keep them closed without sewing them shut?

 

[Beck]

take a pair of needlenose pliers and squeeze the tracks on each side of the slider that the zipper teeth run thru, if you do it to tight, wedge a knife in a pry open a skosh, it's pretty easy.

 

[marylou]

Jens,

 

You are right insofar as the manufacturers all basically use the same factories in Asia. The Mistral pant is dasigned by an REI designer and the fabric can be sourced by a couple of different entities. The pants *may* have been made in one of the factories in Canada that REI uses. A lot of the Powerstretch stuff is made up there, as is the One jacket.

 

FWIW REI does do a pretty good job with inspections and whatnot in foreign factories. At least for now you won't find REI Brand stuff being made in the countries with the very worst labor situations, and they have inspections to check for abuses and underage workers.

 

That said, I wish they still made their apparel here, like they used to.