It's great having a guy like Spenser Tang-Smith as a part of the blurr ambassador team and even better when we can send him a piece of gear, have him live with it for a bit and then come back to us raving. Who knew he liked trousers so much, here are some words and photos he sent through recently:
From Spenser --
I want to talk about pants.
I don’t often talk about pants, because I don’t often think about pants. I see them as strictly utilitarian. They are meant to cover my underwear, and protect my legs, to some extent, from abrasion and cold. I only really notice pants if they aren’t working properly.
Over the past 6 months, I’ve been wearing exactly 3 different pants for approximately 90% of my days, and none of them are worse for the wear. Each pair allows for unrestricted movement, waist adjusting, and infrequent washing.
I’ve never said this publicly before: I love these pants.
The gaudy green board shorts are super-flexible and durable, and quick-drying. The grey pants may look skinny, but they’re gusseted in just the right places to allow me to do sun salutations in them (and boulder problems).
But this is my go to pair:
First and foremost, corduroys are, by far, the most comfortable rugged pant you can get. They’re warmer and stretchier than denim, and they’re ribbed, which is cool even if the ribbing is irrelevant to their functionality. If you’ve never worn cords before, go get you some.
Corduroys tend to be warmer than jeans or other pants of similar weight. Pants that are too hot are no good either, and I’ve noticed that I don’t immediately overheat when there’s a hike I have to do.
Spain was incredibly fun, but a bit chilly. The first 3 or 4 days were downright cold, with temps in the 40s-50s during the day accompanied by 40 mph gusts that would rob any exposed skin of warmth and moisture. It was mandatory down jacket weather at night, or between climbs. The cords kept me warm. But even when the weather improved, I wore them. I tell no lie when I say I wore them every day for 2 1/2 weeks.
One more thing about pants, or really, about things in general: I really dislike items that only have one use. In our never-ending quest to live simpler, more flexible lives, we have sought out the most versatile and durable things possible. This applies to clothing too, and being able to wear the same pair of pants for a day at the crag and an evening at a French restaurant is what made me fall in love with a pair of pants for the very first time.
