The Especial Pant is the top pants from FlyLow. They are made from the latest, exclusive NeoShell membrane from Polartec. This membrane is highly breathable, waterproof and 99.9 percent windproof! The material is also stretchy, which makes them very comfortable to wear. They have 1000 denier Cordura reinforcement on the knees and trouser legs, making them extremely robust. They have long ventilation zippers on the sides and two short ones on the inside above the knee. Pockets at the front and back.
Test conditions:
10 C° to -15 C°, in rain, snow and sunshine. I always wore long underpants (200 gram Icebreaker) underneath. The pants were mainly worn for touring, but also tested on some freeride days.
Material:
NeoShell membrane from Polartec, very comfortable to wear and breathes well! I wore the pants on a tour when I had to walk for 3 hours in the rain - the pants were absolutely waterproof. On cold days, I never got cold, even if I had to stand for a long time without moving. The Cordura reinforcement on the knees and trouser legs is almost too thick for me personally. The material here is very stiff and inflexible, which makes the trousers seem a bit stubborn. On the other hand, they are of course super robust and almost indestructible in these areas!
Ventilation:
The zippers inside and outside have convinced me! The ventilation works perfectly. Even on really warm days, you can ensure a good draught here...
The zippers are high-quality, waterproof YKK zippers that open and close easily. There is no mesh sewn into the ventilation slits, which I personally prefer as it really allows air to circulate. The zippers go from the hips to the knee on the outside and about 15 cm upwards from the knee on the inside.
Pockets:
Here's my biggest criticism: there are pockets at the front and back, each with a zipper. Unfortunately, the zippers at the front are so short that I can barely get my hand in. It's particularly difficult when your hands are wet and cold. I personally find the pockets at the back unnecessary, as I usually find it uncomfortable when these pockets are stuffed full and you have to sit on them. A large pocket at the front of the thigh would be desirable, for example to store a ski touring map.
Fit + cut:
I am 1.89 m and rather slim. I tested size L pants. I could probably have worn an XL. The L fits me perfectly at the hips and can also be easily adjusted to the respective hip circumference with Velcro. The leg length of the L could have been a little longer for me. Overall, the pants are cut rather wide and the trouser legs fit well over any boots.
Conclusion
If you're looking for durable and solid ski touring and freeride trousers that don't look like ski touring trousers, this is a good choice! The cut is contemporary and, thanks to the stretch properties of the material, you won't have any problems with hairpin bends if the pants are worn a little baggy. The robust Cordura inserts on the trouser legs ensure that even crampons can't damage the trousers.
The only drawback is the pockets, which could be a bit bigger, at least for me. Otherwise, "double thumbs up" for these pants.
Advantages:
+ wide cut
+ stretchy fabric
+ very good ventilation
+ good breathability
+ very robust
Drawbacks:
- narrow pockets
- no leg pocket
- Cordura inserts quite thick
Product details
RRP: €400,-
Available sizes: M, L, XL
Fit: baggy cut with pronounced knee boxes
- 3-layer pants with Polartec NeoShell membrane
- 1000 denier Cordura knee reinforcement and edge protection
- four zippered pockets at the front and back
- four ventilation slits for optimal ventilation
