The Stretchiest, Comfiest Hiking Pants

The Outdoor Research Ferrosi Pants are a lightweight, stretchy, comfortable, and weather-resistant pair of all-purpose hiking pants.

• Price: $99
• Weight: 10.7 oz
• Material: 86% 90D Ripstop Nylon, 14% spandex
• Pockets: 2 hand, 2 back (1 zippered), 1 thigh
• Sustainability: 46% recycled materials, bluesign approved
• Avg Review Score at REI: 4.2/5
• Fit: Standard
• Pros: Very Stretchy. Very comfortable. Breathable. Water/Wind resistant. UPF 50.
• Cons:  Only one thigh pocket. Thigh pocket is too small. Scoop-style hand pockets can be difficult to reach into.

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Features:

The most important thing going for Ferrosi Pants is their stretchiness, thanks to 14% Spandex. Seriously, these pants are significantly more stretchy than the average hiking pants, and the stretchiest in our wardrobe. And all without sacrificing too much durability thanks to the 90d ripstop nylon. That said, they are more prone to snagging on pokey objects than other hiking pants.

The material is also quick drying, water resistant, somewhere in between a soft shell and hiking pants. If we had to choose, these would be our pick for comfiest hiking pants.

Outdoor Research Ferrosi Pants offer cuff and built-in-waistband adjustment, but we hardly use either because they fit so well to begin with. We dislike the built-in waist band adjustment cords, as they get caught in the fly and are inferior to a belt in virtually every way.

Previous versions of Ferrosi have had issues with the waistband getting over stretched,  but the most recent iteration has solved this problem. Now it only has a little give, and a comparable amount to other pants. It might go up half a size, if at all, with long term use.

Notably, the hand pockets are scoop-style, which help secure the contents and prevent them from sliding out in the event that they become horizontal. This is a climbing friendly design. But on the flip side, they are much more difficult to reach in and out of, as the top of the scoop pocket frictions your hand each time. In a similar vein, the zippered back pocket is slightly uncomfortable to reach into it as the zipper scrapes on the back of your hand. Both minor issues, but worth calling out.

One easy, and in our opinion obvious, opportunity to improve the design would be increasing the size of the thigh pocket, and adding a second one on the other thigh. Cargo pockets may come and go in and out of style, but for pure functionality on the trail, they are a “yes please.” Even with its small size, the Ferrosi’s cargo pocket is still useful for storing small things like lip balm or a tube of sunscreen.

If you like Ferrosi Pants, know that they are also available as convertibles.

Verdict:

We’ve been wearing various iterations of the Outdoor Research Ferrosi Pants for over a decade, all over the world, and they’ve never let us down. They’re extremely comfortable, plenty durable, and easy to move in. Highly recommended!