Review: Arborwear Cedar Flex

Last year I destroyed my favorite pants, ripping out the backside as I bootie-scooted down a steep scree field below Mt. Cowan. I’d needed mobility for the climb, which meant I had to sacrifice durability on the descent—thick, tear-resistant pants just don’t bend where you need ’em to, right? Wrong, I discovered, when I slipped on the latest addition to the Arborwear lineup, the Cedar Flex pant. Burly as a standard pair of work pants, but stretchy all over, these babies have become my go-to trousers whenever I expect adversity. They’re not water-resistant or quick-drying, so they don’t belong on the river; but they lard my legs during every other activity: hiking, biking, climbing, you name it. I’ll even wear them to the gym if I don’t feel like running home to change—I can do everything from squats to lunges without thwarting my thighs or creasing up the crotch. One pant for damn near everything? That’s my kinda product. $80; arborwear.com.