First Gear TPG Textile Pants

[Pliskin]

Some folks on this site are great at providing product reviews. Me, not so much. I'll do my best.

I ordered these pants from New Enough recently. Arrived in about 4 days.

These are an over-pant. I ordered them to my normal jean size. I'm a 40" waste, and 30-31" inseam. Although they make this product in a "short" size, which would give me the 30" inseam, I've learned that I prefer my pants an inch or too longer so they stay well over my boots (which are 9.5" high). The pants fit me perfectly, so if you order, I would say order to size. The pant that I ordered was a 40 regular, which comes with a 32" inseam. Exactly what I wanted.

I am kind of partial to First Gear, mainly due to the quality, fit and finish. I have yet to buy a bad product from them. These pants didn't disappoint. Zippers all zipped smoothly, stitches were nice, with no threads hanging off, over-stitching or anything like that. The zippers are sealed, so I will presume these are waterproof, although I did not test them in the rain.

There is a removable lining that looks as if it would keep you warm in 20 degree temperature. This thing was like snow pants. It was thick, but it it didn't limit my movement. Removing the lining was a simple task -a few zippers, a couple of snaps - but the pants still feel a bit heavy.

There are Velcro waist straps, allowing for a secure fit. Even those of us with big bellies.

They also have CE armor in the hips and knees, so I don't think you need to order separate armor.

The pant leg zips up (not entirely) but enough so that you should be able to do whatever is necessary with your boots.

(I'll also note that these pants came with yellow highlights, and happen to match my bike, so that's a nice bonus. Seems that yellow apparel is harder to come by than say red or blue).

I'm not much for riding in weather below 40, but do ride in the 40 to 50 degree range often enough. These pants, in my opinion, are definitely a cool weather pant. There are only 2 small ventilation zippers on each thigh. I suspect that if the temperature was above 50, it would be really warm with the lining in. With the lining out, I still don't know if I'd want to wear them above 60 degrees. They felt that warm to me. (I've used mesh pants with one of the "flimsy" liners in them when the temp was 50 degrees damp out, and I always felt plenty warm. So I suspect the TPG Textile pants would be even warmer).

One bummer, unless I'm losing my mind, is they don't have a Velcro closure at the bottom of the legs. Hard to believe that a pant like this doesn't have that where you can really cinch it down on your boots.

Overall, I think they are a great pant, made for cool weather, and presumably are waterproof. The fit and finish were great.

I'd recommend these if the above suits your style.

I'm not a sponsor of New Enough (although I do like dealing with them), but I know they have them on closeout right now for $170. Previously were $250.

Hope this helps a little.

[SilverSurfer800]

Thanks for the preview. I just purchased these pants to match my First Gear jacket which is of excellent quality. The pants arrive on Tuesday so my first ride will be Wednesday during my commute. My concern was with the length as well. I'm thinking i should have bought the "tall" version as my current pants are "just long enough" at a 32" inseam but ride up in full tuck. they must be better than the Joe Rocket Ballistics i have; these pant self destructed twice during the warranty period. the first pair lost the zippers and liner in the crotch within 3 months. These were replaced under warranty for free but the second pair did exactly the same thing in the same amount of time. I will NEVER buy Rocket pants again...

Once again, thanks for the preview!