The mountains are a fickle place. Too hot, too cold, incredibly sunny, raging winds, all the weather that makes packing sometimes damn near impossible. Especially when you want to be prepared for all the things. When the mountains can’t make up their damn minds, there’s the Outdoor Research Whirlwind Hoody.
When I flew into Oslo for my Norway trip, one of the first things I did was pop into the Norrøna flagship store in Sentrum. I couldn’t pass up a trip to see Norrøna in real life! They’re finally making their way to the United States for Spring 2019.
I told myself I would only try things on and wait to buy stuff back home because of the exchange rate. But then I saw the Norrøna bitihorn pants in Hot Chili aka bright, obnoxious orange, and I had to have it. Backcountry definitely did not have this color in stock.
When I’m traveling anywhere, doesn’t matter where, I always bring two things: cosmetics and electronics. And those are two things that I’m really bad at keeping organized. Items always end up stuffed haphazardly wherever they fit or where I can easily reach for security checkpoints. For a while I was stealing my boyfriend’s Eagle Creek pouch, but he eventually wanted it back. When I discovered the Chums Latitude accessory cases, it was a match made in heaven.
If you’re a regular Little Grunts visitor, you know that I love when gear is versatile enough for my office and for outdoor adventures. Cue Outlier, a Brooklyn-based company that makes tailored performance clothing. I got my hands on a pair of the Outlier Daily Riding Pants to test out.
Made of Schoeller DrySkin, these are an incredibly breathable pair of pants that allow for tons of stretch and movement. These are designed for biking, but I’m disastrous with anything requiring wheels and balance, so I did what I do best and hit the trails instead!
These do a great job of repelling light rain. Water just beads up and rolls right off. They won’t fare so well during torrential downpours. But if you’re getting caught in some inclement weather on your way in to work, these ensure that you don’t roll up looking like you just peed your pants.
These also shed dirt and debris quite easily. I always end up rolling around in dirt and climbing in trees while detouring. Give the pants a quick brush and they’re looking like new.
A couple cons? You might want to go a size up from your regular size. These are skin-tight, like, put something in your pocket and everyone-can-really-see-the-bulge tight. This also leads to occasional camel-toe that needs adjusting. These also have a pretty stiff waistband. If you’re prone to eating too many cookies like me, you might also want to size up for a bit more comfort.
Overall, these are a great pair of pants. At $198, they’re a little pricey but the best part is you can wear them all the time and get your money’s worth. The office, the streets, the trails, all are viable playgrounds for the Outlier Daily Riding Pants.
Buy through Outlier via their website!
Pictured above outside Google HQ with the Ahnu Sugarpine Waterproof Hiking Boots, REI Flash 18 Pack
, Outdoor Research Enchainment Jacket, and NW Alpine Black Spider Hoody.
This was sent to me for review.
I’ve been drooling over Outdoor Research Incandescent Hooded Jacket after seeing it in various email blasts and gear sites. When Outdoor Research contacted me about participating in #ORInsightLab (What is it? Whitney and Dave explain!), I was lucky enough to have the Incandescent Hooded Jacket arrive at my door. I’m addicted to down jackets; I can’t help it!