Outdoor Research has always been one of the favorite clothing lines here at Gearflogger HQ, for good reason. Their apparel is clearly designed for people who actually use their technical clothing for technical things – that would be you, gearfloggers! The latest fan fave: the award-winning OR Balebreaker pants. What are they good for? Well, pretty much everything.
Balebreaker pants start with a clean design, just two front medium-depth pockets, two open rear pockets and a clever integrated belt. The pockets are mesh-backed so they function as vents, although the material – 97% nylon/3% spandex – does a pretty good job all by itself. The material beefy, easily withstanding trail use, and the hems are doubled up so they won’t have you looking like a castaway anytime soon. Bonus: the extra stitching makes it easy to fold the hems up if you want a little extra shortness in the legs for climbing or biking or puddle-jumping.
The pants are rated UPF 50 for days in the sun, and they have just a little stretch in them so when worn they feel a lot like the OR Ferrosi material, which is a big plus in our book. The belt is a hook with a few loops that provides just the right amount of adjustment, and there are belt loops if you really want to go that route – we never felt we had to, but hey, maybe you have stuff you need to belt-carry or whatever.
The flat seams sit comfortably under a harness, and the look of the Balebreakers is good enough you can wear them from the office to the crag to an evening out. So to wrap up, we’ve got some high-performance pants that do everything well. Go break some bales!