Trail Tales

Outdoor Research Vert Pant

In the previous post I mentioned that Outdoor Research (actually, the sales rep) was kind enough to comp me a pair of Vert Pants to try out, so I thought I would post some comments.  As I also mentioned we are looking for an all around cool weather pant to offer in the store, one that would be suitable for hiking and could also fill in as a lighter duty snowsport pant. My ideal pant would be a comfy softshell for wind and moisture protection, some pockets, some degree of stretch, no gaiters, leg/side zips, cargo pocket or two.
The Vert Pant comes pretty close. On the plus side, they are light softshell outer fabric with a nice soft hand,  a good deal of stretch, hand-warmer pockets and back pocket. The leg bottoms have ankle zips, with a smidge of elastic gathering at the bottom. I don’t usually like elastic bottoms, as I feel they cause the pants to ride up over the boot and bunch up, especially when active. However these stayed in place pulled over my boot tops.

The day I was wearing these it was about 44 degrees, grey and light misting. The pants proved to be sufficient for this, but in colder temp a base layer below would be necessary. I didn’t have the opportunity to test their water resistance (these are not waterproof pants).

The negatives for these pants were that they were really too light for what we are looking for. These seem like they would be great for hiking , trail running, maybe snowshoeing, but not as a ski pant fill in. I wish they had one more pocket, maybe on the thigh for map/compass (I do love pockets!), and I also wish they had a fly – having to pull them down when its chilly out is no fun! The only other drawback is the price – $100 retail. A bit stiff when up against the very comparable Traverse Pant from Patagonia at $75. The Patagonia pant does not have the wicking liner layer that the Vert Pant has, but that didn’t seem to make that much difference to me in warmth, although I would think the Vert pant would do a better job wicking perspiration.

In conclusion, I really liked the comfortable hand and fit of these pant and feel they may still have a place in our store for cool weather high aerobic activities, but not quite what we are looking for at this time. The search goes on!

Update 2/13/10:  I wore these pants snowshoeing (see Six Mile Run post), and they were great. Very comfortable, great snow-shedding. The stretch, combined with the elastic cuff allowed them to stay down over my boot tops and was easily adjusted with the bottom zippers, negating the need for gaiters. Temperature was in the mid to upper 30’s, and with a pair of Patagonia Capilene 3 bottoms underneath, I was plenty toasty.

A grey, cold day. Perfect! I had in mind to take some photos of a marshy pond up in Sterling Forest, and this seemed like the right kind of day. Actually, rainy and misty may have been better, but you can’t have everything! So off I was by 8:30, camera gear in tow. It also seemed like a good opportunity to test out a pair of pants I had just received. We have been searching for a cool weather multi-purpose pant that would be suitable for hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country ski, etc. to offer in the store, and Outdoor Research was kind enough to provide me a pair of their Vert Pant to try out.

By 9:15 I was at my spot. This is actually a very easy, short hike, with the trail right off of County Road 84 which cuts right through Sterling Forest. Driving this road, you pass more then one good photographic locations right off the road, with pull-overs easily spotted.  This is also hunting country, so best to stay out of the deeper woods around here this time of year and be sure to wear plenty of safety orange! A quick loop around the ponds on the yellow trail gave me ample opportunity to get some decent shots, but a peaceful walk in the woods it was not, with truck traffic passing through on 84 making itself heard, a chainsaw running somewhere close by and having to maintain a constant vigil for camo-covered tree stand hugging sharpshooters. It is though, a good destination for bird and water fowl spotting, and the marshy ponds are beaver havens. Evidence of on-going heavy beaver construction is visible all over the ponds. I’m amazed at the over-zealous  nature of these critters, often taking on trees that seem to me a bit ambitious, at best.

On my way back to my car I passed two separate hunters at their vehicles suiting up for the kill. Both asked me if I had seen anything. Not a thing, I told them, with my manliest sounding tone.  I couldn’t help thinking maybe they should head down to Montclair – just this spring we saw a nice sized deer strolling the front lawns of our own busy neighborhood, and a week or two later I flushed a huge turkey out of the bushes right by our front door! But of course, I kept those little tips to myself!

More photos can be seen at here!

Up at 5, look at the clock, look out the window, think to myself I could just get out of bed right now, slip on my running stuff and be off. I fall back asleep instead.
Up again at 8, and this time I actually do it. This is my normal pattern. As much as I would love to be a dawn runner, i don’t think it will ever happen.
But 8 is still nice and early. Its 44 degrees out, beautiful clear sunny morning. Decide on shorts, Patagonia Capilene 1 long sleeve, North Face wind shell, Thermastat knit cap, Powerstretch gloves and of course, my FiveFingers KSO’s – a typical cool morning combination for me. I am always surprised how warm my legs stay even in shorts, but not my hands. The North Face shell has those cool monkey sleeves which help, but below around 45 degrees gloves need to be added.

A quick shot of coffee to get things going, stretch, and I am off. Those first steps in Fivefingers always feel odd – old muscle memories of running in shoes persist but quickly give way to a natural barefoot stride. Right away things feel good. Streets are still leaf covered, but the acorns seem to have subsided, glad to say. Those do tend to be a bit painful if landed on directly and attention needs to be paid to footfall, this time of year. I think that was also true with running shoes, though. I can recall my foot rolling out from under me like stepping on marbles, when I used to run in the fall in shoes.

The rest is pretty routine – usual loop over to Brookdale Park, around and back, approx. 3.75 miles. All good. Brookdale Park is such a great asset to have so close to home. Nice track, ball fields, etc. and a great running loop to get away off the street (The outside perimeter walk/run path  is 1.5 miles for those who wonder). Easy to run strong in this kind of weather and I feel like I do, especially in the FiveFingers. I have definitely improved my strength running barefoot, able to maintain a strong and high leg kick on the rearward upswing, something I have been trying to do ever since watching the Berlin Marathon and noticing that right to the end, when the motorcycle cameras were filming behind the lead runners you could see the soles of their feet, rising high to their buttocks. I feel like this translates into a much stronger push off and is much more natural to do barefoot.

On the road by 8am, not really sure where to go, so west it was. Nice, sunny, warmish morning. Been a while since I was out at the Gap, so that’s where I headed, thinking that if an idea didn’t come to me by the time I was there, my old stand-by hike on the CopperMines Trail would do me fine. Easy drivewith lots of traffic heading the other way, east to NYC. Sukkas!

Off 80 and onto Old Mine Rd when right off the bat I pass the Fairview parking lot for the Beulahland Trail. It’s the first trail head parking you pass on Old Mine Road. Huh, never been on that trail, and a quick pull over to the side of the road to check my trail map shows it joining up with the AT a short ways up. Good enough! A u-turn and I’m parked, loaded up and on the trail and its around 9:15 – not bad. The first section (Beulahland Trail) is a gradual uphill stroll along a wide open trail that must have been an old farm road leading up off of Old Mine Rd.  About 1/2 way up on the left side of the trail you can clearly see ruins of stone wall property dividers. These walls always amaze me – the time and effort it had to take to construct them with nothing but brute force.  I envision a farmer and his draft horse, with maybe a helper or two toiling for weeks, maybe months on these hills, staking out his turf and future. And I wonder how different it all looked then. Very often here in NJ what we nw see as woods were then cleared fields and areas of thriving agriculture, now all gone.

After about 1-1/4 mile the trail meets up with the white blazed AT and the red blazed Holy Springs Trail, which I follow, and shortly meet up with the green blazed Dunnfield Creek Trail. This is a beautiful, secluded trail that follows the Dunnfield Creek. It is very quite today walking through this primordal forest. Lots of photo opportunities, but not today with the early afternoon sun flattening everything out. Great place to come back to when its rainy & misty though! After a long rocky climb uphill, the trail eventually comes to Sunfish Pond, where I encounter a group of  6 or 7 Monks, robes and all, out for a day hike! They were a cheery, boisturous group enjoying the day. From there I followed the AT back to the juncture with the yellow Beulahland Trail I had passed by on my way up, and then retraced my steps back to parking area. Done by around 2 – just the right time to miss that east bound traffic earlier on Route 80. But now it was starting to back up going west, maybe people starting the commute home. Sukkas!

Well, we’re not really sure, but we will let it sort of define itself. Probably a place to talk about our Monday outings, mention new product and events here at the store, whatever. So maybe keep checking in, and hopefully  you’ll get some enjoyment and useful info from what you find!