Today we're going to be looking at the
Mountain Hardwear
AP-5 pants.
Here we have Mountain Hardwear's
latest ap
pant variation this is the AP-5 and
as the name implies
it has five pockets. What's really
cool about the ap pants
and the reason they're so popular
they're great outdoor multi-use
pants with durable construction
and high performance features. Packing wise it
came in a basic plastic bag which we
already removed
so while I open up the pants let's go
over these specifications.
Retail on this is $90 and it's available in
multiple colors. What we have here today
is the dark storm variation they also
have brighter colors like
rust which is a bright orange. It's
available in various sizes as well this
is the 32 by 32.
What's really cool about this is the
material this uses a
sanded nylon cotton canvas and it's
actually stretchable too
so it provides a little bit more comfort
when you're walking around or doing
hikes or climbing. It's UPF
50 rated as well so great for hiking and
high sun as well it has a secure thigh
pocket which is
pretty cool feature. The five pockets
are the standard
waist pockets you have the thigh pocket
here which is right on the seam
with a zipper, and you have two pockets
on the back
one with a zipper and one without. You
also get the cool little
change pocket with the right side which
is a feature I always like.
It also has a cinch cord at the cuff
so you can see here when we go all the
way to the bottom it has a little
elastic cord here.
This is really nice especially for
cycling you can keep your pants out
of the chain without using a
another strap or add-on. It also has a
fully gusseted seat
another really cool feature if you're
bike commuting so if you open up the
bottom of the pants you can see there's
a gusset here instead of a seam running
through it.
This ensures you have less discomfort
especially on a saddle.
Now let's take a look at the fit and
finish of the AP-5 pants. What's really
cool about these pants is they're really
designed for outdoor use
and with that the construction material
choice really matches.
Right out of the packaging I
like the feel of this
this is called a sanded nylon cotton
canvas
and it almost has a kind of a rough
texture to it but still smooth.
It has a little bit of stretch ability
too so still comfortable
the cut on the pants as well as a
standard fit
with a very slight taper in here it's
not a straight cut so it's not super
baggy but it's baggy enough that it's
still quite comfortable.
Now starting from the top you have your
belt loops
which all feel like they're pretty well
designed you see the seam work on here
is really nice
everything is secured so if you look
closely anytime there's a
opening or zipper there's a little extra
seam here so this ensures that they
won't rip open over time.
You get five pockets here which is
really nice and that's the AP-5 part.
What's cool about the pockets is
when you look on the inside
so they're all vented at least the top
pockets are.
You can see both of the waist pockets
have this nice meshing to it
and that provides a little air
recirculation too on warmer weather days.
Same thing with the back pockets you can
see fairly well sized
with the right side being zippered
and the left side not being zippered. You
get the mount hardware logo here
that also the logo extends also to
the button so that's a really nice
little subtle design touch that gives it
a little bit of personality.
Now the color here is pretty dark and
what I like about this is
there's a pair of pants you can wear in
the office you can wear hiking
or bike commuting. I think it's designed
well enough that it can fit anywhere.
As you go down the pants you can see
the other really important feature the
gusseting here.
Especially if you're a bike commuter
this is usually where you get a little
bit of chafing with a seam right on the
saddle
so with this design it's
more comfortable and
more durable as well. They also offer
a short version of this
which is one reason I thought they had a
seam here but that short seam is
actually a little bit higher
so there's a separate seam here and that
helps with the mobility
of the pants. As we go down there's
another cool feature
so you can see the bottom of these
actually have an elastic
band so you can adjust this and just
like you would when you're cycling and
adding
a little ankle cuff you can use this to
flip this over
and tighten it down and prevent your
pants to get stuck in the chain. So nice
little subtle feature.
One thing to note is that there are no
real reflective elements here
like other bike commuting
specific pants which have reflective
elements on the inside.
Those are missing here since it's
more of a outdoor pants.
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In terms of day-to-day use we found the
AP-5 pants to be really comfortable,
we used them both hiking and on errands
and because of the
looser fit and the more durable material
they don't really restrict your motion.
As well as the additional pockets really
help to store any gear you need.
They are a little bit warmer so I don't
recommend them on a hot day
and they don't pack quite as thin as a
dedicated hiking pants would.
Now with the gusseted seat design
they're also very comfortable commuting
and again because of the looser fit they
don't really restrict your motion.
We also like the cuff design as
they don't get stuck in the chain.
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Now let's give the AP-5 pants a final
score. We're going to grade them on four
different categories: design,
sizing, comfort and value. In terms of
design I would give an A.
A lot of thoughtful details here from
the simple bun design
to the vented pockets and the gusseted
seat so there's a lot of durability here.
Sizing we would give it an A. We had the
32-32
and it fit pretty well as it as the
other pants fit.
This is a more standard fit it's not
quite a straight cut as a slight taper
to it.
Comfort wise i'd give it an A, the little
bit looser fit gives you all-day comfort
and I really like the fabric as you can
wear this on or off the trail
and into the office as well with the
simple design.
Value-wise i'd give it a B+, these
are really durable
but they don't have all the commuter
specific details like reflective
elements that we'd like for commuter
pants and they're a little bit thicker
for a dedicated hiking pants
so it's definitely more of a do it all
type of pants that'd be great for
traveling as well.
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