Welcome back to week two of my gear series. Each week, I post why choose pieces of gear, as well as showcase what I use when on the mountain.

I am fortunate enough to have stockpiled multiples pieces throughout the years, but I try my hardest to look secondhand before buying new. This helps bring down the cost, as well as offers a new life to a piece of equipment that might have been otherwise been thrown into the landfill.

Here is a look into the pants that I currently have in my gear closet:

Saga Oxford Pants – Women’s

These are my main pants. I will be wearing these the majority of the time because I use them for downhill skiing. I purchased them on a killer summer sale straight from Saga back when they were headquarter in Utah. And I have gotten a lot of use out of them.

While they are snow pants, they kind of have a feel of just normal pants. It is more of a cloth fabric rather than a slick outer shell, but I have never had problems with waterproofing. The fabric is feels thick and durable for when it’s cold outside. Or if I am falling repeatedly. Or both.

They are also insulated, so I never have to wear more than light leggings underneath them while skiing.

I love that they are a neutral color that isn’t black. Not that I don’t love black, but I am definitely more of a colorful gal when it comes to ski outerwear. The khaki goes with pretty much anything if I choose to wear a different jacket or a sweatshirt.

The pants have net vents on the inside of the leg in case you get a little warm, and the bottom of the legs have extra fabric to reinforce the fabric in the case your ski edge slices them up.

While the sizing is a little off in the waist area, they do have a velcro/elastic system to cinch the waist a little bit. However, I usually opt to wear a belt with them for it to sit correctly on my hips.

Purchased from: Saga Outerwear Site

Size: Medium

My favorite features: insulated, neutral khaki color

Arc’Teryx Shashka Pant

I know that Arc’teryx is not the most budget friendly brand, but I found these at a local outdoor thrift store, and it was meant to be.

It was a good deal.

I had just bought all my touring gear, and I needed more breathable pants for skinning up mountains.

And they were relatively my size. So I bought them.

They weren’t a need, but a want, and I splurged.

They are uninsulated, so they are perfect for hiking up mountains to ski down. The vents go all the way from the waist to the knee (wide open!). They have large pockets on both of the legs, and small one at the waist. Additionally, they have great reinforced bottom legs.

Not to mention, all the uninsulated bibs I could find that weren’t new or super pricey were all black… at least these were a little more colorful with the navy blue.

As for the size, I like how wide the legs are because it’s not constricting while I am moving, but I do wish the waist was a little smaller, and I’m leaning towards altering it to have a nice snug fit.

Purchased from: Headwall Sports in Jackson Hole

Size: Medium

My favorite features: uninsulated (for ski touring), reinforced at bottom of leg, wide open vents

Moral of the story: invest in nice pants that will last you a while or check local thrift shops for quality gear in good condition.

Your nacforadventurer, and colorful pants advocate,

AJ