Having the proper winter gear is essential and especially convenient to Cedar City’s cold and snowy location. This edition of Reyce’s Rad Rec Reviews will be breaking down an essential winter item: TSLA’s Ripstop snow pants.
After getting a tear along the seam of my old snow pants I bought from Wal-mart a few years ago, I determined it was time to browse the market for a solid, new pair.
The TSLA Ripstop snow pants rate 4.3 out of 5 stars from 203 customer ratings on Amazon. Several reviews of the product reflected the pants being adequate or even great for skiing.
In fact, under its description the TSLA pants are advertised as being specially designed for skiing, snowboarding, and everyday winter sports, and the label “Ripstop” refers to its supposed tear-resistant Duratex fabric.
We’ll come back to that claim later, but I determined that these looked like a good option and chose to try them with Amazon Wardrobe, which allowed me to send them back if they don’t fit.
I sifted through about a dozen different brands and ultimately chose these pants for the long-tall option. They fit great on a bigger guy like me, with a 6’4″ 230 lb frame and a 34″ inseam.
The gaiters will actually tuck down sufficiently into my boots to prevent snow from penetrating, and to my surprise the pants were actually long enough, which I’ve found typically rare.
I have thicker legs, and the waist sits well, not too tight through the thigh which is good for layering. The velcro waist straps make adjustments easy and the extra large pockets on the legs make for quick and easy storage of phones, keys, accessories, etc. while on the run.
The overall look of the snow pants was also pleasing, and the seller had a variety of colors in the size that I needed. I choose khaki because I think black or gray snow pants are boring.
Now, I kept the pants after trying them on and deciding they were a desirable quality. And remember, these were advertised as ski/snowboard pants, so I put them to the test.
After only three half-days of snowboarding, a 5-inch tear appeared on the left seat of the pants. Not even on a seam, just split right in the center of the fabric.
I had high praise for these pants until this malfunction. The hyped up “Ripstop” snow pants are really not that tear-resistant and my determination at this point is they are not sturdy enough to handle the slopes.
Having said that, I still think they make for good, comfortable snow pants if you’re doing a little less active winter activities. Snowshoeing, sledding or tubing, or for just being outside, I’d say they’re just fine.
Story and Photos by: Reyce Knutson
outdoors@suunews.net
Additional photos courtesy amazon.com
