Coalatree Trailhead Pants Review: Pants for people who HATE Pants!!!

20 mins to review a pair of pants???
Friends, I agree; this is ridiculous (and I'm embarrassed, lol).
But as you'll hear in the video, these pants are special because usually I HATE PANTS. Even the clinginess of leggings annoys me these days. But I love clothes that work: Clothes that are a pleasure to wear and that complement my lifestyle. These pants have set a new standard for me, and so I had to give them a thorough treatment.
I'm sorry that this is being posted too late to likely be useful for Black Friday 2021 (as I had originally intended... But now I'm seeing they are continuing the sale into the holidays... YAAAAAY!!), but hopefully it is helpful for anybody who sees it, regardless of when.
Link to these pants:
coalatree.com/collections/wom...
Time stamps:
Intro, my lifestyle and clothing taste/priorities to provide some context for the review that follows, also me rambling, so maybe be ready with the skip-ahead feature
~4:45 explanation of size discrepancies​ that were an issue with my purchase​
~6:40 design and textile details
~7 fit and function​​ up close view​, mobility demo​
~10:45 some function notes for how the pant legs fit and perform, rolling, cinching the cuffs
~16:00 silent fashion show ;) full length view for the basic fit, some notes on the colors and how I basically want to date these pants
My sizing details:
I am wearing size M, Regular (as I explain in the video, I found some substantial sizing inconsistency among the colors I purchased in Feb., 2021).
My dimensions ​at the time of this recording​
Natural waist​: 30"​
2"​ ​below navel​: 32-33"​
Hips (widest point)​: 39.5​"
Mid-thigh (widest)​: 23 1/4​"
Calf (widest)​: 14​"
Inseam​: 29"​
Highlights if you don't want to watch:
-Durable, incredibly comfortable stretchy fabric, well made, super comfortably cut and double stitched everywhere, reinforced gusset.
-Zero interference with my movement or compromise to the fit as I do all the things I like to do: move and stretch (they don' feel like they are being pulled down in back or getting twisted or bunched up in any way)
-Thin fabric, feel light, airy and breathable, but are insulating, wind blocking, water repellent.
-Layer well, and I really appreciate how easy it is to deal with the leg length in various ways, pulled up/rolled up/tied with the angle cinch lacing.
-Waist band fits very comfortably, the draw string is functional but in my size I do not tend to use it
-Once they are on, there is no fussing with them.
-Deep, non-clinging pockets
-Easy care, and quick drying. I machine wash and hang dry mine, but I've thrown them in the drier for limited time on medium with other clothes and had no issue (I think they would be fine, but I want these pants to last, and they dry so quickly, hang drying works for me).
-I think they are super cute casual pants, as well as my go-to pant for harder-playing outdoor stuff.
I enjoy wearing them, and for me, that is a really big deal. :)
As always with my videos, I love when you weigh in in the comments with your own experience/insight/feedback, or feel free to link to your own videos where you do your own review! Thank you, in advance!

[@KellyMSharp]

Your review (s) were super helpful! Thank you. I have a hard time with finding pants that I feel comfortable in while not looking like a blimp! I really appreciated you trying them on so we could see how they fit on a real person ;). I'm ordering now!

[@julie_loder]

Kelly! Thank you so much for this comment. It is great to hear from you and I am so happy you found my review/fashion show helpful :) I really hope you love the pants as much as I do. I should take the time to update this review to add that I really have loved -- not "to death" but really really enthusiastically -- the gray pair that was my primary daily use pair for daily hikes, etc. I haven't worn them out (they are still going strong!) but they are definitely soft and more worn in and they basically just stay in my car so that if I ever need pants to throw over the shorts I'm otherwise wearing, they are with me. (The other pairs will meet a similar fate if I ever do need to toss the gray ones, but otherwise i keep them a little nicer). So like I said, I hope you love yours just as much. And I really hear you re finding clothes that are comfortable but also can transition to not looking *just* comfortable... Most days I'm fine looking like I'm either going on or getting back from a walk with my dogs (because that's what I'm dressed for!), but then there are days when I want to clean it up a bit and that is challenging the more particular I am about the clothes and fabrics (so many now just wreak of chemicals!) to which I am willing to subject my body! Anyway, sorry to ramble at you on here, but lovely to connect with you and thank you again for taking the time to share your feedback on my video :) Sending my best, Julie

[@kw8282]

Excellent video, very helpful 🎉

[@julie_loder]

Thank you so much, K W! I am really glad it was useful, and if you get some trailhead pants, I hope you love them!

[@jcwanako]

Great review Julie Been receiving adds on instagram and ended here --be well Jose

[@julie_loder]

Thank you so much, Jose! If you decided to try the pants, I just hope you like and get as much use our of them as I do! Take care 💛

[@aYetiAteMySandwich]

Thanks for this amazing review! I just stumbled onto this brands site. The holiday sale is epic, but I wasn’t sure about the quality. There no way I can resist now 😂.

[@julie_loder]

aYetiAteMySandwich!!!! Haaaha, I swear I don't work for them!!! I am so happy the video was helpful and I am SO glad the sale continues! WooHoo! I hope you love the pants as much as I do!

[@lynnknowlton7735]

So glad I found this video - You had my attention the moment you said you hate pants (I can totally relate). I am also glad to finally find a detailed video that actually gives me the info needed to help make a decision about a product - Nice Job! Question for fit purposes. I saw your measurements below but I am wondering what size you typically wear in a women's size? I don't like anything tight around my waist so I am uncertain if I need a small or medium in the slim (I have skinny legs) and I usually wear a 4.

[@julie_loder]

Haaaaa, Lynn, my kindred spirit in anti-pants comfort, I am so gratified by this comment and I am so glad my video reached you. Thank you. As for your question, I know sizing and actual "fit," can really be all over the place. I typically wear a size 6 in most things like jeans, but also tend to size up to a medium in things like leggings so that they won't be too sheer, etc. If there were a size 7, that is probably were I'd live, especially when I'm working out regularly. That info may really not be that helpful, so let me share this other experience I have with these pants, or more accurately from my experience with the shorts I bought after I made this video (and have not gotten around to reviewing which is too bad because I freaking live in them and am just as enthusiastic about them as the pants!), because it may be more useful. As I believe I describe in another comment, I got the men's trailhead shorts because I wanted the same awesome style/fit in shorts as I have in the pants and the women's shorts design is different. I had a similar mental dilemma as you have in that I was going to buy in theory the same pant (without the long legs) but was going to the men's dimensions/cut and I was a little worried about the size conversion. In the end I got the men's medium (so same as I wear in women) and they fit great EXCEPT the waist was a bit tighter (and also a little bit wider elastic in the waistband itself). It was not terrible but enough that I was annoyed by it. SO I stretched them out. I just left the waist band of the shorts wrapped around different things like the back of a chair, the hip pad of my nordic track ski machine lol, a mini foam roller, etc., anything that would put the waistband on maximum stretch. It didn't take more than a few nights worth of letting them be extra distended like that to just relax the elastic a little bit and now they are perfect. They are not at all "stretched out," at all and they are super well-made and this in no way damaged them. The elastic is still super springy. I say all that because it sounds to me like you may like the fit of the size small, but if find that the waist is a little too fitted (since you said you especially don't like anything tight there), I just wanted to share that hack in case it comes in handy for you to get the fit you want. Great to meet you on here and thank you again for your kind words about my video! If you get the pants, I truly hope you love them as much as I do, and of course feel free to let me (and anybody else who reads this) know if they ended up not working for you, or link to your own review of them here if you make one! -Julie

[@lynnknowlton7735]

@@julie_loder Great information.Thanks! I decided to get the M - Slim fit. The customer service person online recommended the Small - regular but I knew just based on the size of the legs that it would look like I was swimming in them so I opted for the slimmer leg and glad I did because even the slim leg looks baggy on me. My thighs measure 19. Since I am short waisted the waistband hits me above the navel and is plenty loose. I actually probably could have gone with the Small - slim but still not sure if the band would have been too tight for my liking. The band is more stout than I was expecting but with the bigger size I think it will be fine. The draw string will help keep them up while hiking. Does the fabric relax over time? It seems very crisp (can't think of a better word - since they stretch, stiff is not a good description LOL). I guess I could try a size small slim and stretch the band like you suggested if needed. I am surprised the M shorts are tighter since the chart shows a bigger waist measurement than the pants. I am going to keep these as I feel like once the fabric relaxes a little they will definitely be awesome. I will update if I decide to try a smaller size.

[@julie_loder]

@@lynnknowlton7735 Hi Lynn! I am so glad my experience could be helpful and I'm also really happy that so far it sounds like you at least like the pants even if it's not totally clear whether you are in the ideal size. First regarding your direct question, yes, the fabric definitely softens with regular use. I have worn the gray pants probably 100 times and they are much softer than the ones I keep crisper and cleaner (I'll wear those out after I destroy the gray ones but for now I am trying to keep them nice!). I didn't take 100 wears to soften them, but just for reference. They are much softer at this point and the fabric on the inside is piling a bit but not wearing through anywear, no seams showing excess wear, and the exterior of the pant is still totally presentable (they have years of wear in them I am confident), but they definitely look and feel more lived in. The way the pants and shorts fit me, I almost never have to use he waist band. On the shorts never, and on the pants only on the ones that fit me a little more generously and that hit higher up (the blue ones did for some reason). I like having the funcional waist band (and I do tend to roll it over once) but Im glad I rarely have to actually bother with it. I think it sounds like you really could be happiest in the small slims, to be honest, and then just adjust/stretch out the waist band if it is too snug and know the pants will relax a little bit over all with regular wear. Unless you really like the much looser fit, I think they will be more practical (and probably more flattering) if you are not swimming in them. As for my shorts and the mystery of the waist band... I know! It's odd. I think it may feel tighter because it is at least a half and inch wider and just really sturdy, for lack of a better word (I think you know what I mean now that you have felt the design). So it might just be the way it was hitting me? But I aso roll the waist at least once, sometimes twice, depending on what I'm doing (walking/wading in the ocean?) and I had them professionally hemmed because the fabric is so tricky and I didn't want to mess them up... so the shorts are definitely a bit less "plug and play" than the pants for me in terms of fit, but I swear I will wear them forever. I got three colors and a pair for my brother, haha. Yes, if you feel inclined, please do let me know which size you settle with and I really hope that I am not influencing you to fuss with the sizing in a way that ultimately creates a headache. But I do hope you end up happy with this purchase, especially as someone who otherwise hates pants :)

[@jillfrussell]

Fantastic review. I do have one pretty odd question. I hike long distances and use a pstyle to relieve myself w/o having to drop my pants. Obviously this only works with pants that have an actual fly. I can't quite tell if the fly on the women's is openable? (I'm too curvy to wear the men's style.)

[@julie_loder]

Jill, thank you so much for this enthusiasm for my review, and I am so glad you found it helpful. What a great question! I am really glad you asked and for the chance to add this info. Unfortunately, for this purpose, the fly on the women's pant is not functional (it is sewn shut). And upon inspection, as I was having a look to see how readily you might open the seams, it is a really well fortified (triple seam), probably because it comes up from the gusset and needs to be strong. I do not have the alterations skills to know how easily you could just create the opening yourself because there is the fabric for the flap to cover it, but it might be a real chore given the stretchy nature of the fabric. If you give that a try, please do report back! One more thing... this may be totally extraneous follow up, but just for whatever it might be worth: I purchased some of the MENs Trailhead shorts to take advantage of the holiday sale. I''ll eventually review them, but right now they are being hemmed bc I hate long shorts. BUT I got the men's because I didn't want to even gamble on the women's shorts design which looks cute and tailored and more fitted and just not what I'm looking for at the moment. So two things: 1. I got the same size in men's as in women's because I too am too curvy for the typical men's cut. The men's M in the shorts fits me basically the same as the top of the pants in size M for women (ever so slightly bigger and the waist band is a bit thicker). BUT 2. and the reason I want to let you know, is that the fly in the men's SHORTS is also NOT functional. I didn't think anything of that until you asked this question. So I am just letting you know in case you decide to try to men's pants, first, for the heads up re sizing, but also because it may not even be worth that experimental purchase if the men's pants also don't have a functional fly!? Again, thank you for this question, and please do report back if you try any combo of the above! Happy Hiking!

[@jillfrussell]

@@julie_loder What a thorough and thoughtful reply! Thank you so much for carefully curated information and this does help me!! You have more than earned a "subscribe" and I'm excited about watching more of your videos! Cheers!!

[@colonelmustard8876]

This is pretty late and I haven't tried with these pants but I use the pstyle with other elastic waistband pants. Ive always been able to pull the front of my waist band down just enough to slide it in without having to pull everything down

[@lynnknowlton7735]

@@colonelmustard8876 Yes, Agreed - I purchased these pants and they arrived today. I also use the pstyle and these pants can easily be pulled down in the front enough.

[@TKGZONE]

Hey the website says its waterproof, is it really? I have a water resistant jacket and on light rain, it actually absorbs the water in the jacket, but in testing like in the sink it bounces off. Real life water resistant doesnt really do anything.

[@julie_loder]

Hi Nompack, thanks so much for this question. I live in such a sadly drought-stricken part of the US that I almost never get to really test these pants with *actual* rain (very depressing fact), so it has been a while since I put them to an authentic rain test and I honestly don't recall my exact experience. But I definitely do not consider them, "waterproof" -- that would be an overstatement. When I wear them in my garden and they get sprayed with the hose on what could approximate rain droplets (not a solid gush of water like the faucet you describe in your question) they do have a water repellent/resistant quality and the water beads/sheds off them much better than cotton or some other more permeable fabric. But the water will come through if it is more than a very transient spray. So, for example if I were hiking in a light rain, I am confident that the tops of my thighs would feel the dampness within a pretty short time, etc. The upside is they really do dry remarkably quickly (even in cool weather conditions.. for example if I hang them to dry overnight after washing them, they are dry enough to wear even before the sun has hit them), but that is a different quality from being "waterproof." I hope this answer is helpful. Thanks for checking out my video!