Outbound Reviewed: Outdoor Research Wadi Rum Pants - Women’s
A solid addition to your climbing pant quiver
I recently tested Outdoor Research’s Wadi Rum Pants on a climbing trip to Yosemite, and they performed better than I had expected. The material is super thin and quick-drying, but durable. There is a bit of a stretch to them (3% spandex) to allow for normal climbing movement, but I found them to still be a bit restrictive for high-stepping and stemming.
The pockets are low and deep enough to hold my phone at belays, though I put my phone back into my bag when it came time to climb. The thigh pockets have snap button closures which I’d trust for chapstick or a copy of my topo map, but not my phone while multi-pitch climbing.
The fit is great for the most part, but size down because they run a little big. I have muscular thighs and am normally a 6 in pants, but I got a 4 in these I’m happy I got the smaller size. They’re slim through the hips, fitted through the thighs, and I didn’t have to worry about the butt sagging over time. They fit great under a harness, but I did find that the back slid down a bit as I climbed; every other pitch or so I’d adjust my pants to avoid showing my belay partner a little too much!
Where these pants didn’t fit me was in length, and I read a few reviews with similar experiences. I’m 5’10” and have long legs, but I can usually get by with normal length pants. These barely hit the top of my ankles making me feel a bit like Steve Urkel, but this obviously won’t be an issue for everyone. I also tend to roll my cuffs when I climb anyway, so this is not a showstopper by any means. That said, if OR offered a long version I’d be all over them!
The Wadi Rum pants aren’t the perfect pair of climbing pants for me, but I really do like them! They’re great camp pants and I’m glad to have them in my climbing quiver. For me, they’ll get more use on days out bouldering and cragging than multi-pitch climbs, mainly due to the need to pull them up every 2-3 pitches.
Check out more of my reviews here as I continue my Hunt for the Perfect Pair of Women’s Climbing Pants!
Photos courtesy of Liam McNally, Kristi Teplitz and Outdoor Research.
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