Marmot Scree Pant

Summary

I love wearing these pants on short backpacking trips and afternoon outings alike. They are lightweight, perfect for layering.

The fit of these soft shell pants was unusual—I went up a size, and can easily throw on 1 or 2 wicking layers to stay warm in most conditions.  That said, there is a lot of flexibility in the fit of these pants, the elastic waistband has plenty of give, and the ankles can be zipped up to tightly seal out cold air, or opened (although mine still would not fit over the ankle of my boots). 

I've also found that the fit is comfortable enough that I'll just add fleece pants right over them when I get into camp after a day on the trail (or a hard-shell in poor weather).  I've used the pants in rainy, snowy and windy conditions, and found that they do a good job of keeping me protected.  They do not provide warmth, but they do a good job of blocking the wind, and the wet- including sweat. This does well at wicking away sweat so when I stop for breaks, my temperature doesn't do a nose-dive. 

So far, my main issue with these pants has been handling abrasion. I'm not gentle on my gear, but I'm surprised to  see pilling (especially along the lines where my harness hits) after 8 months.

Otherwise, this is a pair of well made pants, the seams are showing no signs of use, the fleecy pockets are still fleecy and I'm still going to be wearing them for a long time to come.

Summary

I can only speak to fit and not function although it was immediately obvious that the Scree is very well made with quality materials. They also offer as little restriction as you could possibly want and are soft against your skin. Impressive pants.

I ordered the Screes after a lot of research. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the size I wear available at any local retailers to try on in advance. When they arrived I was stoked. While they were fine in the butt, and the very forgiving elastic made them comfortable in the waist, they were too baggy for my taste. I have pretty big legs and bagginess isn't usually a problem. 

I called over to a store and got someone on the floor who knew about the Screes. He said they tend to run loose in the legs. He suggested the Marmot Rockstar as an alternative which uses the same M3 material but has a more low-profile cut.  

These are still excellent pants and would do as well over a base layer as they would under a hard shell.  I just prefer a little more fit in the legs. The Rockstar delivered that and I'll be doing a review once I've got them out there a bit. 

Of course, as it is whenever you're talking about cars, body types and tastes, your mileage may vary.

I ordered these pants off of Sierra Trading Post's site and wore them around the house to see whether or not they were worthy of keeping. The fit, material, comfort and look of the Marmot Scree Pants put them at the top of the chart.

The first chance to get them outdoors came on a car camping trip with my wife down to Cape May, NJ. They were a hit but I never really had the chance to put them through their paces (so to speak).

Last weekend I took them on a backpacking trip to Bear Mountain/Harriman State Park in New York with two of my friends. I started out wearing a pair of OR pants (I cannot remember the name) because it was a warm day (I'll try using the Scree's exclusively the next time I have the chance). After arriving at our shelter the next day, a front came through and it got significantly windier and definitely colder. Perfect.

Now it was time to break out the Scree Pants and put them to the test. I instantly realized their wind resistant properties and the soft interior not only felt nice on my skin but created the warmth securing properties I was hoping for in these pants. They allowed me to wear my own belt (so I could hang my Leatherman), resisted stains and made my friends jealous.

If you purchase these you will not regret it. I am a 50 year old man, 6' 225 lbs and the Large pair fit me quite well. As a former U.S. Army Special Forces chaplain who now owns his own home remodeling business whose been backpacking/camping/being outdoors for 37+ years now--you can trust these words. Enjoy!

OK, so I got the black Marmot Scree Pants 3 months ago and have been wearing them around town to see how they fit and I can say that they are a very good design.... BUT just wearing them around is really not enough to fully understand what these pants are worth so we went to North Fork and did some hiking and kayaking for 4 days and I found that these pants are truly the very best 4 season pants on the market and I'm buying the grey ones as soon a I can.

They kept me warm, they have a stretch quality kinda like a soft shell jacket, they are stretchy and bend with every movement. I am 5 foot 11 inches and I got the Medium/Reg. These are the best on the market!

I recommend winter hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, summer hiking, climbing etc. This is an all around pair of pants.