Outdoor Research Ferrosi Joggers

The Ferrosi Joggers are a light pair of synthetic pants that are great for hiking. I like the tactile, quick-drying, breathable yet durable fabric, and they’re well-designed unless you favor a fly with a zipper. The jogger style (elastic cuffs) work better with low hikers, but they make regular Ferrosi hiking pants. One of the best hiking pants I have worn.

 BASIC INFORMATION

Outdoor Research offers Ferrosi hiking pants for men and women (in regular and convertible styles, if you like pants that zip down to shorts); the jogger style I tested is only made for men, in sizes small through XXL. They run true to size. The jogger style is a bit different than the pants because the joggers have an elastic waist and an external drawstring to tighten them (the pants have an internal drawstring) and no belt loops or zippered fly. The Ferrosi pants [not joggers, loose cuff like normal pants] are sold in two-inch waist increments and in a couple of different lengths.

The fabric used in these pants are 46% recycled nylon, 40% nylon, and 14% spandex. They have two large-sized front pockets and one smaller, zippered rear pocket - pocket linings are stretchy, breathable nylon/spandex rather than mesh.  

HOW THEY FIT AND FEEL

Pants don’t get much more comfortable than these. Unless you have really big upper legs, the fit is fairly loose. All that spandex in the fabric blend translates into exceptional stretch and range of motion for a pair of nylon hiking pants. The combination of the elastic waist and substantial drawstring keeps them from riding down when wearing a backpack. 

The fabric is a plus if you favor light, comfortable and breathable. Don’t expect the Ferrosi pants to shed lots of moisture, but they have a nice, tactile feel, they feel very lightweight, and they’re very breathable and permeable to air. The flip side of those qualities is that you shouldn’t expect much wind resistance or warmth from these in cooler weather.  

So far, the lightweight and breathable qualities haven’t translated into lack of durability. I thought these were put together well.  The pockets are pretty basic; there are options out there with additional pockets and with more zippers, if you’re looking for that. 

HOW I HAVE WORN THEM

 The Ferrosi joggers became my primary hiking pants for most of the last four months; they’re a little chilly for hiking in below-freezing weather, when I’m inclined toward soft shells with more wind resistance or shell pants with a base layer underneath. They arrived after my longer summer hikes, so I’ve worn them on many local day hikes, in all kinds of weather. Some nylon hiking pants shed moisture better than these, but the fabric does dry pretty quickly. These pants breathe as well as anything in warmer weather. One meaningful plus of the jogger style is that you don’t need to wear a belt - belts can be annoying under a backpack hip belt. I have worn them with low hikers and ankle-high boots; the stretchy cuff fits fine over the top of ankle-high options and keep debris out. 

The high degree of breathability has a consequence in terms of wind resistance. Most nylon hiking pants that aren’t a wind or rain shell have limited wind resistance, but the Ferrosi jogger fabric is quite air-permeable and doesn’t block wind very much. It’s something to think about if you plan to be on high peaks in cooler/more windy weather, though pulling on a light pair of wind pants would address that. 

Highly recommended. 

Background

I’ve been hiking for over forty years, the last ten or so years in nylon or other soft shell pants if I’m not wearing shorts. I wore these pants often since they arrived in early September.