Outdoor Research Cirque III Pants

More features than I thought I needed...until I used them.

This is my first pair of winter trekking pants and I'm impressed! OR has been a trusted brand for me for many years and so I wound up choosing these over some other, perhaps more trendy brands. These are billed as three-season pants, with winter being the middle season. They are built for the task.

I was out most of a cold, rainy Oregon Cascades day the first time I wore them and they did a great job keeping me dry and warm. I purposely left off a bottom base layer to see how the pants worked and even at temps in the high 30s I was just fine. They shed water and block wind and do a decent job holding in the warmth. The fit is spot on with some stretch in all the right places.

For a pair of pants, there are a lot of features built in. One that helped sell me is that the cuffs are made to work as gaiters with the addition of a shoelace or some other bit of cord to strap under your boot. The eyelets for the lace are built in, as is the hook to attach to your boot. The cuffs also have a pull cord to tighten them and zippers if you need to fit them over boots. I plan to try this feature as soon as we have enough snow for some Nordic skiing. It looks genius!

Another thing I appreciate are the four generously sized and zippered pockets. One pocket has a hanger inside for an avalanche beacon but it also worked just fine for an inReach Mini. The zippers all have pull cords so you can work them with gloves on. It's nice to know that even in a pretty good tumble, all your stuff is secure in your pockets. 

Third, the cuffs have a kevlar reinforced patch on the inside to prevent wear from rubbing. A great idea I thought as I remembered having to patch rain pants a few times over the years...and always at the bottom on the inside where they rub.

Overall, I'm thrilled with these pants. I'm not sure what else I'd want and they have the feel of a garment that will last for many, many seasons.

Background

First pair.