Patagonia R1 Pants

This is a fairly warm synthetic base layer, loose enough to serve as a mid-layer. I recommend wearing alone for cooler weather and beneath a shell or insulated pants in really cold weather. The newer version has two hand pockets rather than a back pocket and is sized even more loosely than past versions—including looser cuffs at the bottom. New ones also have a drawstring, a plus.

The R1 bottom is kind of like a versatile pair of outdoor sweatpants. They are thick enough to wear alone in fairly cool weather if you are active, and they are very warm if you wear them under a shell. On cooler summer nights, I'll often put them on as the temperature drops in camp.  

FIT: The fit on these used to be pretty average. They have enough room and plenty of stretchiness to wear over a tight, lightweight base layer or running tights if needed. The current version is sufficiently loose that they wouldn't be a great deep cold base layer, but they now layer better over a base layer bottom. Some might consider them to run a little long in length. The fabric is stretchy and doesn't impede your movement at all; for example, this is a great layer for very cold weather nordic skiing.  

FABRIC: The fleece has an interior grid pattern which does a very good job trapping air, which keeps you warmer.  at the same time, the weave is fairly loose and allows air to flow through. On a very windy day, they can feel pretty cold as a result, unless you wear shell pants over them. But, with a shell, they can get very warm, too warm for very active sports or hiking unless it is really cold out, but ideal for downhill skiing under a light shell. If you expect a lot of steady wind and a very active day in cooler or cold weather, a lighter base layer under more wind-resistant stretch pants would probably be a better choice.  

The fleece does a very good job escorting moisture outward. On a typical cold weather hike, the outside surface of my R1's invariably ends up with a layer of moisture or frost. The outer surface is smooth and slides easily inside a pair of wind pants or waterproof/breathable pants. Like most fleece, these don't suffer if they get wet. Take them off, wring them out, and they will still keep you reasonably warm. Hang them out in sunlight and they dry reasonably quickly.

DURABILITY: This is a durable layer. I just picked up my second pair, the first one is several years old but essentially unscarred after a lot of use and laundering (I hang fleece to dry and think it helps them last longer—elastic waists and fabrics just seem to suffer from long-term exposure to hot clothes dryers).

The waistband on the original pair has lost some of its stretch after eight or nine years of regular use. Seams are solid and don't come apart. The only real impact is that the interior fleece grids have flattened out a little over time. Any fabric like this could tear if snagged on a branch or a sharp rock, I suppose, but I have had my share of scuffs and falls in these without damaging them.  

Patagonia has changed the design of these a little over time (the fabric is the same 98% polyester, 2% spandex).  The elastic waist band on my older pair was never very firm, so they were mildly prone to riding down with a backpack on. The elastic on the new pair is better and has a drawstring. The old pair has a small zippered mesh pocket in the rear, on the right side. I don't like it; the zipper pull is tiny, and the small coil zipper is so tight that I could never easily zip the pocket open while wearing them. What good is that?

I had a short stint with a pair made for the military. They had a better elastic waist and a front fly, no pockets. However, the fit on the made for military pair was so tight that I didn't enjoy wearing them and ended up giving them away.

A few more photos of the current version, only available in one color:

The photo above shows the cuffs, a bit loose, like a pair of "joggers."

The photo below shows one of the front pockets (storing a hat).

TAKEAWAYS: The Patagonia R1 fabric is about as versatile as it gets—for a wide range of conditions from cool to frigid, as a single layer or a mid-layer. Also super comfortable to wear around the house in the winter. Expensive, but very durable, highly recommended.  

Background

With the older versions, close to ten years. Been taking hikes in the new pair for the last six weeks.

I recently bought these beauties and have had the pleasure to use them on two different hunting excursions. I was out in about -20 Celsius with about a 30 km/hr wind and the only thing not cold was my legs! 

I was wearing a heavy denim pant over top of these guys and I was perfect in that temperature.  I felt a little bit of wind coming through the jeans, but I was comfortable. Keep in mind these are actually considered pants and don't have a fly.

On another note, these are very warm pants! If you're wearing them in regular temperatures, you may find yourself too warm like I did.

Another note is they're a bit long. I bought the xl size and I'm 6'1" and they're probably 5-8 cm too long.  It's not a deal breaker for me, but if you like that 'perfect fit', you would probably buy a large at my height.