Toad&Co Debug Cool Weave Pant

The Toad&Co. Debug Cool Weave pants are lightweight hiking/traveling pants that come pretreated with Insect Shield. This permethrin-based fabric treatment does a very good job of repelling mosquitos, ticks, flies and assorted other pesky flying bugs. The Cool Weave fabric provides ventilation and UPF40 sun protection. Two large front pockets and two rear pockets are joined by a cleverly hidden zippered pocket behind the left rear pocket.

I have been testing these pants for the past three months on hikes at my local California State Park trails during my park volunteer shifts and during everyday activities. The Toad&Co. debug Cool Weave pants come in even waist sizes only, which meant I had to move up one size to a 34" waist from my normal 33". Large belt loops are featured, so belt selection is easy.

Even though the pants I wore were larger in the waist, the fit was still good and they did not feel baggy. I picked the Buckskin color, which is a dark tan, over the Dark Graphite, which is a dark gray. The fit was very comfortable, while the fabric was super soft and wrinkle free. The pockets were deep and properly placed and the hidden zippered rear pocket was perfect for extra money or a passport when traveling.

This year in Northern California, spring and early summer have been very buggy due to late rains and these pants have really worked well. Having owned other Insect Shield-treated clothing I knew how they performed, but was still amazed to watch mosquitos hover, ready to land, and then fly away. This is most noticeable during my volunteer work while I man the kiosk at Jack London State Park since I am stationary much of the time. The pants have also allowed me to hike along the many tall grass-lined trails that are a haven for our ever-present deer ticks. With Zika, West Nile virus, and Lyme disease present in California, it's great to able to hike worry-free.

The Cool Weave is noticeable when the pants are held up to light. The loose weave allows quite of bit of ventilation while still providing durability. It also goes a long way toward allowing the pants to dry quickly when wet. I found movement wearing these pants was good with no binding or bunching up during activity.

I appreciate that these pants are technical but look ordinary, which makes them versatile for me. I don't think twice about wearing them out to dinner after a hike. They will work perfectly for traveling to other countries where I don't like to walk around cities or towns in convertible pants as they look too casual.

The Debug pants have been holding up well; they still look like new and the Insect Shield is working fine after about 10 washes. The manufacturer states that Insect Shield will last through 70 washes, which they consider the life of the garment.

I am really happy with the look and performance of these pants and will be taking them on my 100-mile hike of the Tour of Mont Blanc in September.

• Waist size: 30"- 38" even sizes only
• Inseam: 30"- 32"
• Color: Buckskin, Dark Graphite
• Cost: $99.99 On sale now $79.99