Black Diamond

Dawn Patrol Pant - Men's

So far so good

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I received this product for free from Black Diamond in exchange for my honest review. Enjoy! So I haven’t been able to use this product as intended yet but from wearing them around the house I like what I see. They are extremely light weight and stretchy. I gave them the old “stand in the shower” test and they are very water proof too. The highlight for me is the dedicated beacon pocket. It's very well thought out and on the right thigh. A dedicated anchor and pouch for a beacon is a really really nice thing to have. The vents are also very big, and zip from both directions which I like a lot as well. There is a large zip pocket on the left thigh that looks like it can hold all the snacks and extra gloves. The waist adjustment was a good fit too, I almost don't need the bib straps… but again they are nice to have. These pants will never fall down on you. I am excited to walk up some mountains in these. I see myself using these a lot in spring touring situations and if I go for a hike (like actual hike) this winter / fall they will be essential. My only issue with the pants is they are a bit smaller than I thought they would be. They are pretty tight for a medium I think. They are also a little on the low waisted side. I would be worried if I took a fall in snow they would not keep much snow out. I am excited to post a follow up review in the spring once I’ve put these through their paces!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review. I also have not yet tested these on snow yet, and will update this review with my experience when I get the chance to. That said, from first impressions these seem like a well-thought-out and well-built pair of softshell touring/winter mountaineering pants. They are fairly lightweight, but still feel burly enough to act as a solid windbreaker in rough conditions. They're comfortable enough that when I wore them around the house to test them out, I ended up forgetting I had them on and wore them most of the day. Features-wise the pants have three pockets and two thigh vents. One of the three pockets has a solid secondary beacon pocket built in, which feels like it would provide quite a bit of added protection. The thigh vents I'm slightly less of a fan of: They are functional, but I would prefer some kind of mesh behind the gap rather one big hole straight through to your baselayer. As far as sizing goes, at 5'9" and 145lbs the size small is spot on for me. The fit is on the slimmer end, but leaves more than enough room for a layer or two underneath without feeling tight. Definitely positive impressions overall, and I'm excited to try them out once the east gets snow.