Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Share your advice and personal experiences, post a gear review or ask any questions you may have pertaining to outdoor gear and equipment.
User avatar
jartelt
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 9:52 am
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker

Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by jartelt »

My apologies in advanced if the existence of these pants is already widely known! I recently came across the Straight Fit version of the popular prAna Zion hiking pants. I bought a pair and really love the fit.

Image

I am 6' 2" tall and ~180 pounds, so it has always been a struggle to find a pair of hiking pants that fit well. Most options out there are super baggy. What I have been looking for is a pair of synthetic pants that fit similar to a Levi 511 jean and are tapered through the leg.

I ended up ordering pretty much all the different prAna hiking pants to try them and the Straight Fit Zion were by far the best fit. So... if you are a tall slender guy looking for hiking pants you can also wear to work or to a brewery, give the Straight Fit Zion pants a look. Like most prAna products they are a tad pricey at ~$90 retail.

I took pictures of myself wearing all the different prAna pants (Straight Fit Zion, Zion, Zioneer, Brion, and Broadfield pant), so head over to this more complete review I wrote if you want to compare: https://backpackers-review.com/articles ... ts-review/
User avatar
bobby49
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1225
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 4:17 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by bobby49 »

Many hikers like some pants that have a little more room inside, especially if you are climbing anything.
User avatar
Flamingo
Topix Regular
Posts: 346
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:18 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: West Oakland, California
Contact:

Re: Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by Flamingo »

I can't speak for this new cut, but I can speak to the fabric material (it's called Stretch Zion). . . I wore a pair of Prana Stretch Zion cargo shorts every day on my CDT thru-hike (2,800 miles), and the shorts still look great and feel comfortable. After months of bushwacking, butt-sliding over talus, and generally just rolling around in the dirt, all the stitches remained intact and the fabric is in excellent condition. The construction quality on Prana garments seems quite high.
User avatar
TahoeJeff
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1223
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:03 am
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker
Location: South Lake Tahoe, NV

Re: Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by TahoeJeff »

Flamingo wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2019 4:19 pm The construction quality on Prana garments seems quite high.
I will second this. I have a few different pairs of prAna pants and they are tough.
"A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both."

Milton Friedman
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by Wandering Daisy »

PrAna primarily is aimed at technical rock climbers and sports climbers. Slim and stretchy yet tough are the requirements for this. Baggy pants can be a problem when carrying and using a lot gear and ropes and you do not want to chance catching a baggy pant leg on a rock. They also cater to the younger crowd who are fashion conscious, thus baggy pants may not be "cool". I am way too out of touch with current fashion trends to know what is "in" and "out" now. Although expensive, PrAna is known for high quality clothing.
User avatar
jartelt
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 9:52 am
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker

Re: Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by jartelt »

Yep, these are mostly marketed for the younger crowd. Great for people with slim legs, but not great if you have big legs (cyclists) or like loose clothing.
User avatar
maiathebee
Topix Expert
Posts: 470
Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2013 11:59 am
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Alpine Meadows, CA
Contact:

Re: Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by maiathebee »

I've been wearing prAna Halle pants for years. Most recently on a trip to Point Reyes I put my phone in my back pocket and took two steps and it was at my ankle! The stitching holding the pocket on had become worn from some rocky butt-scoots over the years and both butt pockets were just completely unattached at the bottom. That was a pretty hilarious incident. I do still love their pants though. Right now I'm looking at some Fjallraven pants (Nikka) because they have more pockets and have butt and knee reinforcement, together with stretch and articulated knees. They come with a crazy-long inseam that is meant to be hemmed, so that might also be a good option for tall guys.
oh hey! you're reading my signature.
that's nice. want to check out my blog?
here it is: plutoniclove.com
ig: @plutonic_love
User avatar
bobby49
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1225
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 4:17 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by bobby49 »

You assume that guys know how to get pants hemmed.
User avatar
freestone
Topix Expert
Posts: 961
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2005 9:42 pm
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker
Location: Santa Barbara
Contact:

Re: Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by freestone »

I have the PrAna Zion and Mojos but much prefer the Mojos. Same basic fabric but not all the pockets, buttons or belt loops, just and elastic waistband and draw string. Simple and light.
Short cuts make long delays. JRR Tolkien
User avatar
jdille
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 5:07 pm
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker
Location: South Lake Tahoe, California

Re: Newish hiking pants for tall and slim men - prAna Straight Fit Zion

Post by jdille »

I also really like the PrAna hiking pants. Like Maia, I've worn the women's Halle (and another older version) for a number of years. The fabric is thicker, has held up well on rocks and butt sliding but has enough stretch that you can do long strides, lunges, squats, etc. Also, they come in very small sizes-- which is great because kids pants don't always fit the best, even for small people. My only complaint (other than price) is that I think the men's version is slightly better. The men's pants have a gusseted, "vented" crotch and the waistband has a built-in flat waistband. The women's pants have a drawstring that faces the inside of the waist and always dug into my stomach when I wore my backpack. So I just took the drawstring out and sewed in a belt like the men's version. Wish I could put in a gusseted crotch, but it just seems like too much work. I am not sure why they think men need a gusseted crotch but women don't. My Halle do have articulated knees, maybe some versions don't. Here is a pic of my DIY waistband.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 45 guests