Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown Pant – Versatile and Comfortable

Kate Agathon

The Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown pant is a winter staple that I can’t believe only found my way into my closet this year.

I live in ski country, where there is snow on the ground from October through April. That means a lot of cold mornings and evenings walking the dog when it’s 3 degrees out.

 

Alternating between wearing the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer pant and the Stretchdown pant, I wear down puffy pants everywhere, every day.

 

The main difference between the Ghost Whisperer and Stretchdown pants (both of which I absolutely love) is the down content (Ghost Whisperer has 800-fill down, while the Stretchdown has 700-fill down) and overall construction of the pant. Presumably, the Stretchdown has less fill because they’re designed to be worn in active pursuits that require stretch so your body is already warm.

 

Let’s face it, stretch is good.

 

Designed for outdoor activity, the Stretchdown pant is made from a single stretch fabric and discontinuous baffle construction allows for a full range of movement. The stretch feature is nice to have; especially for activities like snow shoeing (think having to step farther or over an obstacle).

 

Key features:

• Exclusive stretch-woven fabric delivers incredible durable stretch

• Integrated webbed belt

• Zippered front fly

• Two hand pockets

• Elastic band on cuffs

• 700-fill RDS®-certified Down

• 9 oz / 256 g

Incredibly comfy, Mountain Hardwear’s Stretchdown pants are ideal for winter activities where you need your clothing to keep you warm and enough flexibility to move with you.

These pants are great for everything winter: camping, hiking, hut trips, fat biking, skijor, walking the dog, and doing errands around town.

Despite the fact that down pants are quite popular in my neighborhood, they are still a novelty when wearing them around town. People always ask me about my down pants, how warm they are, and where they can buy them.

 

What I find interesting is that down jackets and hoodies have long been embraced by the mountain and outdoor recreation communities, but down pants are more of a recent phenomenon.

 

Why keep your upper body toasty warm and not do the same for the lower part of your body? How many times have you seen shivering people wearing warm jackets, but pairing them with basic, unlined jeans? Or sitting at an outdoor event with layers of blankets wrapped around their legs? Of course they’re cold.

 

The core is important to keep warm, but the rest of your body is too. I recall past ski days where my top half was warm, but my legs were freezing. Why didn’t I take extra steps to make sure my legs were also warm?

 

I wore a short size up (size M) so that I could comfortably wear layers underneath them. Unlike other outdoor companies, I appreciate that Mountain Hardwear offers three lengths (short, medium, and long) in their down pant.

 

Unsurprisingly, I love the Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown pant. I appreciate that the fabric is matte does not have the sheen the Ghost Whisperer pants do, and I like the untraditional baffle construction that doesn’t give me the Michelin Man look.

 

The versatile Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown pant keeps me toasty warm and I wear them everywhere- not just for outside recreation activities. If you live in a place with cold, snowy winters these are a must-have.

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Kate Agathon

Dr. Of Stoke

Freelance writer, bicyclist, outdoor recreation enthusiast, social justice advocate, and mom to her furbaby, Snsa

A Colorado native, Kate considers the outdoors her mother ship. She brings her passion for bicycling, the environment, and issues of diversity to her writing. Her primary outdoor recreation activities are mountain biking, fat biking, snowshoeing, camping, peak bagging Colorado’s 14ers, road cycling, and Nordic skiing. After suffering two major knee injuries within four years, Kate hopes to return to alpine skiing next season.

 

Kate earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Colorado State University and later an MSEd and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University. In addition to her education, Kate’s background serving on the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and experience working for non-profits and bicycle sales well position her to bring depth and understanding to the complex changes currently taking place in the outdoor recreation industry.