Gear Review: M65 field pants liner

In Andrew Skurka’s recent excellent review of core clothing systems, he examined insulated (puffy) jackets and pants.

One of the items he mentioned is the M65 field liner pants, which he described as an excellent bargain.

I’ve been using these pants for years and been suggesting them for a while too. At less than $20 shipped from such places as Amazon or on eBay they are indeed quite the bargain.

I thought I’d add a little more information about one of my favorite budget pieces of gear.

First, I’ll say right away that they are not quite as good as similar synthetic pants and not as good or light as higher-end down pants. But the price-to-performance ratio is incredible.

I’ve had my pair for about seven or eight years now, and they are just starting to show some wear and tear. Ball it up, stuff it, get a stray spark from a campfire…for about $20 a pair, why not?

You’ll want to get the long size if you plan to purchase these pants. These pants are sized for combat boots, and the regular length version only goes down to the shin. The long version is sized better for traditional backcountry footwear.

With a little sewing, the cuffs can be fitted with shock cords to prevent them from being loose, and a similar adjustment can be made for the waist.

As for the weight? About 10  to 11 oz. for a men’s medium long.  Note that different manufacturers make these pants so there may be variation in the shell material and some even have such features as buttons on the sides of the legs. In other words, a one to two-ounce difference may be encountered between pants. For comparison, these medium-sized Western Mountaineering pants weigh approximately 7 oz, while the synthetic Montbell Thermwrap pants weigh about 9 oz. Both of these pants have correspondingly higher prices as well.

I wear these pants for winter trips, shoulder-season backpacking, and any trips where I have more social/camp time.

Inexpensive, practical, durable, and not all that heavy.  Excellent!

UPDATE –  Over the years, Joan quite likes them, too!  Among others.  

Many of the interns Joan takes out camping call them “ugly army pants” at first, then realize how warm, inexpensive, and versatile they are overall. Always a winner!

Additionally, since I wrote this article, Chinese gear companies have begun producing decent down pants that aren’t excessively expensive. The Naturehike pants are $60 and 250g/ 9 oz.