Scout Pants

I was fortunate enough to participate in the buy one get one free sale that scoutstuff.org posted up during the month of May. I purchased a set of the old color Switchback pants and they are worth every penny. Here is a quick overview for those of you who just think uniform pants are just pants.

The Switchback Uniform Pants – These are constructed from quick-drying light weight Dupont Supplex nylon. Big fan of these because it these bad boys dry a lot quicker than your standard cotton pants. They are also a lot lighter. They have a built in belt so you don’t have to worry about keeping up with an additional belt during camp.

The Canvas Convertible Pants – Made of 67% cotton - 33% polyester. These are extremely durable, but pretty hot. They are pretty standard for pants. I own a pair and normally wear them to meetings. The Switchbacks however, are my choice for summer camping now.

During my week of summer camp, I found myself wearing the light weight Switchbacks more often than my canvas. Even with the legs zipped off, the canvas seemed three times warmer than the other. The Switchbacks doubled as swim trunks for the unexpected need to take a swim.

I think it’s great that both now have to be hemmed. This is an awesome feature because it allows your scout to grow into them if they haven’t hit that growth spurt. Using Badge Magic works great for this. On the Convertibles, I took it upon myself to sew the hems. It took three tries to get them right. The few small rips I put into the pants have not grown or frayed much in the 8 months I have had them.

My biggest problem is that the belt looks are just a tad too small on the Convertibles. The new scout belt doesn’t fit through them very well.

I know times are tough and money is tight, but both of these cargo pants are far superior to any other pair of olive pants I’ve come across in just about every way. If you only plan on getting one pair, I recommend the Convirtible because of the durability. If you have the money, get both. They are worth every penny.