Give Sherpa’s Gurkhali Pants a Spot in Your Wardrobe
Chances are they'll outlive most of your other clothing
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Confession: I blow through jeans like nobody’s business. Often when I find a pair I like, I’ll wear them day after day, only swapping another pair into the rotation if my first choice is dirty, funky—or both—and in need of a good spin cycle. It’s usually the inseam that goes first, coming undone after several months of virtually nonstop wear.
But I don’t have to worry about that with Sherpa Adventure Gear’s Gurkhali pants ($180). Reason being: they’re made with Dyneema, the same material used to fashion sails and ultralight backpacking gear. It’s lauded as the strongest and most durable fiber in the world, and while it may seem like overkill to some to weave it into a pair of pants, my thought is, What took so long? And Sherpa’s done it in a way that looks classy, with a staid color and trim leg fit. In fact, I’m wearing the Gurkhalis as I sit in my office typing this, proof that they’re good business-casual wear. (Though in the admittedly laid-back outdoor industry, few things aren’t.)
The fabric in these pants is mostly cotton and Lycra, ensuring that the legs stretch and don’t bind up. The range of movement is impressive, and adding to Dyneema’s durability are burly stitching and bar tacking—no more frayed inseams or tears from scraping against branches on the trail.
I haven’t taken them to the gym yet, but the Gurkhalis will probably work just as well there, too. Hell, I might even be able to sleep comfortably in them. Pretty soon I’ll have no reason to change out of them.