The Search for the Perfect Softshell Pants
In Feb 2021, with my first winter backpacking trip approaching, I was feeling particularly inspired by the idea of winter alpinism and ski touring. I was done with the days of bulky ski pants, and I wanted to buy something that I would be able to wear not only for skiing but also on winter backpacking trips where I would be doing strenuous activity and generating a lot of heat. There are so many brands and types of softshell pants, but the two that I saw mentioned the most by far were the Outdoor Research Cirque II Pants and the Arctery’x Gamma AR Pants. But there were so many other pairs of softshell pants in my search results that no one was talking about, and I was very curious how they compared. A few weeks later, I had accumulated 5 pairs of softshell pants. The contenders were:
Norrøna Svalbard Flex1
Norrøna Falketind Flex1
Mammut Tatramar SO
Arctery’x Gamma AR
Outdoor Research Cirque II
I narrowed it down to these mostly because I didn’t want to buy more than 5 pairs of pants and these were what were available in my size online at the time I was looking.
I am hardly qualified to write reviews for softshell pants (given my almost nonexistent winter experience) but I still want to share my initial impressions of each pair of pants. These pants were all designed to achieve different goals, and I am only evaluating them for how well they match my needs. I will focus mostly on the fit, fabric, and features of each pair of pants. I did not field test any of these so I cannot comment on how they perform. I am 5’3” and fluctuate between 115 and 120 pounds. My body type is straight and slim.
The Specs
When shopping for pants online, the weight of the pants can be a helpful indicator as to how light or heavy the fabric of the pants are, and thus, how suitable the pants are for your activities. For example, the Arctery’x Gamma LT pants are only 308 g and aren’t really in the category of winter recreation pants. The pants I were looking at were mostly around the 450 g to 550 g range. (The Norrøna Falketind pants ended up being too lightweight for what I was looking for, but the rest are comparable).
The prices listed below are for the pants at full price. Most of these pants can be found on sale at various online retailers.
| Brand | Model | Weight | Size Purchased | Price |
| Norrøna | Svalbard Flex1 | 580 g | S | $219 |
| Norrøna | Falketind Flex1 | 412 g | S | $189 |
| Mammut | Tatramar SO | 530 g | 6 | $199 |
| Arctery'x | Gamma AR | 485 g | 4 | $199 |
| Outdoor Research | Cirque II | 580 g | S | $150 |
Norrøna Svalbard Flex1
Norrøna Svalbard Flex1
Features
Ankle zipper for expandable leg opening and elastic cord adjustment
Side ventilation zippers
Adjustable velcro waistband
Things I Liked
These pants are stylish (disregarding their fit on me), with their jean style pockets and leather label on the waistband making them look like almost like a pair of casual pants.
The material is thick and stretchy.
Things I Disliked
I really wanted to like these pants but the fit of these pants just didn’t work for me. They were too roomy around the hips and knees and looked baggy overall.
Norrøna Falketind Flex1
Norrøna Falketind Flex1
Features
Ankle zipper for expandable leg opening and elastic cord adjustment
Side ventilation zippers
Adjustable velcro waistband
Things I Liked
The fabric is breathable and stretchy, and they would make great general purpose, cold-weather hiking pants. I wouldn’t wear them in the snow though because the fabric is a lighter weight. They are to the Svalbard Flex1 pants what the Arctery’x Gamma LT pants are to the Gamma AR.
Things I Disliked
These pants were very similar in fit to the Svalbard pants so it was another miss for me. In fact, visually they look almost identical except for the pocket layout (I can barely tell them apart in my photos).
Mammut Tatramar SO
Mammut Tatramar SO
Features
Ankle zipper for expandable leg opening and button adjustment
Reinforced cuffs for edge and crampon protection
Side ventilation zippers
Adjustable velcro waistband
Integrated gaiters
Things I Liked
The integrated gaiters and adjustable cuffs would do a good job of keeping snow out of boots.
The interior is soft and comfortable directly against the skin, which is nice if you were to wear them without a base layer.
The color. A lot of the softshell pants I saw came in really safe (boring) colors, but the teal color that I got these in were really nice.
Things I Disliked
These were just…not stretchy. For softshell pants, I want them to be comfortable and un-restricting. Maybe I could have sized up, but then the size would have been off.
The straight cut was nicer than some of the bunchy or bell-bottomed fits of the other pants, but was nevertheless unflattering. It makes my legs look short and thick.
The fabric is on the warm side, which is fine for downhill skiing but likely too warm for strenuous winter activity like backpacking or ski touring.
Arctery’x Gamma AR
Arcteryx Gamma AR
Features
Elastic cord adjustment for leg opening
2 zippered hand pockets and 1 zippered thigh pocket
Integrated webbing belt
Soft brushed waistband
DWR finish
Things I Liked
The second I pulled these pants on, they were an instant winner. I just cannot get over how good these look. Remaining very true to the Arctery’x brand, these pants have a sleek and minimalist silhouette, yet are still super comfortable and non-restricting.
In terms of the fabric weight, these pants are the Goldilocks pants. They feel very lightweight thanks to the minimalist approach to features (3 zippered pockets, no venting or cuff adjustment zippers) but the fabric is durable and thick enough to provide water resistance and warmth.
Things I Disliked
The color. These pants come in the dullest of colors and I was only able to snag one in black.
Outdoor Research Cirque II
Outdoor Research Cirque II
Features
Elastic adjustable cuff
Reinforced cuffs for edge and crampon protection
2 zippered hand pockets and 1 zippered thigh pocket
Soft brushed waistband
Things I Liked
The fabric is stretchy and has more of a knit feel. The pants are very comfortable and feel more like normal pants than outerwear.
The wide leg opening accommodates ski boots.
The fabric used for the reinforced cuffs is very strong.
Things I Disliked
The downside of the relaxed fabric is that the pants look less structured and kind of..saggy?
The pant legs flare out a lot and they were very long on me, although they were still wearable with boots.
I could only find these pants in 2 colors: black and gray. The black pants are solid black, and for the gray color the scuff guards contrast with the rest of the pants.
And The Winner Is…
The Arctery’x Gamma ARs were by far the best fitting pants for me. I love how sleek they look and how freely I can move in the pants. I also feel comfort in the fact that they are a crowd favorite in the softshell pants category as I haven’t had the chance to personally try them in the outdoors. I’m excited to wear them on future ski and winter backpacking trips!