Recently, I was scouring the Verticall store website (www.VerticallStore.com) for new offerings (the way one does to pass the time and stay informed of the latest trends). It seems there’s always a hard to find item that’s been sourced, or something entirely new. Although I don’t need new pants (some may argue that point) I kept an eye out for pants – you gotta look good to be good, right?
I saw something new: pants and shorts from UCRAFT (www.ucraftclimbing.com) a company I hadn’t heard of before. New company: interesting. Made in Ukraine: more interesting. Two year unconditional warranty that includes damage due to normal wear and tear: most interesting.
I called up Marco and he confirmed, they’ve been flying off his e-shelves. Intrigued by the use of dual materials, I decided to try the shorts. The pants looked slimming, so I got a pair of those as well.
The first thing I noticed with the Anti-Gravity Shorts is the elastic waist band (so it sits flat under a harness) and the dual materials: those dark patches you see have a different weave on the inside, so they’re not only breathable but moisture-wicking too! The shorts are gender-specific, so I got away with an “aspirational” sizing. It fits. Its stretchy, so I’m not held back when stabbing for far off foot holds. I’m stoked for warmer (hot) weather. The graphite colour looks slick with the orange thread. Good pockets on the front. And a pair of nifty features: two loops to which you can attach a chalkbag (so it sits flat) and a nifty hidden zippered pocket on the right thigh.
The XLite Pants are unisex, so I was advised to be a bit more “conservative” in my sizing strategy. Slimming pant legs often don’t fare well against my thighs (that have pushed bicycle pedals and carried heavy bags more than they should have), but again the 90% recycled polyester and 10% elastane (spandex) material performed: stretchy enough to give me the freedom of motion without feeling like I’m headed for the yoga studio. (But I bet you they’d do well there too!) The pants benefit from subtle darts to articulate the knees and a diamond inserts in the crotch for increased mobility.
But it’s their overall lightweight that I like most. I bet they dry quickly too. There’s an elastic waist that’s coupled with a flat drawcord to tie. And there’s an ankle drawstring to keep the pant legs up and out of the way if you prefer. (They’re fixed at the opposite seam, so if you want you can tailor the front and back with varying tension). The location of the front pockets above the thighs is handy for small items and not a problem with a harness’s leg-loops. I’m quickly starting to like the new look. A zippered rear pocket with a small pull tab, keeps things secure, without the risk of stabbing you when you get ejected onto the mats. And another one sits under the right front thigh pocket (for a topo or beta map).
I’m looking forward to reaching for them during crisp to moderate conditions. We’ll see how they hold up to the limestone at LH and the granite of Algoma.