EMS Women's Compass Pants

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

I wore these everyday on three day river trip in Oregon; water beads up and they dry quickly; nice in town summer pant or capri as well; hides tummy of mature figure; fit well for me - non curvy fit; ample waist to hip ratio, but not baggy in rear. Can be worn alone or as an under layer. Might not fit so well for women with more generous hip, thigh, and butt.

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

I absolutely love these pants and have bought four pair as I wear them all the time. For 40 years I've been searching for pants that fit me this well off the rack, because I am on the short side and built straight up and down. Usually I have to buy a 12 or 14 to get a big enough waist, and then the hip area is quite baggy. In these, I take a 10. Pant lengths are also usually wrong; petites are too short and regulars need hemming. I'm just under 5'4", and in these pants, the regular length is just barely on the long side. These may be meant to be hip huggers, and that's why the waist is so big, but I'm short enough that the waist falls pretty close to my natural waist. So I don't know if the waist would be too large for women with more typical figures; it might fall well below the belly button. But if not, the elastic belt can take up some slack. These are very comfortable because they are stretchy, but they don't get baggy. They also breathe and are very lightweight, so work for hot weather. They look nice enough to wear casually or for travelling. I like to wear them kayaking because water beads up on them; a quick brush off afterwards and they're dry enough to wear to dinner. I've also worn them hiking and rolled them up thigh-high to cross a river. They got a little wet but dried in minutes. My only complaint, and it is very minor, is that once you've worn them rolled up for a while, they are a little wrinkly when you roll them back down.

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

I bought these pants to replace my worn-out zip-off hiking pants. At first I was hesitant, because I really wanted stretchy pants that convert into shorts, but bought these anyways because I really don't like the non-stretchy convertible pants fabric that EMS (and every other place it seems) has.

These are extremely comfortable, very breathable and, except for the double-layered fabric on the pockets, the pants dried fairly quickly while I was wearing them. The roll-up option is very handy and it takes about 15 seconds to roll them up and button them.

One problem I had was the size. At the store I tried on a 12, 14 and 16 (all regular) and decided on the 14, because usually I wear a 14 or 16 regular, and they fit well. A couple of hours into my first hike I realized that I should have gotten these in a size 12 instead. They felt loose, and I had to pull them up every 10 minutes or so. I tried tightening the belt, but that didn't do the trick at all. I will try to replace the flimsy belt with something more substantial, and if that doesn't work I'll be going back to buy a size 12.

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

The tall is much too short, in the rise and in the length. I'm 5'9" 142 lbs. I ordered a size six tall because the six in the Compass Shorts and Skorts fits me perfectly in the waist and hips.

The six tall fit fine in the waist and hips, but was too short in the legs (spec says 33" inseam, I measured it on two pairs and it's only 31.5"). Worse, the rise was too short as well, making them uncomfortable and unwearable.

What I don't understand is why the rise in the size 6 Compass shorts is fine for me, but it is too short in the pants? I've tried two pairs of each and the issue is consistent...rise fine in shorts, too short in pants, so I believe it to be a design or larger quality problem and not just a problem with an individual garment.

Highly recommend the shorts and skorts in this line, can't recommend the pants for tall women, even in the tall size.

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

I ordered the tall size and they are just long enough! A real treat for me. I am 5' 10". Wore on a 20 mile walk, a light rain for the last 2 hours and I was dry and comfortable. Plan on buying more!

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

Never wrote a review before, but these pants were so great I feel compelled to share. I bought them in black for a 3 week trip to Israel and Jordan and found I could have left all my other pants at home! Lightweight and easy to pack, these dried quickly and were perfect for 2 night stays. After a few wearings they did bag out a bit but a quick rinse got them back into shape.

Only negative was the belt which I hated! Struggled to get it out and replaced it with a chic silver and black leather belt, and then I could wear the pants anywhere! One caution for tall women is that I am usually a 6P and the 4R fit me perfectly. Also, I had tried to buy these in khaki before my trip and found that the fit in the front was not smooth from the crotch up. (Perhaps this just didn't show in the black ones.) Nevertheless, as soon as I got back I bought a pair of the khakis (I tried on many to find one that fit a bit better) to save for my next trip. I'll ditch the cheesy belt for a leather one -- then I only need to take 2 pairs of pants for a month!!!

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

I just bought these pants and can't take them off. I have a pair of zip offs but I have only zipped them off once... which is why I liked that these roll up to capris (i didn't zip off b/c it's such a pain to get them back on!)

These pants feel fantastic -- they fit like jeans and look great (I wear them around NYC without looking like i'm off on a hike) and are super stretchy -- I could totally go rock climbing in these which I can't say about my other hiking pants.

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

I'm a fit 57 year old and I don't like hip hugger pants. I loved these and would be stocking up on even more if more colors were available. I don't like the revised design this year. Bring back the 2012 model!

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

These pants are my new favorites because they actually fit an active woman's body. I am petite and incredibly athletic, but not built like a boy, which I feel is the body type that most makers of outdoor clothing for women design their clothing to fit. They are cut proportionally to fit waist and hips without binding or gapping, and the "short" option is the best thing since sliced bread because I hate to spend a lot of money on pants only to have to hem them prior to wearing.
The only room for improvement would be to leave off the velcro closures on the pockets. They don't REALLY keep anything in, but they do a great job of snagging gloves and sleeves and scratching up my already weather-chapped hands. Ow!
I wonder what other materials EMS could use for these pants - perhaps a soft shell pant cut this same way for colder weather? I would buy it in a heartbeat. Keep making these perfect pants and I will keep buying them!

Comments about Eastern Mountain Sports EMS Women's Compass Pants:

Originally bought these pants two years ago in all colors for traveling. Found them to be so comfortable, I wear them everywhere. At that time I was 5'2" and weighed 132, so I bought size 6-short. They were a little bit large then, but the length was perfect. Am now 122, so gave them to a friend and bought size 4-short in two colors. They are still just a tad large....so they do run a little big. My friend loves them so much, she can hardly take them off! The reason they are so wonderful is that they feel so light, do not wrinkle, have many deep pockets and everyone says they look great. I am now down to a 16" carry-on case when traveling for up to two weeks. Could not have done that without these pants. They wash up in a small sink and dry in about two hours...perfect for traveling. As you can tell.....I LOVE these pants! PLEASE, please make in more colors!