For 50+ years, Propper has been making outstanding military, law enforcement and tactical apparel and gear. Having owned several articles of Propper made clothing over the years, it’s one of the first companies I considered when I needed some new pants.

Why Buy?

I’m not a big fan of jeans. In the summer they tend to be too hot. In the spring and winter, they get wet easily and don’t dry quickly (Why Cotton Kills, A Technical Explanation). With this in mind, I tend to prefer pants that are meant for outdoorsy-type activities, even wearing them to work when I can. Here are some of the pants that have served me well:

    • Propper Men’s STL II Pant – I can’t find these in my size any longer since they were replaced with a newer model. I have owned ~ 7 pairs of these pants over the last 5 years. I originally found them at a steep discount, then bought more at a higher price. They are really durable and are water/stain resistant (DWR). These pants were particularly useful when I was working at a ski resort and was splitting time between being in the office at my desk and out on the mountain. I still have all of these, but since I used them for work and play, they’re getting worn out and not really office appropriate anymore.
    • Sage Seychelles Convertible Pants – These are my favorite convertible pants. They are no longer made unfortunately. One of my favorite features is the zipper pocket with a key tether.
    • Columbia Sportswear Twisted Cliff Pants – These are super lightweight. However, I am not a fan of the mesh pockets. 

All of the pants above have been used and abused and not nice enough to wear to work anymore. I needed to figure out what to replace these pants with and I started by looking at Propper. After contacting Propper to see what they had that could potentially meet my needs, I soon had a pair of Men’s EdgeTec Slick Pants and a few other items headed my way for testing and evaluation.

Review

Soon after I started using the EdgeTec Pants, I purchased a pair of the EdgeTec Shorts. I’ve been using my EdgeTec Pants and Shorts for a few months now and here is what I’ve found:

  • The Good
    • Price – the MSRP on these is much lower than what I’d typically expect to pay for this type/genre of pants. You can the pants on Amazon for ~$30 and the shorts for around ~$20.
    • Durable – after a few months of use, the pants still look brand new
    • Super comfortable, lightweight and dry quickly.
    • Large pockets made from durable material. One of my main complaints with hiking pants is that the pockets are often made of mesh and/or are small. These are neither. 
    • DWR works well … maybe a little too well if you want to treat them with permethrin (see below). 
  • The Bad –  when writing reviews, I rarely struggle to find something I don’t like about the gear I am testing. These pants were an exception. The bullet points listed below aren’t necessarily negatives, but moreso additional features that could improve the pants.
    • Color selection: The men’s version is only offered in 4 colors — black, khaki, navy and ranger. Ranger is my favorite and might be described as a very dark olive drab green. The navy is very dark and looks like black, unless you have something that is black next to it. The khaki is too light in my opinion and would be better if it were a few shades darker. 
    • Permethrin treatment: If I plan to wear something while I hike or when I’ll be spending lots of time outdoors, I tend to treat that item with permethrin. Since EdgeTec is already treated with DWR, permethrin tends to run off it. I plan to try to soak a set of pants to see if the permethrin is absorbed more readily.  
    • No zippered pockets: I prefer to have at least one zippered pocket, especially when I am hiking or working outside. I really like it if the zippered pocket is a front pocket, is somewhat concealed and has a key tether. 
  • The Bottom Line 
    • EdgeTec are my favorite pants and shorts that are currently on the market! After receiving 1 pair of Men’s EdgeTec Slick Pants for testing and evaluation, I purchased 3 pairs of EdgeTec Shorts and 1 pair of EdgeTec Slick Pants with personal funds. Between the Carbon Carry Belt and the Edgetec garments, I rarely go a day without wearing gear from Propper.