An Elevated Experience: Life in the Ponderosa Pants

Alpine Parrot Fit Tester Kristine has spent almost a month testing the Ponderosa Pants in her every day life. The following is her thoughtful and fun review! 2020 has changed a lot for most of us, and Kristine dives into how it's effected her—from her time embracing cooking in the kitchen to getting out in our pants. Take it away, Kristine!

2020 has changed a lot of things for me. In what I call the “before times,” I had different pairs of pants for different things. Some pants that I preferred for travel, different ones for hiking, going to the office, or just hanging out. And each pair was “just ok.” None met all of my needs—I settled.

I did the same in my kitchen: During the before times, I stocked it with whatever came my way through gifts and hand-me-downs. So, when I suddenly found myself cooking from home more this year (thanks, COVID), I realized the need to make sure that the things I had worked for me, for my style. So first I upgraded the gadgets, then the pans, and finally the oven. And as I started using these higher quality tools, cooking went from a “thing I should do” to an absolute joy—the entire process became an elevated experience.

I’ve had that same feeling wearing the Ponderosa Pants. In the past I used to try to find a pair of pants that would “sort of work ok” for going outdoors. Now, as a fit tester for Alpine Parrot, I get the elevated experience every morning of putting on pants that fit my body and excel both for everyday wear and hiking. I went from “I really should exercise,” to “how early can I hit the trails today?”

This is due to a number of different features, but there is one that was immediately noticeable: I’ve all but ditched my purse. Thanks to five well-designed pockets in the Ponderosa Pants, I can run out the door with my big phone, wallet, keys, and hand sanitizer (oh hai, pandemic) all comfortably stashed. It’s so freeing to leave behind all that extra weight and bulk.

And that’s not the only upside of the Ponderosa pants I’ve discovered so far:

• I get daily comments from my husband on how great they make my hips and curves look.
• They are easy to care for and dry quickly, which is important because there hasn’t been a day since the beginning of fit testing where I haven’t wanted to wear them (just ask my hiking buddy, who had noticed I’ve been living in them).
• They pack down super small, which will be great for future travel and backpacking.
• There’s some magic in the waistband that hugs my lower back, so there’s no gap when I crouch or bend over.

The hiking pants I used to settle for would either pill or give me some chafing in the thigh area. I haven’t experienced this with the Ponderosa Pants, which seem to fit and stretch in just the right way for that whole area to be nice and comfortable, whether I’m sitting on the couch, running errands, or hiking up a steep-for-me trail.

I didn’t think a pair of pants could change my life… I mean pants are pants, right?! Nope. The right pants, just like the right kitchen tools—they make the adventure better. That’s what the Ponderosa Pants are for me: an elevated experience. I can’t wait to continue wearing them, and hope that you get to experience them yourself, soon.