The North Face Paramount Convertible Pants

I bought these pants about 6 months ago and recently bought them again to give them another try in the hopes that the first pair was just defective. The stitching on these pants truly suck. The crotch area stitching is easy to come apart. Carry a sewing kit with you in case you need to stitch it up during a climb/hike. Even when you get them new and inspect it, the sewing doesn't give you much confidence. It looks like it's about to fall apart. The design of these pants need a lot of improvement. I am 5'8", 33" waist and wear medium short. Even short, is not that short. The bottom can drag the floor if you don't pull the pants high enough. Regular is even longer. The pants have very baggy legs. Since the leg cuffs don't have cinches, it is easy to kick dirt into that large baggy opening. The manufacturing process of these pants suck too. The DWR on these pants is just bad. I rinsed these pants out after my first use, and it seems that the DWR has already worn down - the water doesn't bead as much anymore and starts to soak into the pants. This is especially true by the butt area where I sit. In conclusion, the North Face Paramount pants are inferior products. It's no wonder why so many people think that North Face offers the crappiest outdoor gear especially for the price. The North Face is now known to be somewhat of a fashion icon to the rest of the world, and as a result, doesn't seem to focus on what the company initially stood for. For the price of these pants, you should go with the Mountain Hardwear Mesa pants instead. I have those and they are MUCH more dependable, better built, AND lightweight.

I bought this last December to travel through the jungle in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. The FIRST day I tried on I made a hole in on of the side pockets. The assembly is: SHITTY. You can't beat this gear too much otherwise you'll see the damage really soon. It barely made it through some rough trip on the lacandona jungle. I had to sew it myself but the MADE IN BANGLADESH really sucks... the hangers that are on the belt were almost destroyed at the end.. very poor construction. On the other hand the technology was really helpful those things dried all sorts of fast. Lot's of pockets were really helpful during the trip. The sippers are great very good ones. I really liked the "concealed one" by the right side pocket. If you use it as I saw most SENIOR US peepz on the streets of Chiapas and Guatemala to stroll on the markets well you look great but if you are using them for what they are worth... you'll find they're not only expensive.. they're not up to the standards of this company. love-hate relationship... mainly hate.

Some others have mentioned this as well, but I have to HAVE to second what others are saying. North Face has redesigned and complete messed up these pants. I have a total of 6 pairs of these pants. My first 3 are virtually indestructable. They have held up to sliding across slickrock and busting through scrub oak and brush with no problems. So, the earlier reviews touting how great they are used to be correct. However, I recently purchased 3 new pair of these when Backcountry had them on sale. 2 of them have had the zipper fail the first 2 or 3 times I wore them. And, I have had to have seams re-stitched on all 3 pair. Also, it is painfully obvious that the material is inferior to the earlier models. So, just because you have bought some in the past, do not assume you will get the same pair of pants if you order new ones.

As suggested by others, the north face seems to have changed these pants for the worse! I have about 5 older pairs of these that are the same size as the two additional pair I just purchased and these new ones don't fit me well. I may need to go from M-reg to L-short because these just don't seem to fit as well. I was planning to buy these pants until end of time but it's time to shop around. The north face moved these from the Phillipines to Bangladesh and they are not the same as they used to be. Lower zipper quality in the legs from what I can tell as well. I wonder what the profit margin is on a $65 pant made in the Phillipines vs. on made in Bangladesh????

THESE PANTS SUCK. If you are expecting to get the same North Face Paramount Convertible that you may have purchased a couple of years ago, run away. I have several pairs of North Face Paramount, these aren't those. North Face has made changes to the fabric, cut, fit and styling and none of them good. I travel, fish, hike and fly, the original Paramount Convertible has been my favorite for many years - these just aren't up to the quality of the previous version. If you like mediocrity at a high price then this pant is for you. Anyone that thinks that these are great pants needs to shop around. North Face shot themselves in the foot with this one.

Thats about it, thought they were great pants, bought three pairs and they all fell apart around the same time. Basically some bad stitching in the rear end and poor customer service from TNF. Oh well you decide but I have never had problems with any of their gear before. Its a bummer because I really liked these pants. They are made in Bangladesh of all places and I hope there are giving those workers a fair salary but somehow I doubt it but I can not say for sure. Good luck shopping. Peace

I, like others who have reviewed, The North Face Paramount Convertible Pant, have found that they do not fit properly and are extremely uncomfortable. I have purchased two other pair in the past years but this new model really fit poorly and are way too baggy for any trekking. I work in the Himalayas but I can assure you these pants will not be in my suitcase or in my backpack. Unfortunately, I bought two pairs and now I have to go to the process of returning them. What a pain!

I agree with some of the other posts about the change to Bangladesh - the older pants were great but the new ones are falling apart. I've got two pair I got a year ago and the seams for the seat are falling apart. An older pair is holding up just fine. I'm willing to try one more time to see if maybe The NorthFace has done something to improve quality at their new plants, but be aware that the quality has definately suffered.

Yes its true, the old version of these pants is much better than the current one. I have two pairs and i like the old pair much better. At first glance, they look similar but if you try them on, you can definitely tell there is a difference. The fit is different in that the old ones feel much more relaxed, especially if you're just wearing the shorts. I have the medium short version of the pants and it looks like North face shortened the length of the shorts. The shorts on the newer pair are way too short and feel a lot tighter than on the old one. Sewing is better on the old ones as well. Both pants had stitching fail but the old pair took around two years for that to happen and the new pair only took about 6 months. Thank goodness north face repairs for free. These used to be the pant I would recommend to people but now I�ve had to change that. The old north faces are still my favorite hiking pants but since they�ve changed the Paramount, I've had to start looking for some new ones to get. If you buy one, hopefully you'll like them. Three stars because i love the old ones.

I really like the material and fit. I have the size Large Short, I'm 5'9" 190, 34" waist and they are perfect. As said earlier the stiching is a weak point, the butt area on mine need some needle and thread love after maybe 30 days of hiking use over the last 9 months. I was rough on them so I'm not upset. Also the "short" size option is accomplished by reducing the length of the short and not the removable lower leg section, so conversion of the "short" size pant to shorts will result in daisy dukes, hot pants, or booty shorts...keep this in mind if you require the short size.

I agree that these pants can be a bit flimsy. I use mine mostly for wet-weather hiking and as a shield against mosquitoes. If a rough day is on the way, these stay in the pack until the temps cool. They are quite light and dry really fast, so they do see plenty of use. I opt to not wear them as shorts since the cut is a little, ummm, short. I readily recommend these pants for rainy hikes, cool desert nights, and summertime high alpine skiing adventures. Slot canyons, climbing, or big tech scrambles might beat these to pieces. Have fun!

Material Dries fast. The fit is spot on, quite flattering but still very casual--though the shorts are too short to wear in most public settings. I haven't gotten to take these out into the backcountry yet, but I have already noticed a few major flaws. First the velcro on the back pockets is causing the material around the velcro to pill up. Second, the stiching is starting to fall apart around edges. Like I said, these have not gone through any serious wear either, just casual wear around town and then light wash. I might see about that "lifetime" warranty.

these convertibles are great for hot to cool weather hiking. several deep pockets are very useful. my problem with these pants is the stitching, its poorly done. i used these pants while hiking up a big hill with lots of loose/small rocks, and while decending i spent much of my time on my backside with my hands and feet to balance. the stitching on the back came loose after one use. great for most occasions but not good on tough backcountry.

Cost was in line but maybe that was because these pants just aren't that great. Wore them three days in the Colorado wilderness, the crotch area is too tight... the zip off pants are too short, and they don't dry as fast as advertised. I read the poor reports but still bought the pants because of the name...they performed adequetly but next time I will buy from a retailer for this valuable piece of gear.

They look nice, and pack very easy. I only use them for backpacking and they tend to be a little snug in the front (especially around the quads) which makes for uncomfortable hiking when you stride forward and for sitting. The seams are also weak and wear out quickly. The quality of the paramount pants seems to have dipped. I would recommend the Columbia Silver Ridge II over the TNF Paramount.

I used these to climb Kilimanjaro. The pants are great. However, the shorts are very short. I felt like I could play for the Celtics in the 80s.