REI Sahara clothing...?

[John E]

Anyone have any practical experience with either their zip-off pants or shirts?

The whole line is 30% for the rest of the day at REI, it looks like a less expensive version of the Exofficio type clothes to me.

Zip-off pants normally $59.95 at 30% off sounds like a decent deal if they're decent pants.

Anyone?

[Ruined Adventures]

I dig the Sahara T-shirts...they're pretty breathable so far but they're REALLY short length (I'm only 6 ft, 175 lbs). You have to be careful wearing them because you will show your plumber crack. They're so soft, my girlfriend steals them as pajamas all the time...

You can get the "Tall" sizes online which are also 30% off.

[RogerH]

I have one shirt and one pair of their zip off pants. They have lasted years and still look new. For the price you can't go wrong, also any problems REI will exchange or refund them. Hope that helps!

[fishEH]

I just retired my old TNF zip offs. I looked a loooooong time for a suitable replacement. and ended up going with the Sahara's. I originally bought their Endeavor pant but it was way too heavy a material.
Sahara Pros:
-Comes with a belt
-Good fitting. Less baggy than my TNF ones.
-Full length side zip up to the knee. My TNF ones had no side zip. The Sahara you can actually take off over your shoes/boots.
-Pants are stain resistant. I had the cleanest pants on my recent trip to BWCA!!
Cons:
-Zips are color coded, but barely. One is copper-ish in color, the other a pewter color. Hard to tell be glancing.
-Standard depth rear pocket. My TNF ones had a deep rear pocket that held a standard folded map perfectly. FWIW, no new pants I've been able to find have a deep pocket so the Sahara's are on par with other zip offs.
-Pants are stain resistant. Good luck when wiping your your hands off on your pants. They'll be just as dirty and wet as they were in the first place.
Waist fit. I'm 6' tall, ~175lbs. What I consider to be a pretty average build. I chose the Mediums in a 32" length. The waist on the pants is perfect as-is, just hope I don't gain any weight! :)

All in all I'm quite happy with the Sahara's, especially given the price tag.

[shogun]

I bought a few shirts this past year due to the same sale.

I admit, I've only worn them maybe 4-5 times but... any type of snag on a branch or thorn and they run like nylons. The entire length of the shirt gets a pull line in it. Also, there are very fine hairs that show up at seams, a couple inches long. Guess what happens when you try to snap them off?

So far, I'd give them a qualified No.

[yubert]

I have both REI's Sahara convertible pans as well as shirts. The pants are decent in terms of comfort, moisture wicking, wrinkle-resistance and durability. But they're not as comfortable as ExOfficio's Amphi pants but close.

As for the Sahara shirts, I had problems with a couple of shirts because the stitching or threading for the buttons button started to unravel. Don't know if this was a temporary lapse in quality control or what but I still have one Sahara shirt that still has all it's buttons. However, the shirt is not very comfortable. The fabric is thicker, and coarser than ExOfficio's Air Strip shirt. It doesn't wick or breathe nor as wrinkle-resistant as ExOfficio. And the inside seams are not as finished as ExOfficio. Also there are other brands such as oobe and Columbia Sportswear (Silver Ridge) that are more breathable, wick better and therefore more comfortable than the Sahara.

As for the 30% discount, you can do better than that at REI's clearance sales where anything ending in .83 cents is an additional 50% off the sale price. So in some cases I've gotten a 73% discount.

[defrag4]

Have both the pants and the shirts, The shirt is awesome I love it and wear it constantly still fits like new. the pants are very durable but the zip-offs are kind of a pain to get back on. my gf has some ones that roll up and button up to convert to shorts. thinking about trying out that style

[xtatik]

I've worn these for many years. Literally, the same ones (both the button-down shirts and zip-off pants) and they are still in great shape and I wear them for work around the house....not just while on trips. I've spent the money on Ex-Officio, Patagucci, Columbia, etc., and these have easily outlasted any of them. It's true they may be less comfortable due to the fact they are made from a heavier fabric. I see that as an asset, and I think it has a lot to do with why these have outlasted the others. I haven't had any prblems with the fabric running. Being that all of these brands are using a simply woven synthetic thread, I'd imagine they would all be equally susceptible, but I haven't experienced it personally. The shirts I have appear to be an older version. It seems they did a re-design last year. The front pockets on mine are a flap with velcro closure. The new version appears to have a zip closure judging from the pics on their website. The new version has kept the vented cross-shoulder flap on the back.

[nwoods]

I like them a lot. The shirts are too small for me, but the pants fit well, despite my hard to find size (38x38). ExOficio doesn't make clothes my size so I can't compare.

[adrenaline503]

Ive backpacked in the pants for about a dozen days, no issues at all. They're not super light, but then again they seem to be rather durable. I'd buy another pair if needed.

[ywen]

I own the previous gen Sahara long-sleeve shirt.. fit was a big large and baggy. However the shirt itself performed very well. I especially loved the deep chest-level security pocket that had a zipper underneath a velcro flap. I kept 2 passports and a thick stack of bills in it and did not feel it at all when worn. The huge meshed pit openings worked very well in 90+ deg heat.

Just picked up REI's newest version of the Sahara shirt. They def cut back in materials cost.. gone is the deep zipper pocket. Now there are just 2 velcro flapped chest pockets and pit vents are no longer the large zipped variety of before. The fit is much more trim now, which I like..

I would recommend the long-sleeve regardless.

[ssssnake529]

I have the pants. Used them for several seasons. Nothing but good things to say about them.