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The Prana Stretch Zion Convertible Pants are an excellent pair for hiking, or just about every sport, activity, or social affair while traveling or adventuring outdoors. These pants are incredibly comfortable, and with a stretchy nylon/spandex weave, they allow for a nearly unlimited range of movement, whether one is hiking or backpacking, or even practicing yoga or rock climbing. They keep us warm during cold fronts (long underwear fits comfortably underneath) and can be turned into shorts when the temperature bubbles up. They endure wear and tear in the roughest of conditions and are practical, offering multi-access zipper security pockets combined with perfectly sized and positioned front and rear pockets; the waist tightens up with a simple tug on the adjustable waistband. These pants breathe, resist water and in general meet an outdoor enthusiast's every need. They are by no means waterproof but fit well enough so that a waterproof shell will easily fit over them. As the most comfortable and versatile pant that also has the best features, we are happy to have these in our review.
REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable
Versatile for hiking
Sports or casual wear
Great pocket options
Great fit
REASONS TO AVOID
Stitching gives way over time
Seam stitching not top notch
Crotch zipper too short
No need for shorts?
For less than the convertible version, the Prana Stretch Zion Pants offers the same great qualities, but without the zipper. Complete with roll-and-snap legs instead of zippers, the non-convertible pants are available in a wide variety of colors and are an excellent choice for hikers who don't need the versatility of convertible pants. Or if you don't need the side pocket and cuff snaps, the Brion Pant saves you even more cash. It is made of the Stretch Zion fabric but looks better around town.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Our testers love wearing these pants. While we thought that the convertible option added much to its versatility (and that it was the best convertible option that we tested), we are aware of the fact that not everyone enjoys convertible pants. Whether one is concerned about the look of the zipper and seam, the feel of the material against the skin, or merely the added weight, there are plenty of reasons to want a standard pant instead. For those people, we recommend the Prana Stretch Zion.
In most ways, the Stretch Zion and Zion Convertible are the same, except for the convertible part, of course. But for those who aren't entirely sure which pant they would like, we want to point out the differences. The Stretch Zion has slightly narrower legs than the Zion Convertible. While the narrowness never bothered us, we appreciated the looser fit of the Zion Convertible, although some might think they are a bit baggy. We also noticed that the legs are slightly shorter on the Stretch Zion than the convertible, and they feature the snap buttons to help with cuff roll-up, where the Zion Convertibles do not. With those exceptions, we found the pants to be the same, and don't think you could go wrong with either one.
Performance Comparison
These pants were plenty warm for hiking on a cold and cloudy winter day when snow was threatening and the wind was blowing. We were lucky to find dry trail, and also happy to not have on a pant that was any thinner.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
Comfort and Mobility
These are among the most comfortable pants we have used. The convertible pant legs make it an easy conversion to shorts if you'd like to go for a swim, and not the short shorts of the '80s, but an actual full-length pair of shorts with a cuff that sat right on our knees.
If we have to make a complaint about these pants, we might say that the convertible seam, where the zipper lies, rubs a bit on the lower thigh and knee when hiking in them. The zipper itself does not rub, however, just the flap of material on the inside of the leg to protect against the zipper. This situation is a problem that we found with all convertible pants, and all things considered, these did a good job of minimizing this discomfort.
The Stretch Zion Convertible are a relatively normal looking pair of pants that are our favorite ones in this review, garnering them the Editors' Choice Award.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
We also thought the crotch zipper was too short. This issue is something we have never really noticed in pants before, as apparently, all the crotch zippers we have ever had in our whole lives were adequately long. While it still functions the way it is supposed to, we found it a bit annoying. These two minor complaints are all that kept the Stretch Zion Convertible from getting a perfect score. The balance of stretchy in one direction and non-stretchy in the other gives the pants a casual, almost dressy look combined with the flexibility and comfort of sweatpants.
These pants feel just about normal as shorts, with the 14" inseam sitting right about at knee height, instead of well up the thigh like some of the other convertible pants. The new cuffs also hide the zipper well and look pretty much like normal shorts.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
Versatility
These are the top pants from the perspective of versatility, hands down. They perform while hiking to the top of snow-covered peaks, becoming saturated in whitewater, stretching to the limit in some uncomfortable yoga poses, scraping against sharp granite on the boulders of Joshua Tree, and looking like “normal” pants when grabbing a drink in town. There is rarely a situation where throwing these on and heading out the door is a bad idea; there are of course many better solutions for specific activities.
We loved that they dried out pretty darn quick after a dousing in the rain. We also liked that the shorts were usable as actual shorts, not some pseudo-cutoff feeling shorts that we were only wearing because we were out on the trail where supposedly nobody would see you (dying of heat stroke). Overall, there isn't a specific climate in which we didn't think these pants would serve us well, unlike many of the other pairs that seemed great for one type of condition, but not so much for another.
The Stretch Zion Convertible pants were the most comfortable to wear while hiking. Light, soft, and super stretchy and mobile. They are good for either hot or cold days, as this one was. You can see how the pants are cut loose, which we liked, but are not too baggy.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
Breathability
The Stretch Zion Convertible's comfortable fabric is in the middle range in terms of thickness and heaviness. While this pant does feature several “breathing holes” sewn into the crotch area, we didn't feel like they made a huge difference when it got really hot and steamy inside these pants. The loose fit did make them feel slightly more cool than their counterpart, the Stretch Zion, which interestingly has slightly sleeker legs. Regardless, since this is a convertible pant when things get too hot, you can change into shorts.
Sewn in ventilation holes in the crotch of these pants. We appreciated the effort to address a problem in these pants, that they can be hot and sweaty in this area when its really warm out, but didn't think that this feature was super effective.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
Durability
For how much abuse we put these pants through, we are quite impressed with how well they stand up to wear and tear. Our previous reviewer agreed, saying, “After six months of bushwacking through the jungle, farming in the heat of the tropics, and adventuring through caves and across mountain peaks, the pants that I wore the most, the Zion Convertibles, can take a beating and, as they say, keep on ticking”. Our minor complaints and concerns include some stitching that has come undone (which hasn't caused any real problems yet), and that the stitching, in general, seems a bit shoddy compared to other pants we tested. Straight out of the box loose thread ends abound, and while it hasn't caused us many problems, we appreciate something a bit neater for our money. Regardless, Prana's no questions asked return policy helps alleviate any concerns we might have had about the durability of the pant. While they don't exactly look new anymore, we can honestly say these pants didn't disappoint.
Weather Resistance
The Zion Convertible Pants held up across a range of weather conditions. In light rain, they did a great job of keeping us dry, although in years past (in the tropics) we also got to experience saturating rain where nothing but full waterproofing would have sufficed. Unless saturated, they also dried relatively quickly both on and off the body, a nice feature when you get pretty tired of being wet all of the time.
At high elevations, at near-freezing temperatures, they functioned pretty well to keep us warm, although long underwear is a must have for those not acclimated to frigid climates. For the most part, they were effective against cold winds, although some holes in the crotch (which serve well to ventilate hot air) also become a spot for cold frigid air to enter, sometimes quite uncomfortably. In hotter climates, they offered some breathability through these ventilation holes but still became quite warm, pushing us to take advantage of the zip-off legs at the risk of high sun exposure.
In our shower test, we found that the DWR coating worked impressively well considering how much wear they had before we tested them. It seriously limited water absorption, and soak through only took place in the highest abrasion areas like the knees. And after receiving a good dousing, some water did make its way through to our skin; the material didn't absorb very much of that water, keeping the weight down and the drying time quick.
The DWR coating on the Stretch Zion Convertible worked surprisingly well to repel water. While these non-waterproof pants did have a little bit of soak through, it was not nearly as egregious as some of the others, and they didn't absorb much.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
Features and Conveniences
The hand pockets are deep and comfortable, like everything else about this pant. Notice that there are also cargo pockets on each side, as opposed to only on one side on the Stretch Zion. Whether thats a good thing or not depends on how much you like cargo pockets.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
The Zion Convertible Pants offer four front and two rear pockets, a tightening waist strap, zip-off pant legs (convertible), and functional crotch ventilation holes. The open front and rear pockets are well designed to be easily accessible and deep enough to hold ample material without risk of falling out; they also offer mesh netting that increases the overall breathability of the pants. The two lower front zipper pockets are handy for securing valuables and important items when on the move, and offer two zippers for top or side access, something we felt at first was overkill but later came to appreciate when accessing these pockets sitting down or while in a harness.
The cargo pockets on this pant have two openings instead of one on just the top, and both of them are zippered. The side opening is convenient when sitting down, because then it becomes the top opening :)
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
The waist tightening system was functional and appreciated, as was this model comes in ten waist sizes and three lengths. They also come in three different color options, providing enough variety to meet your style preference (note: we do wish a few more color options were available).
The waist tightening system on these pants is not a complete belt, yet works like one. We liked pants that had a system like this, or a simple belt, integrated so that we have one less thing to carry on a long trip, or one less thing that can rub against a hip belt.
Credit: Elizabeth Riley
Best Applications
This convertible option is perfect for hiking, backpacking, general outdoor activities, and especially multi-faceted travel. They are sufficient for both warmer and cooler climates and do an adequate job of shedding water in wet weather.
A good hiking pant has to be good at lounging around at camp, which means one simple thing: Comfort. These pants were the most comfortable ones in the review.
Credit: George Foster
Value
This competitor offers excellent value. These pants are in the middle of the price range of those we tested and provide an all-purpose multi-faceted solution to looking and feeling good at home or on whatever adventure you undertake. They are not cheap pants, but they are also not cheaply made. We did have some frustration with the stitching coming loose, which directly degrades their overall value and longevity.
Conclusions
The Prana Stretch Zion Convertible Pants provide everything we want and more as a general purpose hiking/outdoor pant. Having traveled for six months with these and four other pairs of top hiking pants, we found that no matter what we were doing, regardless of the conditions, we were well served by these pants. Having worn them all over the mountains of Colorado and the deserts of Utah, we still couldn't find fault, and feel like these are pants we could live in with no real complaints whatsoever.
