Pants

Not being typically concerned with fashion in the sense of specific labels, gear, etc, most of my gear consists of random portions I could find on sale nicely. Usually my hard shell pant of choice is an easy going black, not only because it's the official uniform color for the ski school, but also because it won't clash too badly with anything I may wear on top. Now the debate... suspenders or no suspenders?

For the past few years I've been using The North Face Freedom pant. It's a fairly good pant. I've never been cold in them, the zippers have lasted, the gaiters work well enough, the cuff scuffs are large enough, and for the most part the pant fits well. Where it falls apart for me is while teaching, having to frequently bend down, I find the pant continuously creeps lower over the day. Eventually though these pants met their match, and that match happens to be little kids skis. A nice long tear through the leg had forced me to do some duct tape repair midway through last season.

When the season got a little warmer last year, and everything went on sale, I picked up some Arc'Teryx pants similar to Theta SV Bibs although not bibbed. Actually they look more like the Alpha pant, only without the removable suspenders. Extremely durable, with full zippers up the side (making venting an odd spectacle), the pants have a few major drawbacks. The venting for one, but these were bought for the warmer weather days. The gaiters just barely fit around my ski boot requiring a complicated process to get them on. The suspenders aren't a great feel either.

I've been informed that wearing the "duct tape pants" this season wouldn't be a wise idea if I wish to continue teaching. So I've been on a hunt for new pants. I can easily find the same North Face pants, but there had to be something better. I tried a few Burton styles, some Marmot, Mountain Hardware, etc but none seemed to stand out. Enter Patagonia.

Anyone have any opinions on the Patagonia Rubicon or Primo pants? Trying them on at the Patagonia store, both are EXTREMELY comfortable. Both have an odd venting system that is not a meshed covered hole (look the snow on that tree is in your pants now!). The Rubicon has a most ingenious waist line that seems to hold up to numerous squats, bends, spins, and kicks. (Yeah the folks in the Patagonia store got a kick out of me jumping off of various items in the store.) The Primo has suspenders and a full leg zip, but they pants are extremely durable and comfy too. Suspenders or no suspenders?