Off the Grid Surplus Pants are pretty darned good whether in your truck or on the trails

Would you believe it if I told you that a pair of pants changed my life? When I wear them my photos get more likes on the ‘Gram, miles disappear under my hiking boots with ease, I effortlessly navigate the most challenging four wheel drive roads and mix up whiskey sours that would make a seasoned bartender envious. Okay, I made all that up but the Off the Grid Surplus Trailblazer pants ARE pretty damn outstanding.

Who is Off the Grid Surplus and what are the Trailblazer pants? In a nutshell, Off the Grid is a clothing company uniquely aligned with both the outdoor and motor-driven industries, designing and manufacturing high-quality, high-function apparel that looks good and fits well. The Trailblazers are an everyday pant that, to the best of my knowledge, were conceived when the designers put some work, tactical and casual pants in a room, turned off the lights and turned on some mood music, and then let the magic happen. The result was a pair of pants with just the right amount of stretch built into a durable but soft fabric, low profile pockets for all your EDC items and a tailored fit that elicits compliments from my wife every time I wear them.

Started in 2012 by Josh Patterson, a clothing designer with a resumé that reads like a who’s who of the outdoor industry, Off the Grid Surplus quickly went from a side hustle to a fast-growing company sponsoring huge industry events like King of the Hammers. That kind of explosive growth doesn’t happen if your products suck.

I wear tactical pants every day at work. I don’t want to wear them off-duty. So, when I won a pair of Trailblazers in a photo contest, my expectations were low. With pockets designed to carry firearm magazines and extra fabric in high wear areas for protection from knife clips, it would be easy to dismiss them as wannabe tactical pants, which I did…until I put them on. These aren’t your typical tactical pants, nor are they your typical Carhartt style work pants. They’re both, but better. So much better that I bought a second pair within a week of receiving the first.

Let’s start with the fit because, honestly, if pants don’t fit well, I’m not going to wear them no matter how comfortable or useful they are. I don’t wear baggy clothing, but I also haven’t worn skin tight pants since reluctantly tossing my last pair of parachute pants (they were bright red!) in the trash sometime around 1986. The Trailblazers are available in two fits: tapered and standard. Off the Grid uses a straightforward naming convention for their pants by which the first number represents the version and the second number represents the fit. For example, the pants I’m reviewing are the Trailblazer 4.0, which means they are the fourth version of the pant in a tapered it. The 4.1’s are a standard fit. Think of the tapered fit as a slim cut and the standard as, well…standard, but not baggy. The fabric has just enough stretch to allow for spontaneous karate kicks or big steps up into a lifted rig…whichever one you do more often. Many pants that utilize a stretch fabric fit well initially, but within an hour they’re not stretchy any more – just stretched out. The Trailblazers maintain the same fit even after multiple days of unwashed wear.

Moving on from the fabric, but sticking with the topic of fit, you will find no other pant hiding nine (NINE!) pockets in such a low-profile silhouette. Got a lot of stuff to carry? This is your pant. My EDC includes two wallets, keys, a phone, small folding knife and a Glock 43. Not much by some standards but virtually invisible when wearing these pants and, bonus, I don’t look like a SWAT wannabe. Subtlety is the name of the game here. So is all-day comfort. And those magazine pockets? They’re not just for bullets. Stuff your wallet in them and it’s in a position that doesn’t force you to sit lopsided. Now that I think about it, your chiropractor might be the only person who will hate your Trailblazers.

 

I’ve worn the Trailblazers on hours long road trips, bike rides, hikes and Target runs. I’ve worn them while washing my truck, cleaning the house and doing yard work. In fact, I’m wearing them right now. You put them on and you don’t think about them again until you take them off. Thanks to the famous Poison song we all know that every rose has it’s thorns. These pants are nearly perfect…but not quite. Every once in a while, usually while seated for long periods of time, the waistband fabric behind the button folds over and the edge of the button digs into my stomach. That might not be an issue for those of you who eat less pizza and drink fewer beers.

Other gripes? The sizing is inconsistent. I have two pairs in the same size. The inseam’s longer on one and the waist is slightly larger on the other. Both pairs fit well, just…slightly different. I spoke to Bobby Klein, Off the Grid’s CEO, and he assured me that they’ve resolved sizing inconsistencies in the upcoming Trailblazer 5’s that will be available in early March. The fabric and fit are also claimed to be better. Given that my two favorite things about the 4.0’s are the fabric and fit, I’m not sure how they could have improved them but for now I’ll have to take their word on it.

Off the Grid makes another version of the Trailblazer marketed as the “ultimate outdoor adventure pant.” I’ve hiked in the Prana Stretch Zion pants for years and didn’t think I’d ever find something better but the Trailblazer Pro’s are, in fact, superior. I prefer the fit, the pocket layout and the fabric, all of which felt like modest refinements to the Prana pants so it wasn’t much of a surprise when I learned that Off the Grid’s founder designed the straight fit version of that popular Prana pant. The Trailblazer Pro’s have a DWR coating that repels light rain or spilled iced tea (don’t ask me how I know), plenty of stretch to allow for athletic movement and a tough as nails fabric. Nature and adventure photographers spend a lot of time crawling around in the dirt and sliding over and around rocks. The Trailblazer Pro’s shrug off the abuse and look good doing it.

At $69, a pair of Trailblazers aren’t exactly cheap but they’re not unreasonably priced, either. If you’re able to exercise some patience, you might snag ‘em on sale. Even at full price, I think it’s a fair deal for a pair of pants you’ll probably find yourself living in.

Check out the Trailblazers, and the rest of Off the Grid Surplus product line, at www.offthegridsurplus.com/.

OutdoorX4 Magazine – Promoting responsible vehicle-based adventure travel and outdoors adventure