A life lesson I learnt coming to Slovenia was the value of good clothing. 10 years back Jeff and I (Jeff was the American Military Attache to Slovenia) were picked up by a Slovene General to go climb Triglav, the highest mountain peak in Slovenia. We were told in no uncertain terms that our cotton clothing was a NO NO.
Every picture here is a moment over a period of a decade with the exact same pair of pants. I could have added another 100 but for fear that readers would think that was my only pair of pants.
I have no doubt that we would not have made Triglav had we not changed our pants. Our new pants were literally the difference between day and night. They say that if you have not climbed Triglav you are not a real Slovene.
Both Jeff and I were in love with the pants; stretchy, soft, strong, extreme lightweight, fast drying and warm. In one word perfect. Jeff contacted me from the USA after his return; I had to post 4 pairs to him. We spoke of exporting the pants to the USA but this opportunity was lost in the fog of a corporate lifestyle.
10 years on; all that has changed is my hair is grey and the exact same pants faded, but they are still my favorite. My first initiative for The Powder Keg in 2016 was to source these very same pants for the business. I met with the owner of the company that produced the pants, but they discontinued with this fabric from Sweden because of cost. How wrong could the measurement of cost be?
I have worn these pants on every occasion from hunting in extreme conditions, to hiking, and simply for comfort around the house. A few years back I bought my dad a pair and this is all he ever wears. Proven by myself for over a decade was enough passion and grit to find the same specification of fabric and have the pants produced for The Powder Keg.
I bought a pair of shorts in the same material back then. In the past 10 years I have spent thousands on different pairs of short pants but still these are outright favorites. Earlier this year I wore them when visiting lakes with my daughter Demi. How dare the manufacturer stop production because the fabric was too expensive?
I clean wardrobes every 6 months but these pants have escaped all 20 clean-outs. The pictures below are 9 years apart; the same pants. As I am typing this I am wearing the same pants and thinking to keep as a souvenir for what is to come. I finally tracked down the fabric supply in Sweden and we have produced prototypes with more hunting features.
Reading this you can be excused for thinking “an idiot to be passionate about a pair of pants”. Judge when you have tried them. It feels like you back 20 years in fitness compared to wearing heavier cotton pants. Used extensively in Africa or climbing the Alps, it does not get better. Coming to The Powder Keg soon.
I like reading blogs by Ron Spomer, mostly I agree but not always. He wrote that the best clothing for Africa was cotton clothing. His main argument is that you never hunt in the rain so clothing does not get wet and that its was customary for lodges to wash laundry and that cotton was the least susceptible to hot iron burns. Sorry Ron, my pants have never been ironed in 10 years and I like to walk a lot on Safari.
The sweat of a good walk and stalk is my primary need for a quick dry material. Schoeller (Swiss) have launched cotton fabric called 3 times dry. You get feel and look of cotton with the advantage of quick drying. Extremely high cost, price starts at Euro 17 a sqm of fabric; still we in evaluation for premium safari shirts.
Closing with a picture of the first prototype. The color is blue only because this was a sample for prototyping and the supplier had stock in a short length. Your 2018 outdoors will take on a new meaning.
