I have these pants from ~2010 and loved them for many years, but they are a little too small now since I've gained some weight. I have been wearing the men's version since 2018 when I decided that I absolutely needed cargo pockets big enough for my wallet and phone to hike the Camino de Santiago. I've gone through about 3 pairs of the men's version since then, thanks to increasingly shoddy construction, and finally decided to give the women's version another go. I'm a true size 14 in every other brand, so I bought the 16 (the biggest non-plus-size size they make) and crossed my fingers, and they fit! They fit extremely snugly, but I expect them to stretch in the waist with wear. Now let's talk pockets. There is one cargo pocket with a velcro closure that is big enough for a wallet and/or phone. Why one, when the men have two, and one of the men's has a zipper? And in exchange for this one luxury, they have removed the left butt cheek pocket. There is also a pocket with no closure whatsoever on the back of the right thigh. It is technically just big enough for my phone, but I don't foresee ever using it since its contents would immediately be in a creek. There is also a small zipper pocket inside the right hip pocket that I guess you could store extra cash in if you expect to get mugged? The strangest part to me is that every version (men's and women's) of these I've owned before is nylon, and these are 100% polyester, yet make all the same claims about the fabric being "omni-cool," "omni-wick," "omni-shade," whatever. I expect them to be pretty uncomfortable in hot or humid conditions. Other than the fit and looking slightly less like a grungy backpacker, the part I was most looking forward to about switching back to the women's version was the little snappy-do that on my 2010 pants let me convert them to capri length. These have the snappy-do, but it allows you to roll the pants up....drumroll....one inch from the bottom hem. Huh? Why? TL;DR I will be keeping these because the fit is much more flattering than the men's and the pocket situation is adequate, I suppose. Buy one full size up.
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