In this Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants review, I’ll go over various aspects of using these pants while hiking and camping in Southern California. Their light, ripstop nylon material can take your hikes to the next level of comfort, if you’re graduating from using jeans or heavy duty cargo pants in the wild. They’re great at hiking in the heat, in either long or shorts mode, or even in the cold when paired up with base layer bottoms. But let’s get into the details to see if these are right for you…
Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge Convertible Hiking Pants
- lightweight but durable nylon ripstop material
- UPF rating of 50 for harmful UV radiation risk reduction
- narrow, nylon strap belt is compatible with backpacks with hip belts
- converting to shorts and back is easy once you get the hang of it
- loads of size options not found in other brands or at REI.
Pro’s and Con’s
Pro’s: Lightweight ripstop nylon material is durable but affords a nimble, airy feel on the trail; material has a UPF rating of 50, keeping harmful UV radiation out; after a few tries, pants are easy to convert back and forth to shorts; narrow, light belt is compatible with backpacking and day packs with hip belts; pairs well with base layer legging bottoms for colder weather; comfortable by themselves for hiking in hot weather; dries out quickly after being in the rain.
Con’s: Aside from the waist line, the material is not stretchy, and thus the pants are limited to just hiking and camping activities; mesh pocket liners built for venting may be a point of failure over time if you consistently load them with heavy objects; no rain resistant coating on material.
Features
- 100% ripstop nylon with narrow nylon strap belt
- lightweight material great for summertime hiking and camping
- can be paired with base layer bottoms for colder weather
- breathable material works well under rain pants and gaiters
- pants dry fast after rain or other water related events
- shorts conversion (and back) is easy once you get the hang of it
- narrow, low profile belt and loops works nicely with backpacks with hip belts
- size range options are broader than other brands
Comfort
For hiking and camping the Silver Ridge Convertibles are super comfortable pants. Especially if you’re used to tackling the outdoors in jeans or heavy shorts.
The secret to their comfort has to do with the lightweight ripstop nylon material they’re made from, that offers adequate protection from walking through brush, grass, and bumping/scraping up the occasional rock feature, or tree, while on trail. Even so, they are so light – likely reducing your weight by a pound compared to jeans – that you enjoy a sense of nimbleness or freedom on the trail, that you didn’t realize was possible.
In the cold, wearing a pair of base layer bottoms underneath of them still provides that feeling of agility.
I’ve used these pants for hiking places like Yosemite, Angeles National Forest, Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear Lake, and the Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains. And they’ve definitely made these hikes more enjoyable.
The belt works with backpacks with hip belts
Further the small-width, nylon-strap belt has such a thin profile, that you hardly feel like you’re wearing one. I use packs with hip belts to keep the pack weight off my back, and this belt is compatible with their wearing.
For the packs that work with the belt and pants I’ll provide links to my articles below:
Mobility
Though the Columbia Silver Ridge Convertibles are perfectly adequate for hiking, I probably wouldn’t try to use them for odd yoga poses, lower body resistance training, or the like. They aren’t excessively tight in the pant area, but nor are they roomy.
However they do also offer enough mobility for camping/backpacking. I’ve camped Lake Arrowhead, San Simeon Hearst, and Big Bear with them. On these trips I’ve had no problem setting up or breaking down camp, including inflating sleeping pads on my knees inside the tent, and squatting/lunging to pound in tent stakes, etc.
Versatility
Inside the context of hiking and camping in the US Southwest, the Silver Ridge Convertibles are quite versatile.
Hiking in the summer
They’re light enough for hot weather, even when worn as full pants, and I’ve been comfortable in them in temperatures as high as 105°F on the trail. Because of this light and airy feeling, you don’t have to convert them to shorts in the heat, and thus can take advantage of their high UV light protection factor (UPF 50) during the time of year when the sun’s radiation is the most intense.
Hiking in the colder seasons
At first you wouldn’t consider these cold weather pants, again due to their lightweight feel. But when you pair them up with a set of lightweight or midweight base layer bottoms, then you’re in business for the colder Spring and Fall seasons. I used a pair of REI Lightweight Long Bottoms with my Silver Ridge Convertibles in the early summer up in Yosemite. I was warm enough at the cold, early morning starts of my hiking excursions, and both layers did well regarding drying out from sweat and from mist from the waterfalls the area is famous for. If I got hot, I could just convert to shorts, and still have a breathable, quick drying base layer protecting my lower legs from the sun.
Comfy for camping
These are also comfortable camping pants. Though they’re not stretchy, they do have enough give that I can set up and break down camp with no problems. Again, due to their lightweight nature, I had no trouble even sleeping, and napping in them in the summer, on top of my Big Agnes Rapid SL sleeping pad, and my Klymit Static V Luxe pad.
I’ve been caught out in the rain hiking in them, but they did dry out rather quickly, back at camp, in the summertime weather I was camping in.
Probably not the best for non-hiking/camping sports
As far as other activities go, I probably wouldn’t use them for anything rock related – scrambling or climbing – as they seem a bit lightweight for those activities. It just feels as though the material couldn’t stand up to being dragged against sandpaper like sandstone, or even granite all day.
Casual biking is fine. But again, due to the lack of stretchiness, and thin material, I wouldn’t want to mountain bike or bikepack in these. Keep in mind I’ve only mountain biked a handful of times in my life though.
Breathability & Venting
The Silver Ridge Convertibles excel in the category of breathability. Any sweat or moisture happening on your lower body is swiftly wicked and evaporated. This holds true for rain and waterfall mist as well. These are quick drying pants, due to their thin and light nylon material.
The venting is less clear. The pockets are constructed of mesh, which theoretically allow for some venting to occur at that point. But due to the natural physical position of pants pockets in general, where there is little airflow allowed to occur, secondary to their lack of openness, I would suspect this is not a strong point of venting.
Further these pants aren’t cut to be relaxed fit, so any natural venting is mostly occurring at the area from the knee downwards. Not really a big deal though, as the thin material naturally feels cool, compared to jeans or cotton based cargo pants.
Style
The style of the Silver Ridge Convertibles is not flashy; just to the point, utilitarian hiking pants. They look good right out of the bag (got mine on Amazon). But after being washed and hung to dry, they are a bit wrinkly. So a washed pair may not be the best for ‘hiking aesthetic’ pictures. And if you’re curious as to what that is, go ahead and click the link to my hiking aesthetic article – pretty wild stuff!
The belt loops are small, and seem to accommodate only the narrow nylon strap belt the pants come with, so don’t expect to dress these up with your own stretchy hiking belts.
Weather Resistance
The Silver Ridge Convertibles don’t have a water resistant coating on them, and thus there is no water beading or shedding happening in even light rain or mist.
However as mentioned above, they do dry significantly fast after getting hit with rain. Or at least they did when I got stuck, jogging down the Cougar Crest Trail, at Big Bear Lake, after temping fate, as a summer thunder storm was rolling in. I can’t remember the exact time, but after eating a snack and hanging out under an umbrella a camp for like an hour, I think I was dry enough to get in the tent and set up my sleep system.
Same deal at Yosemite, when the afternoon thunderstorms would show up. I threw my rain jacket on during one such rain event, after the hike, when I was just being touristy down in the Valley.
And they are light enough to be worn under rain pants without too much stuffiness occurring. I did this at Yosemite when passing by Vernal Fall on the Mist Trail, which was like being in a rain storm, this year.
Further, they do pair up with gaiters well. I’ve used them with a pair of REI Backpacker Low Gaiters on different trails with no problems. Indeed the light material makes these waterproof gaiters bearable in the summer time.
Related: Check out my review of the REI Backpacker Low Gaiters by clicking here.
Ease of Use
The first few times you want to convert the pants to shorts or back, it’s a tad unclear as to exactly how to accomplish this while wearing the pants. However once you get it figured out, they are rather easy to convert to shorts while wearing.
I remember even unzipping them while driving, coming off the mountain, past Bass Lake, CA, on my way home from Yosemite.
And I’ve even figured out how to reattach the lower sections as well, without having to take them off. As long as you’re paying attention, and seat the zipper lead nicely, you should have no trouble, and need not betray your cool exterior while on trail, when it’s time to get those bottom sections back on.
Quality & Durability
After dozens of hikes, and a handful of camping excursions with the Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible pants, representing somewhere in the 75 to 125 miles of hiking and walking usage, these pants are holding up without any signs of wear.
Examining the pants when they first arrived, I did note a few dangling stitching threads here and there. These didn’t look like they’d been displaced from the stitching, but rather they just were never cut to length, after the stitching process was complete. None of these areas show any wear related unraveling, seam distress, or fissuring at this point.
Upon wearing all day, the belt does seem to get a little loose, here and there, and you have to re-tighten it up at the buckle. Not a big deal.
The typical usage I’ve successfully put these through is the following:
- hiking in the heat in direct sunlight
- hiking through brush/grass with these plants brushing up against the pants
- trail running back down the mountain, after hiking to the top
- sitting/laying on granite/sandstone
- all aspects of camping
Maintenance
I do avoid putting my wallet in the back pocket of the pants, and also do the same regarding my car keys and comb, when in the process of hiking. I will keep these items in the pants while driving to and from the trail, and/or shopping in town. But for the most part I’m trying to preserve the mesh pockets as long as possible as they look like a possible area of wear related failure.
I also just put these on gentle wash in the washer and let them dry naturally, without using the dryer.
Further Reading
Thanks for checking out this long form, men’s Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible pants review! Next check out my other hiking and camping gear pages to get up up to date with what’s working in So Cal, or the US Southwest.
See ya out there…