The item in this review was provided for review purposes by OLIVERS.

The Passage Pant is a highly technical pant which is marketed as: “your favorite jeans, updated for everyday performance.” They are cut from a very light fabric which moves well and breathes even better. I’ve only been testing these pants for a week now, but I’m confident I have a very good sense of what these pants are.

Material

The material is a little hard to sort out, as OLIVERS lists it as “Passage Stretch Weave”, and CORDURA with 4-way stretch. The tag in the pants tells me it is 91% nylon, and 9% spandex. That’s a lot of stretch.

The material is very technical looks and rather smooth to the touch on the outside, but to my legs to feels a touch rougher like terry cloth. Not bad, just worth noting the difference between what your hand feels and your legs. The drape on these is a standard technical drape, but this pant pulls it off (more on this later). There is no DWR coating on the pant, that I can tell or find mention of. Oh, and there’s only a slight amount of sound as you walk, nothing noticeable (I only noticed this as I was writing his section up).

Fit and Style

The fit runs large. I typically wear a 35, and ordered a 36 in the pants only for them to be far too large to wear. Exchanging them for a 34 worked well, but the waist is loose enough that I feel far more comfortable with a belt on, than not. Some of this is the cut, Some is the stretch which is noticeable in the waist as well. In other words, they tend to stretch out in the waist with wear, and snap back to form after a wash.

The styling is a classic 5-Pocket look, with the coin pocket being oversized enough to hold my iPhone XS just snuggly. I don’t recommend placing your iPhone there, as the look isn’t great and it tends to work up and out of the pocket when you sit down.

The big note about the style and fit is that these pants are very tapered. This gets rid of the technical drape look that plagues many pants of this material type, and provides a rather flattering and on trend look to the pant. I have plenty of room in the thighs, certainly more than other slim pants. The calves are where things really taper, as the pants can be a touch snug around my calves if the pant leg rides up at all. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just a thing about these pants. I do wish more of my pants had a stronger taper like this, as I find the style quite nice.

Wearing Them

The review sample I was provided is the Olive color, which is almost a military looking green, and I love it. It’s a great color, and something my wife immediately gave a thumbs up to (note: she hated the last dark olive colored pants I owned). The big thing about these pants is that the gusseted crotch, as well as the 9% stretch mean that these feel like pure comfort in pant form.

They easily move with your body and are never tight and uncomfortable. I failed to change to joggers many nights, because I found these pants to be just as comfortable. However, even more so than the comfort is the weight of the pants. They are thick enough not to feel like paper, and yet, they really breathe exceptionally well.

It’s around 40 degrees these days in the Pacific Northwest, so it’s hard to say for sure, but I’d guess these are the best warm weather paths I own, and I’ve tried. For the colder weather my knees can feel cool at time, and wind seems to cut through the pants with ease. Stay about 50 degrees and I’ve found the pants very comfortable to wear. I’m excited to see how they perform in warmer climates, as I suspect they are going to be fantastic.

Overall

It’s hard to review these pants stand alone, without comparing them to other pants I own, or have owned. The best I can do is to say they are like Slim Dungarees if those wear made out of OG cloth. Though, they are probably better, because the only cost $158. The Outlier OG Climbers I had (they got too big) were the most comfortable pants I owned, which I also never wanted to be seen in outside the house. The Passage Pants are more comfortable than that, and I’ve happily worn them out to date nights with my wife. They also cost less than many other technical pants.

These are a winner, all around, and likely a staple in my closet moving forward.

One last note: OLIVERS recently expanded the size offering in these pants, they run from 30 to 38 now and as many others reviews point out, run about a size larger than stated.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

A few months ago Outdoor Voices was clearing out their older stock of merino t-shirts, so I grabbed one in navy. Then, a couple weeks ago, they released a new version of the shirt, which we are told is the same fit. This review focuses on the previous version, as we are not entirely sure what has changed with the shirt for the new variant.

Material and Performance

This is a blended merino t-shirt with 89% merino wool and 11% nylon. It’s very light weight, coming in a touch lighter than my Wool & Prince blended shirts and significantly lighter than my Outlier shirts. It is, thankfully, thicker than Icebreaker’s Anatomica line of shirts.

Since this is a high merino content it performs almost identically to a 100% merino shirt. I am able to get a solid 3-4 days of wear, whereas a 100% merino shirt would get me 4-5 days. The nylon content adds more structure and durability, which is why it’s become popular to blend merino shirts like this (it also reduces the price). Though I have not had issues with durability in any other merino shirts, it’s a nice addition with a very low hit to performance. Nylon also makes the shirt a better outdoor shirt as it will better handle bags and snags.

The shirt fabric is very smooth and comfortable, certainly on par with the Wool & Prince shirts. However, the micron size of the Wool is not noted by Outdoor Voices.

All in all, no complaints on the performance, and a pleasant surprise with the feel of the shirt.

Fit and Comfort

I love the fit of this shirt, and have found it to be an ideal everyday weight. It fits better than any other merino t-shirt I have, so I am very happy that the fit was not adjusted on the new model.

The comfort comes from the weight of this shirt as it is light, but heavy enough that you can wear it alone without a second thought. Additionally, you can throw a shirt over it for some added warmth using it as a base layer. Two thumbs up on fit and comfort, it’s easily the best cut t-shirt I’ve bought so far.

Overall

I thought I got a steal on this shirt when I bought it on sale, and I did, but at $55 for the current variant, this shirt punches far above its weight. That’s among the lowest price I have seen for a very high quality merino t-shirt. It’s not the softest you will find, but most under the $90 price will be far less refined than this. I cannot recommend it enough.

If you’ve yet to buy your first merino t-shirt, then this is the shirt I would recommend starting with.

You can find the latest version here.

---

Steve’s Thoughts

I agree with everything Ben said about this shirt. Is is also my best fitting merino t-shirt, and I agree the nylon content adds to the look and durability without sacrificing performance. This is now the merino shirt I would recommend first as well.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

The item in this review was provided by Myles Apparel at a discount for review.

When it was time to look for new sweats for the cooler months ahead, I decided to check out the Myles Apparel Momentum Pant. After having a great experience with their Momentum Short 2.0 all summer, I figured it would be a good bet.

Fabric

The fabric is a 83% polyester, 17% spandex blend. The high spandex content gives the pants true four-way stretch. I would classify this as a mid weight fabric — heavy enough that it is suitable for the cooler months, but not so heavy that it is too warm to exercise in.

The knit of the fabric gives the pants a matte finish, more so than you would expect for a synthetic pair of sweats. While it won’t pass for cotton, it has a nice look that can blend into your wardrobe fairly well. The knit also makes for a soft hand feel, not the slick hand feel that many polyester synthetics have.

Fit and Finish

The pants have an athletic fit and the sizing seems consistent with their shorts. I sometimes find thighs of pants too tight, but had no issues here. The pant legs are also tapered at the ankles — not so close that they get caught on your socks, but close enough to help keep drafts out.

The waistband is wide and lays flat with some nice elastic stretch and a long drawstring. The elastic holds well enough that I have yet to need to tie the drawstring.

The front hand pockets are very deep so there is no worry about anything slipping out. While the depth is nice, they are wide enough at the bottom that my iPhone XS can start to fall sideways while walking. While not as bad as some pockets, it can still get annoying. This is where the hidden back zip media pocket comes in handy. In these pants (as compared to the shorts) it is large enough to fit my phone. If I’m out for a walk, it’s easy to slip it back there for a secure and comfortable carry.

The pants have a few other nice touches including a gusseted crotch for even more mobility and a color matching reflective stripe on each calf for visibility.

Performance

The pants perform well for my needs. Running pretty warm, I rarely exercise in pants, leaving these as my warmup, walk, and lounge pants for the cooler months. I’ve already had some pretty cool mornings (around 40 F) to test these out while walking the dog, and they kept my legs warm (even in a light drizzle). However, the fabric breaths well enough that I can wear them around the house and not get too warm.

While I haven’t given them a test during a whole workout, I’ve noticed the excellent stretch during warmups and can’t envision any mobility issues no matter the situation.

Overall

The Myles Apparel Momentum Pant has become my goto pant for cooler weather walking and lounging. The fabric has a great stretch while looking pretty “normal”. While I can’t pinpoint any one feature that makes these outstanding, I don’t feel a need to look further. The combination of fit, fabric, and comfort make these a great contender for your sweatpant needs.

For my use case (around the house sweatpants), I don’t think the value quite lives up to the $98 price. However, if you wear sweatpants for running, I think the hidden media pocket adds value. Also, if you like to wear athleisure around town, I think the cut of these pants is spot on.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

The item in this review was provided at a discount for review by Ministry of Supply.

When I saw the launch of the Ministry of Supply Composite Slim Fit Polo, I was intrigued by the performance claims made with such a low merino content (15%). Since I was having trouble finding the perfect polo, I took a chance and gave it a try.

Material

The fabric is a jersey-knit 85% polyester/15% merino wool blend with four-way stretch. It is machine washable on cold and can be dried on low (although I would still recommend hanging dry).

The first thing that struck me about this fabric was how “natural” it looks. It doesn’t have the sheen of polyester and it drapes like a light cotton polo. It is the first mostly synthetic polo that I’ve seen that doesn’t have that technical look. Ministry of Supply claims they achieve this through “wool micro-fibrils”. While this helps the look and makes the fabric extremely soft to the touch, it does give the polo a bit of a fuzzy look when viewed at the right angle and the right light.

Fit

The fit of this polo is more slim than the Apollo 3 Polo. However, I did find the same size worked for me for both, especially since this one is more casual. If you ever plan to tumble dry, I would size up, as Ministry of Supply does note that the fabric can shrink (I didn’t see it with cold machine washing and hanging to dry). The length was also a bit shorter — perfect for wearing untucked (I found it a little short to keep tucked in, possibly another reason to size up).

The open collar also lends to the casual nature of the shirt. With only one button at the collar, it is intended that you leave the collar un-buttoned. The placket is shorter than a typical 3-button polo though, so I never felt like the collar was too open. The sewn-in collar stays also help to keep the collar looking sharp. Overall, the collar performs well and doesn’t look floppy or out of place like many other performance polo collars.

Performance

I was pleasantly surprised with the performance of this polo. The 15% merino content definitely performed above what was expected in the odor department. I can trust that I will get at least two wears, more if I’m not sweating a lot. Even when I wore the polo with a backpack and jacket and took a brisk (sweaty) walk from my train to hotel, I was able to get a second wear. Even better, since the fabric is light and drys quickly (with no wrinkles), it would be easy to give the polo a wash in a hotel sink and count on it being dry the next day. While it will never beat a 100% merino polo, it certainly performs admirably.

Even in pretty sweaty situations, I found the moisture wicking and drying properties to be excellent. I never felt very sweaty and the fabric never felt heavy with moisture.

Overall

This polo is worth consideration for a more casual look. The combination of the jersey-knit fabric, open collar, and slim fit keep it casual while still looking sharp. The odor resistant properties are there, even though the merino content is low. At $85, I think this will be a hard polo to beat.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

Once you try wearing merino wool for your socks full time, it’s hard to go back to cotton. And once you go down this path, you realize there are quite a few companies which can provide you with socks. Steve and I are big fans of Darn Tough for most of our sock needs, but Outlier makes ‘Megafine’ socks in both traditional crew length and low (no-show style) (no longer sold, replaced with low lows, which I can only assume are lower). I’ve owned two pairs of each for quite some time, so let’s talk about them.

The Crew Socks

These socks fit somewhere between athletic socks and dress socks. They are too nice looking to be your standard white athletic socks, and too thick to be seen as dress socks. So they walk that line, which can make them a bit hard to wear — especially if your socks tend to show.

However, I have found that these are easily the best socks I own, and have ever tried. They are soft, almost luxuriously so, and they utilize compression, nylon, and venting in all the right areas. This means they are more comfortable than any other pair of socks I own, fit better, feel better, and generally perform better.

They are thick, but only slightly so when you wear them. In that regard they are mostly thick in how they look and fit in a shoe, not in the warmth they provide. I own both black and natural tan, and much prefer the natural tan (I’ve never been a black sock fan).

Outlier’s marketing states: “Designed for comfort, durability and style, we think they’re the nicest socks we’ve ever worn.” I completely agree with them, with a big caveat.

As you might have noticed, I don’t travel with these socks, because the color options and overall look don’t lend themselves to blending in well in business settings. Additionally they are $25 per pair, and while not overly expensive for merino wool socks, I tend to be able to find Darn Tough dress socks on sale for much lower prices. If money were no object, I’d wear these socks, but if value is important these are a harder sell.

There is one final thing to note, other than some pilling on the heel of the socks, these basically look brand new — they are holding up and lasting much better than my Darn Tough socks. Time will tell if this trend keeps up, but if it does, that might be enough of a value proposition to switch.

In short: if you don’t need a dressy looking sock, then there’s no better option for crew socks than these. Your feet will love them.

The Low Socks

These are your standard no-show socks which are meant to completely hide themselves in your shoe. They are constructed in a very similar manner to the crew socks, just without the part which runs up your leg. They are also decidedly not as good as the crew variant.

I have not tried the new ‘low lows’ Outlier is making, but the issue is that the lows themselves do not stay put. Pull your foot out of a shoe, they come off. Have your heel slip up in the shoe, the socks come off.

These are insanely comfortable, but they also fail at one of the more crucial tasks a sock has: staying on your foot. And because of that, they are a constant battle. In addition, they also have gotten quite fuzzy over the two years of use, but amazingly have held their shape and have no holes in them.

Over the same time span I have tossed 3 pairs of Darn Tough low socks, as they have had holes worn in them. So while they simply do not stay on my feet, they are extremely well made and comfortable as a sock. Overall, I won’t be buying these again, but I do wish they had some mid-low socks or something which would stay on my foot better.

Outlier Socks Overall

I really like the crew variant of the Megafine socks, and if they continue to hold up as well as they are (and as well as the lows) I can see myself moving over to them. The main issue is that they are extremely basic looking, with no patterns and very few color options. What is amazing about these socks to me is that they are not only very comfortable, but also very durable. When you put them on, you won’t think they will hold up, they are too soft feeling. But they do.

Personally, the lows are not good enough for me to want to buy again, but I think that will depend more on your foot than anything else. The crew socks though are most excellent. I think Darn Tough offers better designs, colors, availability, and value — but if you want the best sock out there, then you’ll want a pair of Outlier Megafine socks.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

The item in this review was provided for review purposes by Mizzen+Main.

Mizzen+Main has three dress shirt lines, Spinnaker, Leeward, and Blue Label. The Spinnaker is their original line, focused on comfort with their highest stretch fabric. Leeward and Blue Label are made from a dressier (but still stretch) fabric, with the Blue Label adding a placket, a pointier collar, and convertible cuffs for the most dressy look.

I was able to give the Bowie Navy & White Windowpane shirt from the Leeward line a try.

Material

When looking for a performance dress shirt, the look of the fabric is key. The polyester/spandex blend (85%/15%) Mizzen+Main has designed does just that, it looks normal. It drapes nicely and doesn’t have that synthetic sound. Close up, it does have a slight texture but the feel and appearance are smooth. The spandex gives it a noticeable four way stretch and the lightweight nature makes it comfortable in warm weather. However, it is thin enough that I would not wear the white grounded prints without an undershirt.

Fit

With the three fits offered in this shirt, it should be fairly easy for everyone to find a good fit off the rack. I find it is one of my best fitting shirts. The back darts help to keep from having extra fabric around the waist, and it is long enough to stay tucked in.

The spread collar feels just at home with the top button open or with a tie, and removable collar stays keep the collar straight.

The only issue I have is how stiff the cuffs are. While nice on the collar, the stiffening material seems a little too much to me for the cuffs. They just hold too much of a crease to look completely normal.

Performance

When wearing this shirt, you almost forget you are wearing a dress shirt due to the four way stretch. While some shirts are so stretchy the drape looks off, the sweet spot has been found here.

Another key attribute of a good performance dress shirt is its wrinkle resistance — this shirt does a great job. There were some wrinkles out of the package, but a quick steam took care of them. Other than that, I haven’t had any wrinkling issues. After a cold wash, hanging the shirt to dry takes care of all the wrinkles — so much so that it looks as sharp as a pressed shirt. This is something that I do not get with my merino dress shirts.

I’ve worn this shirt in the heat and found it to remain comfortable. The lightweight fabric does a good job of keeping you cool while wicking moisture without feeling heavy (since it dries very quickly).

The final question — how is the odor resistance? I can get just one or two days from this shirt. Since it is 100% synthetic and has no odor resistant treatment, that should be expected. However, since the fabric dries so quickly and doesn’t seem to pick up wrinkles from washing, you can get multiple wears by hand washing and hanging to dry overnight.

Overall

I liked this shirt more than I expected. It looks nice, performs well, and is very comfortable. I see this shirt fitting in anywhere you’d normally wear a dress shirt. If you need to dress it up further, I’d take a look at the Blue Label line. While it can’t beat a merino dress shirt in odor resistance, it excels in all other categories — all while looking more formal.

---

Ben’s Thoughts

I last had a Mizzen+Main shirt from this collection about 18 months ago, but my recollections echo what Steve said above. It surprisingly looks normal and the stretch was stellar. The odor resistance is not there. The collars and cuffs on mine were thicker like Steve notes and I remember that being the most odd part of the shirt. Overall it’s a very good shirt and looks very ‘normal’.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.