Mountain Khakis Men’s Flannel OMP’s
With winter setting in, days are chilly and nights are downright cold in most of North America and around the globe. And now is a great time to tell you about Mountain Khakis Men’s Flannel Original Mountain pants (OMP’s).
Built by folks who chose the quality of mountain life over the quantity of all things metropolis, the Mt. Khakis (MK) flannel lined pants proved worthy. These pants are good for warmth, comfort, looks, and quality regardless of whether they were worn in LA or way up top of the Mogollon Range in southwestern New Mexico.
And on trips to the Sierra Nevada in late fall, the MK flannel lined pants were found to be stoutly constructed with gusseted seams in the seat and crotch area. Double layers of khaki fabric shore up lower front of the pant cuffs. Tight, triple stitching on the crotch gusset panel insures strength and longevity with about 30-stiches per inch across all three rows.
At the leg seams, the triple stitch passes total an average of 24-stiches per inch. Building apparel this way is not cheap, and the only kind of clothing you’ll find triple, tight stitch work is on high-quality garments designed to function and endure for many years of use. This appears to be true of the MK flannel-lined pants. They fit precisely according to the size pants that were requested. There were no surprises, trade-offs, or adjustments with these MK’s; just slip ‘em on and go.
The belt loops are ¾-inch wide versus the usual ½-inch loops found on most multi-purpose pants. Yes, like the pants overall, the belt loops are a little stronger than most, and designed for longevity and strength while being worn.
A nice feature of these MK flannel pants and several of the Mountain Khakis pants like the Lake Lodge Twill, Original Mountain Khakis, Alpine Utility Pants, and the MK Corduroy pants is the front pockets. These pockets are deep, and ergonomically design on both the right and the left sides. Yet what struck this writer as ultimately useful is the right front pocket actually has what MK calls a hidden pocket. It’s simply two full right front pockets, one on the inside and one on the outside. Not exactly invisible, but it is nice to have an internal pocket to carry a wallet in (gets it out of the hip pocket), and to leave the cell phone in the outside pocket to keep it away from the leg.
Designed for a relaxed-fit, and 11” rise, and great feel, these MK’s were comfortable to hike in, wear into town, and live in day-to-day. On backpacking trips, the MK’s were worn in the cool evenings and early morning pack outs back to the trail head. The flannel lining kept the legs warm, and the soft flannel itself feels cozy on the skin. If you think your legs can be more cozy warm, stay in bed! You’re sick.
Warmth? After a couple early morning miles of hiking with a backpack on, the MK’s were almost too warm. That was a good thing on late-fall trips. Mornings were too cold to fly out of the sleeping bag in cargo-shorts, but the mid-day would be too hot for long pants. Although the MK’s are not specifically intended to be backpacking pants, they were certainly welcome when the sun went down and before the sun rose enough to warm things up.
However, as the temperatures dropped in late November and now a couple days before Christmas, these MK flannel-lined mountain leg-heaters come right into the sweet spot they were designed for. Bear in mind guys, if your corporate dress code is cool enough to wear business casual to the office, you can wear these flannel-lined MK’s perfect with a wool sport coat, dress shirt, silk tie, and loafers without missing a beat at the conference table. The pants dress up killer, and no one cares how warm your legs are.
You’ll appreciate these MK flannels on those evening skip-outs in downtown NY, NY when back to back blizzards drop snow by the yard right on top of your Saturday Night Live guest appearance gigs. And by all means wear them when you have to travel in winter. You may find yourself exiting the airport terminal in Denver when it’s 20° outside and your brother just slid off the airport road on his way to pick you up for a visit. It could be a long wait.
These are fine pants. They do what they are designed to do. All in all, the MK flannels are excellent apparel for casual or professional dress in cold weather and a myriad of outdoor/indoor scenarios where tough khaki construction is aligned with good looking and extremely comfortable pants. They are durable outdoor working pants as well, long as it’s cold enough so you can be physically active without heating up. You can chop wood, wander your neighborhood to find your misbehaving dog, or blow into work at 5:30 in the morning on your way to fire up the city snow plow and clear the lanes for the village people…all in comfort. The zipper works flawlessly, and the top-clasp is riveted in for good. Remember the slug line for Kia Automotive? Ka… Ka… Ka… Khaki!
By Rick Shandley
Specifications:
SIZES: Waist: 32-42 (even), Inseam: 30
Waist: 32-42 (even), Inseam: 32
Waist: 32-40 (even), Inseam: 34
COLORS: Yellowstone, Freestone
MSRP: $89.95
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