Ortovox 185 Rock'N'Wool Short Pants - Women's Review

The 185 Rock'N'Wool Short Pants quickly became a favorite of our testing team thanks to their super soft 100% Merino wool fabric, lightweight performance, and niche design that reduces bulk. They are great at thermoregulation, efficiently wicking moisture away from the skin and releasing through the 185-gram virgin wool fabric. The shorter length helps to keep bulk out of your ski or snowboard boots, and the thick waistband is stylish and keeps your pants in place when layered in a system — just be prepared for some stretch between washes. While these bottoms lack the durability required for everyday layering, they are the perfect insulation to reduce bulk when layered below your Gore-tex for winter days when you're out earning your turns.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

Though the 185 Rock'N'Wool Short Pants are only a 3/4 length, we found them to offer enough warmth to be worn alone during the shoulder seasons and to provide ample warmth when layered below our ski bibs while exploring the backcountry. Since the 185 g/m² fabric is at the lower end of midweight, they have more of a lightweight feel. Our testers stayed comfortable and dry throughout their cool and cold weather activities.

We would not recommend the Short Pants for sedentary cold weather activities, though they did a great job at keeping our testers warm during a fall season of training runs in Yosemite Valley. Some days were difficult to leave our sleeping bag as the campsite rarely saw the sun, but these pants provided enough warmth to get us moving without a heavyweight thickness that would cause us to overheat as the sun rose. Perhaps their best application is for those cold weather days spent backcountry skiing or snowboarding where you're continually moving and generating body heat.

Breathability

The 185 Rock'N'Wool Short Pants offer great wicking capabilities, especially compared to other 100% Merino wool garments tested for this review. Superior thermoregulation allows them to effectively trap body heat while releasing moisture through the fabric. These pants boast a 19-micro Merino wool that enhances breathability due to its ultra-fine construction.

During our fall testing runs in a very humid and chilly Yosemite Valley, we noted the efficiency with which the Short Pants were able to dry after working up a bit of sweat as we gained elevation and sunshine towards the rim of the Valley. Though some sweat was able to collect around the thicker waistband, it dried quickly before any notable discomfort occurred. This layer offers some of the best breathability out of all the Merino wool long underwear garments we've tested, thanks to a lightweight design that allows air to permeate the thin fabric.

Comfort and Fit

One of the first things we noticed about the 185 Rock'N'Wool Short Pants is their stand-out style. The European-inspired design is a split, asymmetric design with bright colors, stripes, and a thick, multi-colored waistband. After trying them on for the first time, we were impressed by how soft and comfortable they felt next to our skin, perhaps because of the unique and ultra-fine Tasmanian Merino. We can also appreciate the labels are either screen-printed or removable rather than a permanent tag that can cause itching and discomfort due to irritation. This top-notch comfort made this layer one of our favorites for everything from rest days to long multi-sport days in the backcountry.

We love the fit and would consider it true to size, though we did notice a little bunching in the crotch. The fabric is stretchy enough to move with you during activity without limiting your range of motion. Unfortunately, we noticed over time that the design is prone to stretching both in the legs as well as the waistband, even after washing to restore the structure. Extra stretch aside, the 3/4 length of these short pants helps to increase comfort inside your ski or snowboard boots by reducing bulk and preventing any friction with your ski socks.

Durability

Although the 185 Rock'N'Wool Short Pants offers what appears to be a high-quality design, complete with reinforced and durable flatlock seams, in addition to a thick and functional waistband, we had to reduce their overall durability score to issues experienced throughout our rigorous testing window. Even though we've also tested the matching base layer top and experienced no issues with the durability of that design, we noticed that once the short pants had a hole in the fabric, it would then grow lengthwise as you would imagine with a pair of pantyhose. It became obvious to our testers that this ultra-fine Merino wool layer would not be able to offer anywhere close to the durability of other synthetic or even merino wool options in this review.

We also noticed that the fabric tends to lose its shape when worn multiple times between washes, and we found some minor piling in high-traffic areas when the wool rubbed against another layer. We speculate that some durability is sacrificed in exchange for an ultra-soft and itch-free design. That being said, we can appreciate the odor-free Merino wool, but we'll continue testing these short pants and will report back with any further quality issues.

Drying Speed

Our testers gave a lot of thought to the drying speed metric and wanted to consider the length of time required to dry in the sunshine, dry on the body after rigorous activity, as well as the length of time required to dry overnight so as to avoid any damage from the dryer. Though the design is only 3/4 in length, the thicker waistband and 100% Merino wool design had one of the slowest drying speeds that we recorded. After soaking, wringing out, and hanging on a line, these short pants took one full hour to dry.

After skinning uphill in the Eastern Sierra, our testers recorded 40 minutes for these short pants to dry on the body, the thicker waistband requiring the longest amount of time. While not the slowest drying speed in the bunch, we hoped they would offer a faster drying speed than their full-length competitors.

Layering Ability

The 3/4 length sets the Short Pants apart from the competition due to its ability to reduce extra bulk and material below your Gore-tex outerwear and ski boots. They perfectly meet the top of a ski sock, with a little extra length to tuck them in. Tucking the pants into the sock prevented any air from permeating the layer in order to maximize the warmth of this relatively light layer.

The high waist fit also allowed for layers that feature a natural waist to sit on the waist without any bulk or friction. The lightweight fabric leaves a little extra room for better range of motion when layered with rain pants or ski bibs over the top.

Should You Buy the Ortovox 185 Rock'N'Wool Short Pants?

The expensive price tag and added durability issues make the Ortovox 185 Rock'N'Wool Short Pants tricky to recommend. While our testing team love the ultrasoft Tasmanian wool, we also speculate that the softness sacrifices some overall quality, especially considering that the 3/4 length is specially designed to be compatible with ski and snowboard boots, not exactly sedentary activities. All that said, these short pants offer superior comfort, great breathability, and are one of the easiest to layer within your cold weather kit.

What Other Long Underwear Should You Consider?

If you dig the 100% Merino wool construction but are after a full-length option, check out the Ridge Merino Inversion Heavyweight Merino Leggings. These heavyweight leggings are perfect for cold winter months. If you're interested in a Merino wool blend that offers ample warmth and exceptional breathability for those high-intensity winter pursuits, look to the Smartwool Intraknit Thermal Merino Bottom.