Eddie Bauer women's pants

Thanks to a recommendation on this forum years ago, I have quite a wardrobe of mostly-nylon pants that I take with me every time I go out of town.

I have a pair of the Eddie Bauer polar fleece-lined pants that have helped keep me warm while sitting in ice rinks in January, walking outdoors in Washington DC throughout the winter, and on a Feb-Mar trip to Rome in 2023. I am extraordinarily cold-natured and relatively tolerant of being a bit warm, so I often wear merino long johns underneath the pants. The outer fabric (86% nylon, 14% spandex) does a pretty good job of shedding rain. (The pants don't claim to be fully waterproof, and they are not.) Most pants made of mostly-nylon fabric (not just from Eddie Bauer) tend to have sort of sporty-looking stitching. I ordered them in black, which makes the stitching considerably less obvious than on lighter-colored pants. The fabric seems to be hard-wearing. The lined pants definitely take longer to dry than otherwise-similar but unlined nylon pants. I think these are exactly the pants I own: https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/23151036/women's-2.0-polar-fleece-lined-pants?sp=1&color=Black. That's a zipper pull you can see dangling in the picture; these are sporty pants.

I also have the Rainier pants. These are of unlined 95% nylon fabric. The stitching is a bit less sporty than on the fleece-lined pants. Useful rain-shedding capability. https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/D6161007/women's-rainier-pants?sp=1&color=Pumice

The Rainier pants are now available in a lined version. I don't have these. I see some reviewers have found them too snug:
https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/D6161024/women's-rainier-lined-pants?sp=1&color=Pinecone

I considered but rejected the Eddie Bauer Guide Pro (lined) pants because I didn't like the visible logo on the leg. I'm not about to change clothes before dinner when I'm traveling in Europe, so I go for the least "I've been hiking" clothing I can find that matches my climate needs and is easy care. https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/23151062/women's-guide-pro-pants?sp=1&color=Blue%20Spruce

Multiple other companies sell unlined pants of 95+% nylon fabric, roughly equivalent to the Eddie Bauer Rainiers. PrAna was a bit more expensive when I made my initial purchases a few years ago. Its fabric seems just a bit heavier than the unlined pants from Eddie Bauer (either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the climate you're traveling to). I think PrAna's sizing is a bit more generous than Eddie Bauer's.

Columbia's 96%-97% nylon pants are noticeably thinner than Eddie Bauer's and less expensive--not too thin, just not intended for casual walking in chilly weather, I guess. They dry somewhat faster than the unlined pants from Eddie Bauer and PrAna. The Columbia pants I have (purchased a few years ago) are also a bit smaller. The size difference between Columbia and prAna was obvious at the time of my first purchase. The Eddie Bauer pants I bought at about the same time fall in the middle.

I have two pair of Eddie Bauer capris for travel and really like them and the quality. I have both the Guide Pro and the Rainier. The description for the fit is the same for both but I think they are different and for me the Rainier fit is more comfortable. I assume the longer pants in the styles would have a similar fit to the capris, just longer legs. Most of my longer pants have been Athleta and although more expensive have lasted a long time. I especially like their Venice joggers for cooler weather. While not heavy they are not lightweight like the Trekkie which has been great for warmer travels.

I regularly wear the Guide Pro pants and when it is windy, wet, and cold (under 40 for me) I wear the lined ones. Lined are very warm indoors, so that might be a factor for you. I have also worn tights under the Guide Pro pants which help a lot. I do not let the logo on the leg stop me from wearing them for city activities but we do not do fancy much. The pants pack and wash well. Very happy with them overall.

I also like the Prana Halle pants. More expensive but not as bad as Fjallraven. A little more of a casual pant and less outdoorsy looking.

I bought on recommendation here one of the Eddie Bauer pants but returned them. They were fuller in the hips than I like.

I bought before last trip two pairs of Athleta pants. I absolutely love them. They are comfortable but don’t hang like comfort pants. They are also rain repellent as I found out in Portugal last month. It rained pretty hard one day and my rain coat is not long. They weren’t cheap but I think there is a sale going on right now. Mine are both ankle length which look good with sneakers. The black ones I have could be dressed up with flats or sandals.

They also have stores to try on the clothes which I appreciate.

Looks like Athleta is having a pretty great sale. I've never ordered from them before.
@Beth, what style do you like? How do you find the sizing?

Thanks for all the great, detailed replies!
acraven& margie -Does the mid-rise on the Rainier pants bother you? Some have said that it seems more low-rise.
laurel-I have the guide pro pants in my shopping cart. I don't think I mind the logo, I'll have to check that out. Do these pants run true to size? so many comments about Eddie Bauer pants being on the tight side. I'm slim but don't want pants that are like tights.
bethFL-what style of Athleta pants do you like? My very favorite travel pants are Athleta, but an old style they don't make anymore. All of their pants now are pull-on style and I don't like those. I want a zipper on my pants;)

I appreciate all of you!

I haven't tried the EB pants, but I have a pair of REI Trailmade pants and love them - easy care, not too swishy. They come in petite and extended sizes. They are not lined, but for adding warmth I prefer wearing tights or silk longjohns so that I have options when it isn't that cold (50 is balmy up here in the PacNW). Currently on sale, btw.

At the recommendation of several forum members, I bought two pairs of EB rainproof pants before my Scotland trip. They did their job admirably and were comfortable, although not something I would wear every day.

I have a pair of the Athleta Brooklyn ankle pants which I bought after seeing recommendations here. The fit is good but the fabric is very thin (which means they pack very small, which is nice). I don’t much care for the stripe of different fabric down the side of each leg—-it makes them look like they are trying to be tuxedo pants. OK if you want a dressy look, I suppose. This stripe surprised me as I did not notice it in the photos when I ordered them. But if you look carefully at the side view on this page you can see it:

https://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=198671002#pdp-page-content

Eddie Bauer pants fit me in the smallest size, but like acraven I object to the Ascent logo on the Guide Pro pants. I only wear those for hiking. I do have another model of EB without that logo, but I do not recall the name—-not Rainier; I would remember that for sure.

My current favorite travel pants are my Mountain Hardwear Dynama high-rise ankle pants:

https://www.mountainhardwear.com/p/womens-dynama-high-rise-ankle-pant-2095521.html

They have a smooth, cottony-feel fabric (not slinky) and a nice trim fit with flat front. They fit right at the waist, not above, and the ankle length is right for my height (5’1”). They also make a Dynama ankle pant in regular rise but I don’t know how that fits. I believe some women do not care for the picket placement but I never use pockets anyway so it doesn’t matter to me.

https://www.mountainhardwear.com/p/womens-dynama-ankle-pant-2095541.html

You can often find one or more of the colors on sale on Amazon or Zappos.

I do not care for lined pants as they are bulky to pack and less flexible to wear—-too warm for indoors. I prefer to wear Smartwool merino long underwear underneath my usual pants for cold weather. I am actually wearing that combo right now as our power has been off for. 3 days and we have no heat in our house!!!

Barbara, I just compared the two EB pants, same size. The rise is the same and yes, is probably a bit low for being called mid rise. The difference and surprise I found was the waist on the Guide Pro was larger and probably why I always feel like I need to pull up. (Guess I’ll be getting my sewing machine out and doing some tailoring) It’s unfortunate that EB doesn’t have a better exchange policy because you probably really should try these on.

I do have numerous pairs of the Mountain Hardwear Dynama shorts. I like the material because it has some stretch but not too much and they're comfortable. My only complaint is that they only last a couple of years before they look ratty with little balls. Which is probably why I have had numerous pairs. :-)

And flipping thru the Athleta site, I see very few trousers, with zippers that you said you prefer. That’s unfortunate because their pants have always held up the best for me.

To the questions about Athleta. One pair I have is Trekkie high rise jogger. And I am not sure what the other pair is. They are dressier looking than Trekkie ones. I bought these in the store but they didn’t have the Trekkie ones in the color I wanted in my size. I would recommend going in person as the style I thought I wanted by going on line I did not end up buying.

As far as fit goes, I like the fact that are stretchy and don’t have a zipper. I find them really comfortable and feel like I am wearing sweat pants but they look much nicer. The sizing is most accurate by hips as there is some give in the waist. In fact, by the chart I would wear one size larger in waist than hip.

The so-called "mid-rise" on the Eddie Bauer pants isn't ideal. It creates extra bulk across the tummy, which I do not need, and it means the pants have to be rather wide at the top. On a long trip I can easily gain or lose a fair amount of weight. Even though I pack pants that fit well when tried on a few days before the trip, I worry the pants might actually fall off if my weight drops significantly while on the road. They have never done that, but I sometimes feel I need to tug at them. The PrAna Halle pants in my closet have an interior tie that assures they won't fall down. I would definitely prefer pants not cut so low.

My travel wardrobe is all Eddie Bauer, they are great for travel, you can wash them in a sink and they will dry overnight, something you likely can’t do with a yoga style pant. I don’t have any of the lined pants, though. I have not had any problem with inconsistent sizing. I am quite tall, and can’t find similar pants from companies like Athleta and others so I can’t compare. On my most recent tour ito Turkey, many of the tour members, including our guide, were wearing Eddie Bauer.

I understand that the Eddie Bauer pants are water resistant. I was going to bring rain pants on my January trip to southern Italy. It doesn't seem like it rains a lot. I'm now considering buying a pair of the Eddie Bauer pants and leaving the rain pants home. How dry would these pants keep me in a moderate rain?

I understand that the Eddie Bauer pants are water resistant. I was going to bring rain pants on my January trip to southern Italy. It doesn't seem like it rains a lot. I'm now considering buying a pair of the Eddie Bauer pants and leaving the rain pants home. How dry would these pants keep me in a moderate rain

Jules, I live in western Oregon and I wear them here (both the Guide Pro and the lined Guide Pro, depending on temperature) and I seldom-to-never feel wet. They dry fast. Perhaps in a downpour or hiking for hours and hours the rainproof are a better choice but southern Italy is not usually known for long lasting deluges.

I also have an extensive EB wardrobe (pants, tops, jackets) and always travel with EB pants. I like that they can be sink washed and dry quickly, and I find them to be very comfortable. I am going to Australia in later March until later April next year and plan to put my EB wardrobe to the test in that climate.