Summer on the farm in Knoxville, Tennessee, can be brutal. The heat can make working outside extremely difficult, even dangerous, especially when certain jobs require the protection of long pants. When I received Brunt’s Costello Tech Pants, I was eager to find out how they would perform in the hot weather. I took them through heavy wear and tear on my flower farm in the heat of August to truly put them through their paces. In this review, I’ll go over their features and go into detail to let you know how they performed.

First Impressions

The Costello Tech Pants arrived neatly folded in thin plastic packaging. As I pulled them out, I immediately noticed the feel, weight, and texture of the fabric. The four-way stretch and ripstop fabric feels both flexible and tough at the same time. The pants strike a good balance between thick enough to protect you without tearing and thin enough to breathe in the heat.

Look and Fit

I’ve gone through a lot of pairs of work pants during my career as a forester, and now a farmer. Many of them have been too baggy to comfortably work in for long hours, bunching up and causing chafing or sore areas where the excess fabric caused pressure spots. I can confidently say this wasn’t the case with the Costello Tech Pants. They strike the ideal balance of fabric that’s loose enough to bend, kneel, and shovel, but is tight enough not to bunch.

Thanks to the four-way stretch material, the areas where they fit more snugly didn’t restrict my movement. I was able to squat and bend easily without hiking the pants up or adjusting them after remaining squatted for longer periods.

Features

The Costello Pants boast a unique pocket system that gives you a bit of extra storage without looking like typical cargo pants. On top of the usual front and back pocket pairs, these pants have a coin pocket and drop-in thigh pocket, both on the right side. The hip pocket on the right side is deep and overlaps slightly with the thigh pocket, which extends down nearly to the knee of the pants. I can easily fit my whole hand and wrist into either one, which I really appreciate, since it can be really annoying fishing for things in pockets that are too narrow, especially with gloves on.

The pockets themselves are made of thin, durable fabric and the corners are double-reinforced, so they should hold up to having a pen or knife clipped on. The hip pocket doesn’t have a zipper, but a self-closing flap of fabric, making accessing tools easier with gloves on.

The fabric of the pants is a blend of mini ripstop nylon and spandex. This means they are flexible, thin, and breathable, which I can attest to. However, it also means they produce some swishy sound when you walk. The mini ripstop nylon makes the pants durable against tears, but a sharp point like a nail or thorn will still be uncomfortable. The four-way stretch makes for excellent mobility, and the water-repellent finish keeps the pants from clinging to you if you get doused or extra sweaty. This proved especially helpful while kneeling in muddy soil to transplant seedlings, as the pants didn’t get weighed down or sag. The moisture-wicking nature of the fabric also helped keep my legs cooler.

I’m not super knowledgeable about pants design, but I definitely noticed the unique stitching pattern in the knees and crotch. The knees are articulated and the crotch is gusseted, providing for next-level mobility and flexibility. My pair were the standard Tech pants, but I imagine this makes a bigger difference with the Heavy Duty version, which has double-layer knees.

Testing

I wore the McKenna pants around the farm for thirty days and on several hikes to put them to the test. I didn’t hold back or treat them gently by any means. They performed admirably in terms of mobility and breathability. I was grateful for the ripstop fabric as I pruned my overgrown raspberry bushes and can report no visible snags or tears.

The drop-in pocket was a nice feature for storing my pruners as well. I was slightly worried that the pruners would dig into my calf when I squatted down, but the pocket was thick and angled in a way that it wasn’t an issue. Kudos to the pants’ designer for this thoughtful feature! It’s clear the Brunt team truly understands and considers how their pants will be used on a day-to-day basis by real workers.

The water-repellent finish also proved its value as I knelt in mud to pull weeds. I was sure I’d have wet, muddy pants clinging to my legs for the rest of the day, but that didn’t happen. I was able to easily dust off the worst of it and keep working in comfort without water-logged pants getting weighed down.

I didn’t wear a belt throughout the testing period, and the pants stayed up high.

Value for Price

With over a decade working in forests and on the farm, I have worn all the big brands: Carhartt, Dickies, Duluth, Ariat. The price is comparable to Carhartt and Duluth, but I feel the quality and comfortability exceeds them. The McKenna pant is the lightest-weight pair of pants I have experienced, and I cannot say enough about how nice it is that they repel water.

Would I purchase another pair? Absolutely.

Drawbacks

The only drawback is my wife mentioned that a tiny sliver of my underwear was visible when I was squatting down. I think a belt would prevent this, though (see picture below). I prefer this to gapping and bunching, which I’ve experienced with other workwear pants. In fact, the wide belt loop over the butt seems like it would do a great job of evenly distributing the pants across the butt if you were wearing a belt.

Overall

The Costello Tech pants performed remarkably well for farm chores and moving through the woods. The mini-ripstop fabric and water-repellent finish do their jobs well, making the pants more durable and versatile, especially in warm weather. The unique pocket system is a nice touch, as well. The pants are a little noisy, but not more than any other nylon-blended fabric. Even without the extra reinforcement offered in the HD version, these pants hold up well and offer plenty of protection against the elements.