Makers and Riders Pants, by Thomas Christianson

Two friends and I each recently had the opportunity to test several pair of Makers and Riders Pants. We each tested their “Traveler” softshell jeans and their 3 season “Dispatch Rider” jeans.

We found the Traveler jeans to be extremely comfortable for everyday wear during cool weather. They cost $109 at the time of this writing at www.makersandriders.com .

The Dispatch Rider jeans were outstanding for everyday and field wear during cold weather. They are water resistant and fleece lined. They cost $118 at the time of this writing.

The owner of Makers and Riders got caught up in supply chain issues during Covid. He got so burned out by the stresses involved that he turned his attention to other pursuits. Now he is in the process of liquidating his remaining inventory. So if you are interested in the pants after reading this review, don’t wait too long. Whatever is still available today may be gone tomorrow.

Background

I first became interested in Makers and Riders pants because I ran across their 4 Season AeroDry Wool Jeans online. It is hard to find good wool jeans, so I was immediately interested. But other people had become interested in the jeans before I heard about them. They were sold out in my size due to the supply chain issues mentioned above. (By the way, if you know a good source for quality wool jeans, please contact me at ThomasKChristianson AT gmail dot com to pass that information along. I would be very grateful).

As I was on the Makers and Riders website, I found the Dispatch Rider jeans to be also quite interesting. Water resistance and breathability are a good combination for garments for field use.

I contacted the owner of Makers and Riders to ask if he could provide me with a pair of the Dispatch Rider jeans for testing and evaluation. He very kindly offered to provide some pants not only for me to test, but also for some of my family and friends. So I sent him my size and the sizes for my two friends “Hawkeye” and “Court”. Not long afterward, I received a box with seven pair of pants: three for me, and two for each of my friends.

First Impressions

The pants arrived in September during a warm spell. I immediately bagged up the pants intended for my friends for delivery to them, and tried on the pants intended for me.

I had two immediate impressions: the fleece-lined stretch material of which the pants are made is very comfortable. It is also very warm. I knew that I would not be able to wear the pants for any significant period of time until cooler weather came.

Hemming

The pants come intentionally long so that the inseam can be tailored to fit locally.

I thought about hemming the pants myself. But after due consideration, I decided that they were pretty nice looking pants. They deserved something better than the attention of someone whose past sewing has involved fishing line as often as not. My results tend to be effective, but somewhat crude in appearance.

So I asked my wife, “Kari”, if she could hem the pants. Kari is a good seamstress. But she looked at the pants and thought that they deserved an even better seamstress. She recommended our family friend and expert seamstress “Betsy Ross.”

Betsy was kind enough to agree to hem the pants. I gave the pants to Betsy on a Monday evening when Kari and I got together with Betsy and her husband “Cool Hand Luke” for dinner. By the time Betsy and Kari got together on Wednesday morning for their weekly sewing circle gathering, Betsy already had all three pair of pants expertly hemmed. I was really impressed.

Softshell Jean Testing

By mid-November temperatures were cool enough that I could begin testing the Traveler softshell jeans. I immediately noticed that they were much more comfortable than regular denim jeans. They were also significantly warmer.

Kari also felt that the Traveler jeans looked much nicer than denim jeans, almost like dress pants. That created some minor inconveniences when she would not let me wear hoodies with the Traveler jeans. She thought they clashed too much since the Traveler jeans looked so dressy. And I felt that my regular hiking shoes looked just a little too casual with the Traveler jeans. I switched instead to a classier pair of hiking shoes that I had in my closet.

A band of rubberized letters inside of the waistband helped to keep my shirts tucked in better than was the case with standard jeans. The watch pocket has a zipper, and there is a zipped hidden sixth pocket inside the right rear pocket.

The zipper pull on the fly has a rubberized tip that makes it easier to pull and more gentle on the surrounding fabric.

The pants are wind resistant, and I felt them to be quite comfortable in breezy weather when temperatures dipped down to the upper 30s. For temperatures much below freezing, a base layer would be helpful while wearing the Traveler jeans.

I do not recommend the Traveler jeans for field use, since they are made of 71% cotton, 23% cordura polyester, and 6% spandex. Cotton conducts heat away from the body when wet, creating a significant risk of hypothermia.

Makers and Riders strongly emphasizes that neither the Traveler jeans nor the Dispatch Rider jeans should be put in the dryer. They even have a note on the tag sewn into the waistband of the pants: “If your mother or wife still does your laundry, please have them kindly follow the instructions above.” I am happy to report that the jeans dried quickly on the clothesline in the laundry room. My friend Hawkeye did not notice the washing instructions. Neither did his wife. The lining of his pants stuck together from the heat of the dryer. Fortunately, Hawkeye was able to pull the lining apart, and reports that they are once again as good as new.

Country of OrigiN: China

I did not even think about the country of origin of the Traveler jeans until I was examining the washing instructions on the tag in the waistband. There I noted that the jeans are made in China. A check of the tag for the Dispatch Rider jeans revealed that they are also made in China.

Dispatch Rider Jean Testing

As daytime temperatures dropped below freezing, I began wearing one or the other of the two pair of Dispatch Rider jeans on a daily basis. They were so warm that I had to change out of them on occasion while exerting myself (like putting up the Christmas tree) or when outdoor temperatures rose above freezing. Even when the thermometer shows the same indoor temperature, it feels significantly warmer inside when outdoor temperatures are above freezing. I believe that the house is less drafty when it is warmer outside. In any case, I learned that anytime daytime highs were expected to be above freezing, I should wear a different pair of pants.

The Dispatch Rider jeans looked just as dressy as the Traveler jeans. Kari expressed concern on several occasions that she looked underdressed by comparison while wearing denim blue jeans. One of the best features of the Dispatch Rider jeans is the roomy pockets. My right front pocket usually contains a ring of keys and three key fobs. My left front pocket usually contains an ink pen, a plasma lighter, a Swiss Army Classic SD knife, and an EDC knife. My left rear pocket usually contains a handkerchief and a notebook. My right rear pocket usually contains a comb. The Dispatch Rider pockets accommodated all of these things with greater comfort than any other pair of pants that I have ever worn.

The Dispatch Rider jeans did a great job of keeping my legs warm even when temperatures dropped to the lower teens. If temperatures drop to the single digits or below zero, I would recommend wearing a base layer under the jeans.

The jeans are also highly wind resistant, which made them much more effective at retaining heat under breezy conditions.

When the first pair of Dispatch Rider jeans was ready to go into the wash, I tested them for water resistance. I stepped into the shower wearing the jeans, and directed the spray full upon the legs. My legs remained dry under the powerful jet of water.

The Dispatch Rider jeans are made of 95% polyester and 5% spandex with a backing of 100% polyester with a waterproof but breathable film. As such, they would be appropriate for field use.

The colors I tested were black and grey. I generally prefer garments in earth tones for field use since they tend to do a better job of blending into the surrounding landscape. The gray blended in better than most other non-earth-tone colors.

Conclusion

Makers and Riders Dispatch Rider jeans are great for everyday wear or field use in cold weather. They are comfortable, warm, water repellant, wind resistant, and have roomy pockets. They look much nicer than your average jeans too. Their Traveler jeans are great for everyday wear in cool weather. Since they contain a high percentage of cotton, I would not recommend them for field use (just as I would not recommend cotton denim jeans for field use). The Traveler jeans are comfortable, warm, and wind-resistant. They also look much nicer than your average jeans.

If you would like a nicer-than-average pair of jeans for cool or cold weather wear, you may want to take a look at www.makersandriders.com.

Disclaimer

Makers and Riders were kind enough to provide my friends and me with a total of seven pairs of pants for testing and evaluation. I tried not to allow their kindness to interfere with my objectivity in this review, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.