soulcar
08-23-2009, 04:10 PM
I ordered a pair of BT’s Pro Pants about a month ago and only just recently had the chance to try them out in a game situation. I wore them on the 15th of August. It was a really hot and humid.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp163/soulcar/online%20pictures/BTProPants.jpg
The temp that day was close to 90 if not over 90. The humidity was about 50% or a little more. Sweat was just not leaving the body well.
I wore an Under Armour “Heat Gear” t-shirt under my team jersey, and “Heat Gear” shorts under the BT Pants.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp163/soulcar/online%20pictures/BTProPants2.jpg
I’m going to list the “factory” features of the pants and then list my take on that feature right after it. (these will be in no order)
--High impact dual density molded knee cap for the most grueling terrains.
---The molding is long and had a tendency to rub on my shin almost to the point of irritation. The molding does seem durable to kneeling on rocks, tree roots and just about any other harsh jagged type surface.
--Double strap knee adjusters for the custom fit
---The straps are padded to help keep the knee pads in place all day. The one major issue that I had was the straps didn’t seem long enough and made it a little tighter than I would like on my thick legs. Some with thinner legs might not have this issue. Once the hook and loop are secure the straps stayed locked together all day even with the running and kneeling I did. If some tried to slide on the knees I don’t think the Velcro would hold though.
--Padded crotch pad to protect the family jewels.
---The padding isn’t like on some speed ball shorts where there is a large amount. It is mainly the layering of the fabrics for the construction of the pant, with a small amount of padding. The over all amount of protection here is unnoticeable during game play and isn’t uncomfortable. The padding is less than wearing a cup for protection, but, not as protecting either.
--4-way stretch panels above the knees and in the crotch.
---This 4-way give plenty of room for movement for kneeling and crouching. Along with the 4-way panels at the knee there is also a mesh vent area there to allow heat to vent out. I never really felt any air coming in there nor did I ever feel any heat escaping, so how go this vent is has yet to be determined.
--Zippered mesh venting that allows the user to cool down when the battle heats up.
---I found these in the staging area before the game by accident and enjoyed them immensely. They are located right next to the front pocket towards the outside of the leg. When I would get a little extra warm I would grab the front pockets and shake the pants as if I were shaking something out of them. This would allow the heat to escape and a lot of cooler air to enter. It was surprisingly effective.
--Quick release clip adjustable cargo pocket.
---These are located on the front of thigh. I was quite pleased with these, I was able to put my truck keys in the right one and wasn’t able to tell they were there, They didn’t jab my leg while playing, they were unnoticeable. There is plenty of material between the leg and the cargo pocket for the comfort. The pocket is deep enough to keep my keys from falling out during play. (Side note here I don’t recommend trying this, as I stuck my keys in there with the intent of taking them out, but, honestly forgot they were in there.) The left pocket held my barrel condom while on the field, again deep enough to keep it there during play. I should mention one thing here, I would close the cargo flap cover and reconnect the quick release buckle. The quick release buckle are easy to use even while wearing cloves.
--Zippered cuffs so you can gear up without removing your boots.
---First off I don’t know why a person would have their boots on before the pants, but, who am I to judge on how someone dresses. I didn’t use this feature because I had put my pants on before donning my boots. There is plenty of room around the cuff of the pant to pull the leg up to tie your boots. Which is what I did and didn’t have a bit of trouble.
--Highly adjustable waist straps with belt loops. They allow for a perfect fit for the in between waist sizes.
--- I was able to synch these in good and snug. I still had plenty of room to put my rigger belt through the belt loops.
--Hook and loop adjustable cuff closer. It makes for a snug ankle fit possible.
---Though able to snug the fit around the ankle, it’s not a tight fit. There isn’t enough Velcro to do that. Though with it not being a tight fit around the ankle it does allow for a small amount of play in the pant leg and adds to the room for movement while running or kneeling, and so on.
--Rear zippered pockets.
---While playing I didn’t have a need for these. Maybe in the future I will.
--Dual swab pockets.
--- These are located under the back pocket toward the side of the leg. I knew these pants had them, but, they weren’t easy to find once the pants were on. Once a person locates them and get there swab in them they might be real easy to find. I do feel that these pockets should have an elastic closer top to help hold the swab from falling out. (It seems to happen while crawling around getting into position. The next thing you know your swab is gone.)
--Flat front slash pockets.
---These are perfectly placed to allow easy find during down time either it be before the game, during the lunch break or after the game. I wouldn’t recommend putting anything in them do to making the pockets too uncomfortable during play.
--Large mesh breathable panels on the thigh and inseam.
--- The thigh location is on the back of the pant. These weren’t as breathable as I had though they would be. I noticed more breath ability with the side panels mentioned earlier. One draw back I feel with the back of the thigh mesh is when using the knee pads, it kind of closes off the mesh a bit. I truly though these would allow a lot of heat venting, but, they didn’t seem to.
This isn’t mentioned in the “factory” features, but, I talk about it now. The fly/pant closer, this close is nice in some aspects but not in others. The closer is a zippered fly with hook and loop over that and two snap for the waist area closer. This combination made it a very secure close with no worries about it opening unwanted during play. On the other hand this also made it difficult to open quick when nature called.
The pants do have an adjustable waist to get a close to custom fit. The sizes run from extra small (XS) all the way to 3XL. This way there should be a size to fit just about every one.
One thing that is a draw back for me is with all the mesh vents, these pant hold a lot of heat in them.
Another draw back is, even with the adjustable waist straps, I highly recommend wearing a belt to help hold the pants in place. They are a slight amount heavier than jeans, not really noticeable until you try to rely only on the waist straps to keep our pants in place.
The price for the BT Pro Pants is a bit salty. The average MSRP is around $124, though sometimes you can find deals on some seller sites.
I do think these are fairly good pants over all, with just a couple of things that could be better for the price.
I will keep wearing them because of the good majorly out weighing the bad.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp163/soulcar/online%20pictures/BTProPants.jpg
The temp that day was close to 90 if not over 90. The humidity was about 50% or a little more. Sweat was just not leaving the body well.
I wore an Under Armour “Heat Gear” t-shirt under my team jersey, and “Heat Gear” shorts under the BT Pants.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp163/soulcar/online%20pictures/BTProPants2.jpg
I’m going to list the “factory” features of the pants and then list my take on that feature right after it. (these will be in no order)
--High impact dual density molded knee cap for the most grueling terrains.
---The molding is long and had a tendency to rub on my shin almost to the point of irritation. The molding does seem durable to kneeling on rocks, tree roots and just about any other harsh jagged type surface.
--Double strap knee adjusters for the custom fit
---The straps are padded to help keep the knee pads in place all day. The one major issue that I had was the straps didn’t seem long enough and made it a little tighter than I would like on my thick legs. Some with thinner legs might not have this issue. Once the hook and loop are secure the straps stayed locked together all day even with the running and kneeling I did. If some tried to slide on the knees I don’t think the Velcro would hold though.
--Padded crotch pad to protect the family jewels.
---The padding isn’t like on some speed ball shorts where there is a large amount. It is mainly the layering of the fabrics for the construction of the pant, with a small amount of padding. The over all amount of protection here is unnoticeable during game play and isn’t uncomfortable. The padding is less than wearing a cup for protection, but, not as protecting either.
--4-way stretch panels above the knees and in the crotch.
---This 4-way give plenty of room for movement for kneeling and crouching. Along with the 4-way panels at the knee there is also a mesh vent area there to allow heat to vent out. I never really felt any air coming in there nor did I ever feel any heat escaping, so how go this vent is has yet to be determined.
--Zippered mesh venting that allows the user to cool down when the battle heats up.
---I found these in the staging area before the game by accident and enjoyed them immensely. They are located right next to the front pocket towards the outside of the leg. When I would get a little extra warm I would grab the front pockets and shake the pants as if I were shaking something out of them. This would allow the heat to escape and a lot of cooler air to enter. It was surprisingly effective.
--Quick release clip adjustable cargo pocket.
---These are located on the front of thigh. I was quite pleased with these, I was able to put my truck keys in the right one and wasn’t able to tell they were there, They didn’t jab my leg while playing, they were unnoticeable. There is plenty of material between the leg and the cargo pocket for the comfort. The pocket is deep enough to keep my keys from falling out during play. (Side note here I don’t recommend trying this, as I stuck my keys in there with the intent of taking them out, but, honestly forgot they were in there.) The left pocket held my barrel condom while on the field, again deep enough to keep it there during play. I should mention one thing here, I would close the cargo flap cover and reconnect the quick release buckle. The quick release buckle are easy to use even while wearing cloves.
--Zippered cuffs so you can gear up without removing your boots.
---First off I don’t know why a person would have their boots on before the pants, but, who am I to judge on how someone dresses. I didn’t use this feature because I had put my pants on before donning my boots. There is plenty of room around the cuff of the pant to pull the leg up to tie your boots. Which is what I did and didn’t have a bit of trouble.
--Highly adjustable waist straps with belt loops. They allow for a perfect fit for the in between waist sizes.
--- I was able to synch these in good and snug. I still had plenty of room to put my rigger belt through the belt loops.
--Hook and loop adjustable cuff closer. It makes for a snug ankle fit possible.
---Though able to snug the fit around the ankle, it’s not a tight fit. There isn’t enough Velcro to do that. Though with it not being a tight fit around the ankle it does allow for a small amount of play in the pant leg and adds to the room for movement while running or kneeling, and so on.
--Rear zippered pockets.
---While playing I didn’t have a need for these. Maybe in the future I will.
--Dual swab pockets.
--- These are located under the back pocket toward the side of the leg. I knew these pants had them, but, they weren’t easy to find once the pants were on. Once a person locates them and get there swab in them they might be real easy to find. I do feel that these pockets should have an elastic closer top to help hold the swab from falling out. (It seems to happen while crawling around getting into position. The next thing you know your swab is gone.)
--Flat front slash pockets.
---These are perfectly placed to allow easy find during down time either it be before the game, during the lunch break or after the game. I wouldn’t recommend putting anything in them do to making the pockets too uncomfortable during play.
--Large mesh breathable panels on the thigh and inseam.
--- The thigh location is on the back of the pant. These weren’t as breathable as I had though they would be. I noticed more breath ability with the side panels mentioned earlier. One draw back I feel with the back of the thigh mesh is when using the knee pads, it kind of closes off the mesh a bit. I truly though these would allow a lot of heat venting, but, they didn’t seem to.
This isn’t mentioned in the “factory” features, but, I talk about it now. The fly/pant closer, this close is nice in some aspects but not in others. The closer is a zippered fly with hook and loop over that and two snap for the waist area closer. This combination made it a very secure close with no worries about it opening unwanted during play. On the other hand this also made it difficult to open quick when nature called.
The pants do have an adjustable waist to get a close to custom fit. The sizes run from extra small (XS) all the way to 3XL. This way there should be a size to fit just about every one.
One thing that is a draw back for me is with all the mesh vents, these pant hold a lot of heat in them.
Another draw back is, even with the adjustable waist straps, I highly recommend wearing a belt to help hold the pants in place. They are a slight amount heavier than jeans, not really noticeable until you try to rely only on the waist straps to keep our pants in place.
The price for the BT Pro Pants is a bit salty. The average MSRP is around $124, though sometimes you can find deals on some seller sites.
I do think these are fairly good pants over all, with just a couple of things that could be better for the price.
I will keep wearing them because of the good majorly out weighing the bad.