Review: The Prana Axiom Jeans
In my mind, Prana dominates the realm of outdoor pants. Combining function and style, Prana offers legwear for the Climber, Hiker, and Yoga lover. I have owned several pairs of Prana pants and shorts over the years, starting with their stretch Zion line. Nowadays, I walk around sporting a pair of Prana Axiom Jeans, and I’ve found them to be a strong bridge between the climber-friendly function of the Zions, and the style and versatility of a solid pair of jeans.
Related: Check out our review of another Prana Pant-the Stretch Zion Straight!
The Axioms are a lifestyle item. No longer do I have to choose baggy Stretch Zions, or jeans with poor stretch and poor breathability. Instead, the Axioms are a happy medium. They fit like a stylish pair of blue jeans, and are rather tight, but not skin tight. I think they look good, and I think they work well when I don’t want to look like a dirtbag. The Prana Axiom Jean transfers seamlessly from a quick bouldering sesh, to a night on the town.
Aside from Prana, other companies have entered the climbing/hiking/slack lining/beer drinking denim pants market. Bulletprufe Denim and Boulder Denim immediately come to mind. The ads for these Jeans feature hirsute twenty somethings wrestling pebbles, and looking trust fundy, making it very evident to whom these pants are being marketed. I chose Prana because I trust their brand, and they are also cheaper. Thus, I have no experience with these other brands, and cannot comment on their quality.
The Axioms certainly have more stretch than, say, a pair of Levis. They allow for enough flexibility to make climbing movements, but not the same mobility as a dedicated pair of climbing pants. I would reserve these pants for an afternoon at the climbing gym, or on short sport routes. I would not wear them on a long, all day multi pitch route, and would instead bring along my stretch Zions. These pants, while comfortable, are not multipitch, desert bushwhacking comfortable.
I did take these pants hiking once. One day, while setting out to hike, I felt too lazy to change into hiking pants. Instead, I stuck with the Axiom Jeans. The trail was 8 miles long, had little elevation change, and was in a forested, mountain environment. Humidity was low and temps stayed in the 60s and 70s. I don’t hike in jeans these days, because cotton clothing is a terrible choice for the outdoors. Not only does it breathe poorly, but it doesn’t insulate very well, and holds onto moisture.
The Prana Axiom Jean performed surprisingly well for a denim pant. They were not optimal hikers by any means, but they breathed okay, and did not get too warm. These pants work fine on easy day hikes, if no other options are available. The durability is a little suspect, however. I did manage to wear a hole in the cuff of one of the legs, probably as a result of my stride causing the cuffs to rub against one another. This does not concern me, because after a year of heavy use, the Prana Axiom Jean has sustained little damage otherwise.
If these pants have one quality that I treasure, it would be the size of the pockets. These jeans have plenty of pocket space. And I do mean plenty. When designing these pants, Prana did not at all skimp on packet space.
Here is a brief, yet incomplete list of all the various things that you can fit in these pockets:
- Your Trad Rack
- A growler full of Kombucha or your favorite Craft IPA (or both!)
- A Bear Can (the big one.)
- Four or five yoga mats.
- Some more pairs of Axiom Jeans
- All of the maps.
- Your climbing partner.
So yeah, these pockets are pretty big. You can fit all your favorite accessories in them. Don’t worry about your available pocket space, because you’ve got plenty. Seriously, if having ample pocket space was a sport, the Prana Axiom Jeans would be the heavyweight champ. Okay, you get it already. Enough about the pockets.
Conclusion
If you are a dirtbag, or a wanna be dirtbag (like myself), and you want to augment your outfit to trick yourself into thinking that you can fit into normal society, the Prana Axiom Jean is a solid choice. No longer do you have to sacrifice function for style, because the Axiom Jean does it all. Well, I’d argue that they make for better jeans than they do climbing pants, but they can climb better than your typical pair of denim jeans. Wear these when trying to impress your Tinder date, or changing your spark plugs. I recommend these pants. They are comfy, look good, and come in at a better price point than their competitors.
Pranas do come at a premium, though. As nice as they are, you do not to pay a fair sum of cash. For a much more affordable alternative, read our comparison between the Prana Stretch Zions, and the Wrangler Outdoor Cargo Pants.
Buy Prana Axioms: Prana.com
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