There's a lot to be desired in the motorcycle pants world. Some legs are too narrow. Some waists are too wide. Ankle widths vary greatly. And the fit, finish, and durability is just all over the place. Add to that the fact that I burn through pants generally due to some quirk in my stature—holes form near my undercarriage after only a few months of wearing them—and you start to get a sense of the fact that I sorta despise the whole industry.
"Why can't anyone get this right!?" I've cursed repeatedly to random passersby. They then tend to look at me funny, but based on conversations with others within the industry and other regular riders, my sense of consternation isn't alone, even with the available breadth of motorcycle jeans and pants.
That's led to deep skepticism of any manufacturer claims of comfort and durability whenever I get sent new pants. See, I've been down this road before, guys. Everyone says their pants are the best and most comfortable and can stand the test of time. They never do. Pando Moto's, however, seem to actually live up to the marketing. Right out of the box, these are the most comfortable motorcycle jeans I've ever worn.
In fact, I found myself stretching in ways I've never stretched in motorcycle jeans before. And after riding with them, and switching from one Harley-Davidson Softail to five other Harley-Davidson Softails over the course of a couple hundred miles of hot Texas tarmac, I'm pretty sure I might just make these both my go-to motorcycle jeans, as well as my normal everyday non-riding jeans, too.
Where have you been my whole riding career, Pando?
Full disclosure, Pando sent me these jeans to review. And, actually, the company had been asking if I wanted to test something for the last year. I'd put it off largely due to the aforementioned relationship I have with both riding and regular jeans as a whole. But my time through Texas' hill country just outside of Austin with Harley-Davidson was finally the catalyst I needed to take the Lithuanian company up on its offer.
And, again, I'm so glad I did.
Pando's Karl Devil 9 jeans use Cordura denim with built-in stretch, along with Kevlar-reinforced lining in the major impact zones of the pants themselves. Think in the knees, hips, butt, and calves, or really where you tend to hit the pavement and roll around on when you crash—ask me how I know. They also come with four removable pieces of armor padding; two for the knee and two for your hips. The armor itself is SAS-TEC TripleFlex CE level 1 for both.
What's cool about the armor, however, is that you can remove them from the outside. That means if you want to ride to some fancy pants restaurant or event, but not look like a dork with armored moto jeans, you can just snatch them out in about a minute and look as if you're just wearing some cool dark jeans. Putting them back in is also super easy, so you don't have to worry about the hassle of installation after you attend the Oscars with Keanu as your date.
But more than that, Pando has something that I feel should be far more prevalent in the space: a lifetime "Crash and Burn" warranty.
According to the brand, "If you’ve got into a road accident wearing PANDO MOTO gear, send us your detailed story and some pics with your mailing address and we’ll replace your damaged gear with the same new one (or equivalent if we won’t have it anymore)." That's pretty cool of the brand, honestly. It's also a testament to the strength of its products and dedication to its customers. I mean, if you get into a wreck that shreds your gear—a major wreck given the strength of these—and the company says it will replace them, that's pretty cool. And it should keep you safe for years to come.
But let's talk turkey.
I've now worn these jeans over a lot of miles in the saddle, as well as out and about. I've worn them with and without the armor plates. To really test their comfort, I also wore them on a plane, sitting in economy. I'm 6'4" with long legs, so that's definitely a test of a pair of pants' comfort.
I wore them in the hot Texas sun—it got up to about 80 degrees while I was bumming around on new Harleys—as well as the cool mornings. And through twistys, long, flat stretches, and also sitting around waiting for photographers to do their thing, I never got uncomfortable. Indeed, I was moving around and stretching and all the other riders kept asking about the Pandos. I was able to move around in these jeans as if I was wearing my running base layer, which came in handy after hours of riding as my back and neck started to tire and I had to move around.
I mention my back and neck in a jeans review as, ages ago, I got into a gnarly moto crash that screwed both up. They get sore both after and during most rides, even if I'm not actively carving corners, shredding dirt, or popping wheelies. So being able to move around on a bike after hours of riding is important to me.
But most motorcycle jeans and pants are pretty restrictive in how easily you can shift around on the bike. And that's especially true since I've found resting a knee on a seat as if you were riding a snowmobile is the best way of reducing those pains for me. The Karl Devil 9s, however, let me switch from one knee to the other quickly and without issue. Again, the range of movement was astonishingly good. I felt like a gymnast, though I'm absolutely not.
So where does that leave us?
Well, I usually find something to complain about with any gear I test. There's always room for improvement. But in this case, I can't seem to find any. Which, admittedly, is odd. The jeans have the safety level I'm after for riding street. They have the stretch I want them to provide so that I don't feel like I'm encased in concrete. Pando's warranty is one of the coolest around. The fit feels like a baselayer. And the price, which is $285, is hella reasonable for something with these attributes. I feel like they're perfect...
Maybe let's call out the name? Little too aggro for my taste. But still, I also just might order myself another pair, so I have two in my closet.
