We are back with a third installment of Western Rise gear to share with you! If you missed our first couple Western Rise reviews, you can find them here and here. As a quick refresher, Western Rise is a travel and outdoor clothing company based in Telluride, CO. They have been around a few years now, and founder Will Watters continues to develop some of the best clothing options available for travelers. This review will cover three new items and an exciting Kickstarter product that is available for a limited time.

Our previous articles describe the company and its fanatical devotion to the highest-quality, technical fabrics. I won’t rehash that here, so let’s jump straight into the new clothing items! Western Rise shipped these items to me for my testing and feedback.

Evolution Pants

Western Rise created the Evolution Pants to be, “the world’s most functional and versatile pair of pants! The ultimate pant for travel, outdoor, and everyday.” I wrote about these when they launched on Kickstarter and fully funded within 4 hours. Now that I have a pair of my own, I can confidently say that they live up to the hype!

I’ve tried tons of “one-pant” options, from the Outlier Slim Dungarees, to Bluffworks Chinos, to a variety of Columbia offerings. The Evolution Pants are definitely some of my favorites. The key to these pants is the nylon supplex fabric, sourced from a mill in Sweden. This air-texturized, nylon fabric feels like soft cotton, but it is optimized for durability, subtle stretch, and stain resistance.

The Evolution Pants have a pleasantly slim fit, without being constricting. They offer subtle stretch and a 5-pocket design, similar to your favorite pair of jeans. Travelers will be delighted to know they pack down smaller than most t-shirts and weigh only 13oz. They also have a secure zipper for the back pocket and are treated with a C6 DWR to repel stains. Finally, you can pop on straight out of the bag, with no worries about wrinkles.

Grab your pair of Evolution Pants here. If you’re between sizes, I recommend sizing up.

Boundless Shorts

Boundless Shorts are the successor to Western Rise’s earlier Limitless Shorts. We took the first generation shorts on our trip around the world and loved them. The Boundless Shorts are honestly a HUGE step forward. I’m stoked to have these in my rotation now.

My first criteria for any pair of travel shorts is versatility. I MUST be able to hike, swim, or work out in them, and then wear them to a nice beach side restaurant. The Boundless Shorts are built specifically for this! They are made from a blend of 87% nylon and 13% spandex, giving them 4-way stretch and quick-dry capabilities. For swimming, they feature mesh pockets and a paracord drawstring.

• 

• 

These shorts combine the best qualities of each of my current favorites. The 4-way stretch is heavenly; the waistband is not restrictive; and they look like normal shorts, not some hybrid gym short.

Grab your pair of Boundless Shorts here. If you’re between sizes, I recommend sizing down, due to the 4-way stretch.

DryKnit Sun Hoodie

I’ll admit that the DryKnit Sun Hoodie is not a piece that I expected to like. I’ve never been much of a hoodie fan, but this one has quickly become one of my favorite clothing items!

First off, it’s simply a beautifully-made piece of clothing. Both colors – Midnight and Ash, are gorgeous. I had a hard time settling on the Ash colorway, but I found it to be more versatile. Ash is a pleasant light gray, which pairs nicely with any dark-colored bottom, and it’s darker than the product image suggest.

Performance-wise, I’m a bit shocked at how well a 100% polyester hoodie performed. Western Rise claims, “The mesh-like fabric moves with the body, breathes like a dream, and is ready for just about anything.” To test this, I wore the hoodie to play pickleball on a blustery 40-degree morning. The fabric managed to hold my body heat well enough to keep me warm in the cool weather. When we moved to the indoor courts, the fabric breathed so well that I barely broke a sweat!

I’m not kidding – This is one of the most comfortable items I own. When our daughter was born, I wore this hoodie for 3 days straight in the chilly hospital room! It is a solid choice for 4-season wear. It works well for layering in the cold, and it offers moisture wicking and airflow for warm weather. Wear it to the pool, along with your Boundless Shorts, as a casual summer option.

Grab your DryKnit Sun Hoodie here. On the advice from Western Rise staff, I sized up from my normal Medium to a Large. I love the fit of the slightly-larger size.

Limitless Shirt – Kickstarter Special!

Now for some exciting news! Western Rise has launched their newest product on Kickstarter – the Limitless Shirt, made from 53% Australian Merino wool and 47% polyester. The campaign reached it’s goal of $20,000 within 45 minutes!! Since then, they’ve eclipsed the $200,000 mark and added a Limitless Polo Shirt option.

I don’t have personal experience with this shirt, since it’s only been announced within the past couple weeks. However, given the quality of Western Rise’s product line, have no doubt this will be excellent! Also, if you’re worried about Kickstarter scams, this is definitely a safe bet. They already released the Evolution Pants (see above) to rave reviews last year, via Kickstarter.

I’ve written extensively about the benefits of Merino wool, but I’ll summarize them here. Merino is the optimal fabric for travel clothing, because it’s naturally odor and wrinkle resistant, breathable, soft, and stretchy. The polyester blend increases durability and enhances the fabric’s ability to regulate temperature.

Grab your Limitless Shirt for a limited time on Kickstarter, at the special Kickstarter pricing. The campaign ends on May 5, 2019, so don’t wait around!

Final Thoughts

As always, I’m extremely impressed with the latest offerings from Western Rise. They continue to innovate and push into the performance travel arena. The clothing featured here will be a great fit in your travel wardrobe. Cheers!