Patagonia Men’s Untracked Bibs Review: Bombproof, Flashy, and Saving the Planet

I stood above Jason Hummel, perched high on Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s Headwall. I looked down the steep face of the mountain, waiting for my signal to drop in. A cold gust of wind blasted me as Hummel fiddled with his camera, changing the lens. I could feel the force of the wind, but I couldn’t feel the chill it carried. The new Patagonia Men’s Untracked Bibs I was wearing felt impenetrable. 

Or at least, the bibs felt windproof enough to hold the cold at bay, while I waited for our photographer to look up and stick his thumb in the air. 

Shells can be hit or miss when it comes to maintaining your warmth on the slopes. It usually becomes a game of layering adequately — which, to be fair, is how you’re supposed to use shell outerwear. But with the Patagonia Untracked Bibs, I can wear my CEP socks and ¾ tights under and not worry about getting chilled. And if I get hot, I simply open the generous side zips and dump my heat. 

I had only worn the bibs for a few hours at that point, and I had no idea how they were going to grow on me over the next several weeks. 

Below, I saw Jason wave at me. “Dropping!” I shouted, pointing my ski tips down, feeling gravity’s pull and slashing into my first turn. Powder rushed up against the bibs, flowing off of them like water. I skied toward Hummel, timing my turns, trying to position myself so he could get a halfway decent shot — and likely completely missing my mark. 

In short: The Patagonia Men’s Untracked Bibs ($649) are bombproof. They laugh at biting winds that would have easily pierced some of the other bibs and pants I wear in the resort. Their pockets are adequate. They fit well, look good, and live up to the Patagonia brand standard of quality. Perhaps best of all, this is the first-ever winter sports bib made with an eco-friendly GORE-TEX ePE membrane, which won an 2022 ISPO award.

Patagonia Men’s Untracked Bibs Review

I’m a sucker for bibs. I’ll always prefer them to ski pants. Not just because I think they look better, but because they have more storage space, they keep you warmer, you can snap those shoulder straps like an old-timey gangster, and they don’t fall down when you stomp a 20-foot drop. 

So, the Patagonia Men’s Untracked Bibs had a slight advantage from the get-go when I put them on. But I’ve also got high standards when it comes to bibs. There were a lot of boxes this ski outerwear needed to check in order to get a stamp of approval. 

Fortunately, this three-layer ski bib situates an 80-denier 100% recycled nylon textile with a recycled nylon-flannel backer, and zero traces of PFC chemicals are involved with any thread. This means it’s both sound and, in a word, healthy.

I tested this pair throughout a month of heavy skiing as of this writing. I wore them in conditions that ranged from bluebird days in the high 30s to bitter stormy days hovering in the single digits. So far, they’ve passed with flying colors. 

Function: Weatherproofness

As I mentioned, the Patagonia Men’s Untracked Bibs are windproof with a capital “W.” It’s something I’ll notice pretty quickly in a pair of ski pants or bibs (because I never wear much under them) — cold air is really good at jellying its way through seams and zippers.

I have a pair of Arc’teryx bibs I love, but their seams are notoriously leaky in this regard. I also used to own a pair of insulated pants from The North Face that had inseam zippers that dumped my crotch heat whether they were open or not. 

The Untracked Bibs? They were stalwart in their defense against the wind. 

They are also waterproof — as any good pair of snow pants should be. I’ve noticed over time that the exterior layer of these bibs can get wet in sleet or really moist snow. But that doesn’t transfer through the GORE-TEX. 

Pockets and Belt Loops

The Untracked Bibs have just two pockets on the thighs. It’s enough. There could be more. Personally, I love bibs that have a chest pocket because I constantly find myself stuffing debit cards, goggle cleaners, snacks, liters, and other essentials in there. I can’t do that with the Untracked Bibs, which reaches only to the belly button.

That’s okay. Because Patagonia made up for the lack of pockets by including belt loops. Why would you ever need belt loops for a pair of bibs? Because, dear reader, if you’re anything like me, you stuff things into the pockets of your ski bibs — gloves, skins, hats, sandwiches — and if you don’t have a belt on, they fall straight down your pant legs. 

Having the option to put a belt on creates a barrier at your waist to hold things in place.

Durability

Where these Patagonia bibs really excel, though, is in their durability. I am notoriously hard on ski pants, and the Untracked Bibs have withstood unnecessary abuse on my part for about a month — and they’re holding strong. 

Aside from a few knicks and slice marks in the kick guard area, they’re showing almost no sign of wear. 

Fit

If you’re familiar with Patagonia outerwear, you know that it fits a little baggier than some European brands might. I like that. Personally, I think Patagonia’s clothes fit me better than most brands do. 

The size large in these bibs fit me (a 5’11”, 175-pound male) ideally in both their length and the waist. They were snug around my midsection, and the cuff of the pants fell to my boots. Could I have sized down? Probably. But I like my ski outswear to fit a little baggier. That’s in part so I can layer under them better. It’s also in part because I think it looks better than the tighter, more slim-fit style.

To each their own. If you’re my size, rest easy knowing you can go with either a medium or large depending on how you like your ski clothes to fit.

Eco-Friendly GORE-TEX

GORE-TEX was catching some flak for a while because of the environmental impact of both creating and disposing of products that contained its awesome, waterproof, windproof textile. GORE-TEX, realizing this, changed its ways.

Or, it’s starting to change its ways. In September 2021, GORE-TEX announced that it was rolling out a new membrane using expanded polyethylene (ePE). The new membrane used less carbon and, the brand claims, delivers the same incredible performance we’ve all come to know and love about GORE-TEX.

GORE-TEX first introduced the groundbreaking ePE membrane in Patagonia’s two-layer Storm Shift outerwear, in fall 2022. The more eco-friendly membrane replaces traditional waterproof-breathable membranes, like ePTFE, which are treated with perfluorochemicals (PFCs) that have long swept outdoor apparel to obtain waterproofness.

The award-winning Untracked is the first bib, a piece within the first three-layer lineup, and one of the first garments, period, to use the sustainable technology.

Ultimately, GORE-TEX is transitioning away from ePTFE. In this bib, and the other Untracked outerwear, the DWR (durable water repellent) application on the fabric is PFC-free. In addition to the membrane, the whole textile package of this high-performance garment also eliminates PFCs.

Patagonia Men’s Untracked Bibs: Conclusion

A lot of companies make ski bibs. And a lot of companies make them really well. Patagonia is one of those brands where you can almost always trust that their equipment is going to live up to the advertised standards of waterproofing and windproofing. And if they don’t, they’re covered by an awesome return and replacement warranty. 

Where the Untracked Bibs stand out to me, even among Patagonia’s lineup of bibs and ski pants is in their durability. These are bombproof resort bibs that will last you season after season. And on top of that, they’re made with an eco-friendly GORE-TEX membrane. 

That’s hard to beat when it comes to bibs — which is why I’d recommend anyone looking for a new pair of resort pants or bibs, to consider the Untracked Bibs. They’re rad. And they might just strike your fancy as hard they struck mine. I’ll be wearing these in bounds every day for the rest of the season.