We are not in our 20s (or 30s, or, heck, even our 40s) anymore, so looking at the prAna catalog was a bit daunting. So many colors! So many patterns! On the other hand, we’re not dead yet either. So, even though some of the prAna styles were not always exactly our style, we did find two outfits we loved. After more than six months of use on the road, here’s our reveiw of our prAna clothing.
Travel Gear Review: prAna clothing
Increasingly you can find prAna clothing in select stores and in a growing number of prAna stores, especially after the brand was bought by Columbia Sportswear in 2014. We were not near any of these retail outlets so in order to have access to the full line we ordered our clothes off the prAna website which was easy to use and supplied all of the information and specs we needed to make selections.
Karen in her prAna Zoe henley shirt at the El Crater Hotel in Ecuador which is located on the edge of the dormant Pululahua crater, one of only a handful of inhabited volcanic craters in the world.
We used the online sizing chart and Karen’s Zoe henley shirt fit perfectly. It’s a slim cut (like a lot of prAna clothes), but it’s not cloying around the hips. The slimness does mean that this shirt doesn’t look great if pulled over pants with a bulky waistline (jeans with a belt, for example). It looks best over slim-fitting pants and skirts.
Karen in her prAna Rhia skirt on the Las Pocitas beach in front of Hotelier Arte y Cocina near Mancora, Peru.
Speaking of skirts, the light, cotton Rhia skirt also fit perfectly and it’s fun to wear over a bikini at the beach because its got a flattering low-slung fit (buy on Amazon). Karen doesn’t usually like a handkerchief hem (vs. a straight hem), but this one is flippy and fun. Because it has a slim, flat waistband this skirt looks great with the Zoe henley too.
Eric’s short sleeve, button front Torres shirt fit perfectly and the pale blue and brown print means it looks great with jeans or chinos. Sadly, prAna no longer makes the Torres, but you can still buy it on Amazon. All of the prAna button shirts fit slim, but you don’t have to be slim as a male model to wear them.
Eric wearing his prAna Torres shirt and Stretch Zion pants in Trujillo, Peru.
Eric also got a pair of Stretch Zion pants (buy on Amazon). Based on the online sizing chart, we asked for a size large but they were way too big so we had to return them and get a medium. Be warned that sizes (in this pair of pants, anyway) can run big.
When the size medium pants arrived they were instant winners (so much so that we put them in our exclusive Top Travel Gear of the Year 2015 post). They’re snazzy enough to wear in cities without looking like we just emerged from a tent and the stretch in the fabric makes them comfortable during outdoor activities and long driving days. They’ve also stood up to many, many washings very, very well. Eric’s only complaint is that the front pockets are a bit too small to carry very much and they’re not secure. A thief recently easily snagged our phone from these pockets, so be sure you put anything of value in the zippered side pocket.
Beyond clothing: prAna does good
We feel good about how we look in our prAna clothes, but we also feel good about how they’re made. The company, whose slogan is “Live fully, play long, and travel well”, uses recycled wool and recycled down as often as possible. Any new down is sourced from facilities the company has vetted for humane animal practices. Polyester comes from re-purposed plastic bottles. In recent years the company has also reduced their use of plastic polybags in garment packaging and shipping by nearly 75%. Your new prAna clothes now come in bags made of 100% recycled paper.
prAna gave us each one outfit to wear and review for you
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