Icon Raiden Watchtower Pants

I measured a sampling of these pants and developed a chart to help you choose a size. My best advice would be to measure your waist (just under your belly button) and choose a size based on the measurement. The waistband is adjustable down in size by about 2”-4” to help you customize the fit (but doesn’t adjust larger). The pants also have belt looks you can use if you prefer to use a belt. And finally they come with detachable suspenders, which are a fantastic feature for a heavy weight pant like this. So with all the waist size adjustment and versatility, as long as you get a size big enough, you will be fine.

About measuring yourself: There are a couple reasons I recommend measuring yourself with a tape before ordering. First, a lot of jeans/pants are “vanity sized” and measure out larger than the stated size (to make you feel better about the size that fits you). The second reason is that motorcycle protective pants like this ride higher on the waist than typical jeans, and if you are a bit bigger up higher on your waist, but order sizing based upon a jean size or measurement lower on your hip, the size you choose will likely be too small.

Below is the selection chart I put together based on my measurements. The waist sizes listed mostly agree with Icon’s published charts except I found sizes XXL and above to measure out just slightly larger than their official chart. Icon says inseams range is length from 32” to 34”, but I found all sizes to measure out to 34” for all sizes.

Need help measuring? Get it here.

When reviewing the matching Watchtower jacket, I made comparisons to Klim gear, and just like the jacket, these Icon Watchtower pants also share a lot of characteristics from Klim. Please forgive me for making many of the same observations about the pants as I did when discussing the jacket. The styling iof these pants decidedly “adventure”. That means a relaxed fit with wide legs (to fit over heavy boots). The pants have VERY rugged construction. The colors are very muted and will work well for those who actually do ride off the road and get muddy. And although the pants are designed for off road or adventure use, they could work very well for street use, commuting, etc.

The Watchtower pants comes with D3O armor in the knees (another similarity to Klim gear). The D3O stuff is great… we sell tons of it as an aftermarket product and people really like it because not only is it very protective, but it is very flexible and comfortable. The armor pocket in the pants has a “triple pocket” design to allow for height adjustment. You can slide the armor into any one of the three pockets which are staggered a bit from each other.

The comparison with most Klim pants ends in the waterproofing department. The Watchtower pants are not a waterproof, so those who think they’ll be in the rain, will want to pick up separate rain pants. But not having waterproof capabilities allows for good venting. I see two LONG front vents, one on each thigh. They are about a foot long each and open up fairly wide, so they should vent well.

Other notable features: The pants have generously sized leather panels on the inside of each leg. This is a common feature for adventure riding pants and off road gear. the leather helps you grip the bike’s body work when making your way through the trails. It will also double to help prevent melting of synthetic fabrics from a hot pipe. The leg ends have pretty long zippers. And although the pants aren’t make as true overpants, you can probably get the pants on and off over boots which is the key thing for pants that can double as overpants. I also like the suspenders that come with the pants (see the sizing advice). Heavy materials and armor make it so that you have to keep your waist band snug to hold them up when standing, but using suspenders means you can slack off the tension and still keep your pants up, which will be welcome on long rides.

The build quality and rugged materials are both excellent and should be very much up to heavy use and will also hold up to scrapes and snags from branches, etc when off road. I mentioned the lack of waterproofing, but with the great venting, and that is how these pants primarily differ from other similar styles. Also consider the price… well less than half that of a Gore-Tex pant of similar design. :: Paul, 09-14-17