ProView – TREW Gear Women’s Rock Creek Work Bib

I tested the Rock Creek Work Bib while backcountry ski patrolling, on a backcountry hut trip, and on some alpine ski days to get a feel for them in-resort. 

Fit

I’m 5’7”, 135lbs and wear the Medium Tall. I am so excited that these bibs come in three lengths because I have long legs. I have a 33” true inseam and the 35” tall fits perfectly. I’m usually a small or medium, but because I wanted to be able to adequately layer underneath these I went with the medium. I did try both on, and because the more durable material is not as stretchy as other bibs/snow pants I own, I found that I needed to go with the bigger size otherwise they were too tight in the hips. Fortunately there is a ton of adjustability in these bibs which is helpful for me with my short and small torso. The shoulder adjustments straps and waist cinch are great for customizing fit. 

The fit of these paints is also really flattering. They are just the right amount of baggy in the legs to both look cool and provide adequate range of motion for bending/squatting. They also look sleek and durable – you could wear them while working but also on a day off because when paired with any ski jacket they just look like nice snow pants. 

Function

The durability of these pants is incredible. I’m someone who’s outerwear always ends up with tears and holes that I’m patching but I’m confident these pants are going to last a long time. Instead of just small reinforcement on the pant cuff, the entire pant is reinforced. I’m much less worried when I’m shoveling out the outhouses at a trailhead or sawing a column in a snowpit test that my pants are going to fall victim to the abuse of the job. 

There are several storage pockets throughout the Rock Creek Bibs. The three on the chest I found the most useful. One includes a key clip, one is perfect for chapstick/sunscreen, and the radio pocket is great to put my phone in since my radio is usually on my patrol vest itself. If I were working in mountain ops or race ops, the integrated radio pocket would be a great option for keeping your radio in for the day. I also like the little drop-in tool pocket on the back of the thigh. The bibs also have standard hand zip pockets and some smaller velcro storage pockets on the thighs. I only really found the velcro pockets useful for snacks or shoving my mittens in because if I have something important that I’m carrying around I usually want it zipped, not velcro’d. 

This is also the first pair of bibs that I’ve used with a dropseat – something I’m used to in whitewater but not while skiing. The drop seat is super convenient in the backcountry especially because then I don’t have to take my backpack or vest off to pee. When I skied these bibs in resort with more layers underneath it was a little bit more cumbersome to successfully pull up my underwear, tights, and fleece pants.

Room for Improvement

When I’m patrolling in the backcountry I need to carry a beacon and often use a beacon pocket to avoid interference with my radio. I think eliminating one of the velcro pockets and adding a deeper zipped pocket with a beacon clip could be a huge improvement. Even for those who don’t need to carry a beacon, a bigger zipped pocket could come in handy. Also, the zippered hip pockets land right underneath my pack hipbelt, so when I wore them with a heavy pack I they put pressure right on the zipper and into my hip.

In addition, working outside often goes hand-in-hand with sweating and then cooling off again. More vents (either longer inner vents or additional outer thigh vents) would really improve the functionality during high-output tasks. In terms of fit, I think a little more room at the hips could be helpful, too, since the fabric doesn’t stretch. 

Friendliness to the Earth

Trew has an upcycling program for their used gear and mentions conservation and advocating for North America’s wild places in their values. These bibs in particular are PFAS-Free, too. 

The Final Word

These are hard-working, durable bibs that are a great fit for those in physical jobs in changing, winter environments. They are functional for working in while also being cool enough to be your daily snow pants while hitting the resort on days off.  I would absolutely recommend these to mountain employees. 

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