MUSA = Made in the U.S.A.
They're light, tough, quick-drying. They have 2% spandex for a small amount of stretch. They're super for riding, hiking, anything short of a wedding.
We aren’t a clothing company with a staff of pattern pros, so we pay pros for help with the patterns, and we drive them nuts and pay them until we get them right. We are conscientious, experienced, and picky with the garments we offer, so you can trust what we say. These are as comfortable as light, durable, useful pants get. You'll probably be wearing the pair you buy today in ten years.
They’re sewn 17 miles from us in Emeryville, CA, by a sewing shop we’ve seen and it seems like a pleasant, light, open, clean space. We've done business with them for 20 years at least.
FIT GENERALITIES
WAIST: Almost vanity-waisted. A 34" waist is easily a medium. They go like this:
- Smalls have a 29" relaxed waist ( 29 to 32 waist )
- Mediums have a 32" relaxed waist ( 32 to 35 waist )
- Larges have a 35" relaxed waist ( 35 to 38 waist )
- XLs have a 38" relaxed waist ( 38 to 42 waist )
BUTT-‘n-THIGHS: Big & baggy.
LEG LENGTH: Medium, but if your legs are short and your belly's full, the legs will be long; or you're thin as a rail with long legs, they'll be a bit above the ankle. In the spring we'll have longer ones for guys like Will.
- S - 24.5"
- M - 26.5"
- L - 26.75"
- XL - 26.75"
Big-calved people can hike the hem up above the calf and they'll stay. Medium or small-calvers, just roll up a 2-3-4 fold cuff until they're the height you want, and they'll stay. The bottom is tapered, so the snug happens soon and they stay quite well.
FABRIC SPECS:
• MUSA military fabric*, slight stretch, Berry-compliant (google it). Instead of the all-nylon, they’re like 98-2 nylon and spandex.
• The belt-elastic is also Berry/Military spec. The best in the world. It’s not stitched in, so it’s “theoretically replaceable.” You could get your own ¾-inch elastic and buckle down the road. Rethread it with a wire coathanger, the old fashioned way.
*PFAS notes:
PFAS is an acronym for PolyFluoroAlkyl Substances—person-made chemicals used to slough off water and stains and food, clothing, and frying pans. Teflon, andGore-Tex (polytetrafluouroethylene) before PFAS became an issue contained oodles of it. So did "classic" DWR (durable water repellant) fabrics. It’s in food, in air, it’s probably on the keyboard condom I use to keep the crumbs and fizzy water of out of my computer. PFAS is all around, it’s a sad story, they were scientific advancements with unintended and unknown consequences. They’ve had their day, every one of you reading this has a closet and kitchen and pantry full of PFAS stuff, but just hang in there. We say NO PFAS on the label, but it's more prudent but too late to say NO INTENTIONALLY ADDED PFAS. The fabric-maker says No Pfas, so we did, too.
The ”good” (?) news is, manufacturing PFAS is worse for the environment than wearing clothing with PFAS. If you have to make that distinction.
Most or all pre-2025 MUSA clothing has had PFAS.
Starting as soon as we learned about PFAS, and effecting all MUSA clothing made for the 2025 season and onward, no more. A big fabric supplier, Milliken, has been, as they put it, “PFAS-free since ’23,” but we learned of them just about 7 months ago, and the new MUSA shorts and pants, and all future ones, are made the USA-made Milliken PFAS-free fabric. It’s still not as green as organic cotton or hemp or linen, but this is a step toward that, and at least a pair of our MUSA bottoms will likely last 10+ years. That’s something.
