American Outdoorsman Missouri Optimum Hoodie and Appalachian Trail Pants

American Outdoorsman Missouri Optimum Hoodie and Appalachian Trail Pants

Editor: Cory McLaughlin

Just the Facts:

Welcome to the next Generation of American Outdoorsmen and Women.
We believe in a work hard, play hard lifestyle. And we expect everything from our gear to our apparel to perform at the highest level.
• 95% Polyester, 5% Elastane
• Half-Zip Hoodie With Soft Fleece Interior
• Pull-up Gaiter for Use in Cold Weather
• Heat-Taped Zipper Chest Pocket
• Reverse Entry Hip Pocket with Utility Loop
• Kangaroo Hand Warmer Front Pocket
• Backed By A Guarantee Against Defects In Manufacturing & Workmanship
Technical thermal hoodie with built-in neck gaiter and reverse entry stash pocket. A perfect stand-alone or layering piece for any outdoor pursuit.

Welcome to the next Generation of American Outdoorsmen and Women.
We believe in a work hard, play hard lifestyle. And we expect everything from our gear to our apparel to perform at the highest level.
• Cotton/Nylon Blend
• Stretch Ripstop Knee And Seat Panels For Full Range of Movement
• Removable Nylon Belt With AO Signature Bottle Opener
• Adjustable Leg Cuff Opening
• Eight Total Pockets
These cotton/nylon trail pants with stretch knee and seat panels, low profile cargo pockets and a belt that doubles as a bottle opener are the ultimate in trail-to-street performance. Perfect as a hiking, climbing or casual pant, the Appalachian Trail is your answer to the perfect all-purpose trail pant.

My Story:
IF you are an outdoorsman you are going to need good gear. You will need to have clothing that is going to be able to follow you into the wilds and come out in one piece. You need quality and functionality to go hand in hand and for that you need to look to The American Outdoorsman.
We live in a crazy time. This is the age of fashion for all and in all things. While this is great for looking stylish the word fashionable really means affordable. What this means is that we have found ourselves victims of our own vanity and now have created a world that it is acceptable to spend nearly $200 for a shirt! We have coasts that cost over $500 and the list goes son and on and for what? So you can look sexy for all the pine trees and eligible bachelors and bachelorettes that you come across while out in the wilds? There is an F-Word that is paramount in the outdoor clothing world and it ultimately is the most important. What is that word you ask? It’s simple and obvious. Functional!
The American Outdoorsman has put functionality to the forefront of their design features without forgetting about its glorified F-Word cousin, fashion. What you have is a blend of both worlds to give you the best of what is important to both hipsters and hunters, loggers and bloggers, or office typers and thru hikers.
The Missouri Optimum Hoodie is a real treat. This thing is soft, warm, and comes loaded with features that are actually useful. The first of which is the hood itself. This think is perfect and it is cut to fit your head without making you feel like the Grim Reaper. Next is the integrated face cover/neck gaiter for when things get really chilly.

You also get the ever sought after thumb hole to help keep your sleeves down while layering.

The interior has a pattern that is similar to that of many top rated brands. I have a Sitka hoodie that appears to use the same technology and cost far more. The point is that this thing is comfortable!
I do want to talk about the pockets for a second though. The main pocket or kangaroo pouch as I like to call it is functional and well cut. I had no issues here. It is the chest pocket that I really was disappointed in. I had a failure in the material that allowed the welded zipper to come apart.

A quick call the AO and a new hoody was in the mail and this time no issues but it was still worth the mention. I am not sure if this is an issue that is common but I can say that the customer service was very easy to work with and happy to make things right. The small side pocket that I believe is for Ipod or phones could really be used for anything and I think it is a nice addition to a standard hoodie design.
Ultimately I really found this hoody to be an awesome addition to my layering system and very comfortable. Ideally this hoody needs to be used with a harder shell when in rough terrain as the fabric does have a tendency to get caught and snag. I use this hoodie around town though and it really has become one of my favorite garments.

The Appalachian Trail Pant is not really my typical style. The pants are cut to a loose fit that is not really my favorite as I don’t really like to have all that extra fabric around my legs. That said these things are very comfortable. The knee and butt are very awesome for adventuring as they make sure that the areas that normally bind up are a bit more forgiving and allow for movement. The fabric on the main pant is very soft appears to be tough enough for most normal light to moderate adventuring.
The bottom of the pant has a series of buttons that allow for different size restrictions. I found this useful while at the beach as it held my pants up out of the water. Other features that are nice ae the two zippered pockets that make sure those important items stay secure and the integrated belt means you’re never going to be caught with your pants down.

The only really issue I have with these pants is one of personal preference and not how they are made. They function well and appear to be durable and well designed. I cannot fault them for my personal preference of fit. These are a great option for an outdoorsy look or for actual adventuring and the cost is very reasonable. I think this is a great product from a company that is proving to be equally as awesome as they are functional.

Find them Here:
https://www.amazon.com/American-Outdoorsman-Missouri-Optimum-Hoodie/dp/B076QG8JVT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513030588&sr=8-1&keywords=Missouri+Optimum+Hoodie
https://www.amazon.com/American-Outdoorsman-Appalachian-Trail-Pants/dp/B076QM1GF8

What can be done better?
Other than the issue that I had with the pocket of the hoodie I can’t find anything that I would like to see change. The replacement hoody does not appear to have the same issue and so it is possible that was just a bad weld on a single hoody. The pants could offer a slightly less roomy leg but that is not really anything against them and more just a preference on my part. In the end these are both great products for a company that appears to be making some really great outdoor clothing.

I give them collectively a 4 star rating and might bump them up after time.