Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Vista Camp Pants

I love these pants! They run slightly larger, and I've found the small fits me best (although I'm a Medium in most other pants). They are so comfortable and travel well. My only complaint: I've bought at least 6 pairs over the past year and a half, and every time, about 6 months after I wear them, they start to pill. The pilling gets steadily worse the longer I wear them. I wash them according to directions, so I'm at a loss as to what to do! I want very much to continue to buy these pants, but, at $69 a pop, that gets to be pretty expensive, especially when they don't last more than 6 months without looking badly worn. I've read other buyers complaints about the same issue, however, LL Bean doesn't seem to correct the problem. Anyone have any suggestions?? Are there any pants comparable (without the pilling) that you suggest? LL Bean, can you help??

I ordered these in black, size LP, my usual size. When I tried them on, they were too long in the crotch. I would have had to roll the waistband over to make them fit. Back they go.

Even pulling the tie out until over a foot extended on each side, as the tie is stretchy itself they still felt like they would fall down if I put my phone in a pocket. If I got a smaller size they would have been too tight on my legs. I love the material but don't want to put in the time or effort to try to fix the problem.

Ok, I had a picks, pills,and pulls problem with my first pair but these pants are SO comfortable so I bought another pair in a different color hoping the fabric would perform differently but alas not so. I only recommend these if you are okay with comfort but don't mind picks etc. Stay away from Velcro, animals and brush (anything at all abrasive) and your pants might continue to look nice. I wash them in a delicates bag

I recently wrote a 5 star review but would like to amend that as these pants have starting to get pulls and balls on them but only in one area and that has me totally puzzled. It could only have been from the label in my shirt!. I had read other reviews that complained about the same thing but I thought they must've treated the pants roughly for that to happen....not so. They look shabby now, already! But, my shirt overs that area; my concern is what will happen if I sit on a wooden bench or something? These pants are not for cold weather unless long undies are also warn. With all these problems the pants are still extremely comfortable and work well on cooler (not cold) days. I only recommend them is you are comfortable with the problems I've encountered.

In this day, I would expect at least one of the zip pockets to be sized to hold a phone. Great disappointment for this as I want to use these for travel pants.

The positive: I like that these are a loose and comfortable pant for the summer, since I don't wear shorts. I purchased the olive because I like how it goes with summer color tones. These have been my "go to" pants this summer. I'm a mother of 2 children under the age of 3, so I need to be comfortable, but like to be stylish, even if it's casual. The negative: The material picks so easily, no matter how carefully I launder and care for these pants. After 2 weeks of moderate wear, they are picked everywhere. To be fair, I think any pants of this material will get picked, so perhaps this isn't the fault of LLBean, but the price is steep for that.

These pants are super comfortable, but the fabric started to pill within the first few months. I have had this particular pair for about a year, and the inseam area is almost too pilled to wear. I had purchased the lined version of this pant for the cooler months, and have not had as much of an issue. Pros: Super comfortable and lightweight Cons: Fabric pills with the first wearing

These initially appear to be great pants. Lightweight, flattering fit. I bought several pairs. But, I am 5'2' and even with the drawstring I felt they were too long so I had them hemmed up. After several washings, they are shrinking in length! At first, it was little by little, but I put on a pair this morning and they look like bad capris (length is a few inches above the ankle). I am stunned. I have never had pants shrink UP before. Has anyone else had this issue? Sadly they are now too short to wear, which is a pity because they are otherwise great pants.

I like so much about these pants, bought black and nautical navy. I purchased large, my usual size, and they were huge. Exchanged for medium and they fit but too short, especially cinched. I am 5'8" - maybe a tad over average. This is yet another example of why Beans should offer options - reading the reviews, some people complain these are too long, others think they're too short. I am very loyal to Beans as it is a great company, but in this respect you fall behind your competitors who offer more options, Petite, Regular, and Tall in pants. I'm keeping these but won't get as much use from them as I'd hoped. Also, hand pockets way too short.

I thought these would be a good change from sweat pants when lounging around. They just didn't work with my body shape. Way too big around the hips and thighs and too short. Kinda looked like a clown. I sent them back.

Yes these are stylish, comfortable, great pockets, quick drying etc. I purchased 2 pairs because they were exactly the material and waist I wanted. Cinchy legs are a bonus! I feel like Princess Jasmine! Unfortunately they are starting to pill in between my inner thighs after about 3 wears. Very disappointing.

I was very excited to get these for an upcoming trip to India, where I expect it to be hot. They look well-made, but the dark color is not appropriate for weather that is hot anyway. I didn't really have a choice there, but I'm taking away a star for it. In stone or khaki, they would have looked better. The flare of the legs would have been much more flattering if slimmer, so beware that it's almost a bell-bottom; in combination with that, they are huge, so I took another star away. For reference, I am 5'5" in good shape and 128 lbs. The small was gigantic! I may consider re-ordering in an XS if I could figure out a good way to taper the leg. If you don't look good in a large-leg pant, steer clear of this one. Too bad, because they do have some cute features, like the seaming and the pockets.

I ordered the Vista Camp Pants in Women's 1x because the Petite XL were backordered. So no surprise that the rise was too high (I'm 5'3") and legs too long. I could live with that...BUT though there are drawstrings at the ankles for snugging them up and thereby taking up some length, there was no cordlock so you just have to hold the drawstring in place with a half knot. No, NO! Drawstrings need cordlocks. The waist was actually a bit too large for me (comes of settling for the Women's 1x instead of waiting for a Petite XL) but it has wide comfy elastic. Now I've never understood why elastic waists would even NEED drawstrings, if the elastic is strong & sturdy enough. Doesn't pulling a drawstring tighter defeat the purpose of elastic waist? In this case however I really needed to snug the waist up a bit tighter but NO! The drawstring itself is made of elastic! Who thought that was a good idea? It's just crazy. And LONG! The elastic drawstring was so long the tails hung down to my knees practically. OK...hats off to Bean for including us in the size range. I couldn't find fat sizes or petites anywhere else. But seriously elastic drawstring in waist? No cordlock on ankle drawstrings? Uh-uh, not good. Enough griping, these are details. The pants were super comfy, the stitching neat, fabric more durable apparently than its thinness would suggest, olive color pretty. So they're keepers after all.

Based on the reviews, I was hoping that this pant's cargo pockets would be large enough - but they are way too small. All I want is a pair of pants that look good (not too baggy), are short enough for a petite person (5'2"), and have 2 proper cargo pockets - zippered please - that can hold my smart phone (so easy access for photos or trail maps). At Bean and elsewhere I can get any 2 of those things, but I cannot find all 3.

My waist size is 29.5 inches (I just measured it) and size S in these pants is supposed to fit 27.5 to 28.5. So if anything, I might have expected the size S to be tight. Instead, they are WAY too big. I am returning them for the size XS and hoping those aren't too small. It is frustrating to have to pay for postage to return the size S when my mistake was in believing the size chart. Other than the sizing problems, the pants are appealing with the soft elastic waist and two cargo pockets. The bottom drawstring will probably disappear because I will have to hem the pants (if the XS works out), since my inseam is not 29 (petite) or 31 (regular) but 30 inches. Sigh. I wish these pants came in a light tan color - better for hot temperatures hiking.

I LOVE these pants BUT I am amazed that LL Bean has a product that really does not hold up well for more than a season. The pants themselves are super comfortable, attractive, versatile. The fabric pills after a while - not at all what I would expect from Bean! They get washed in cold water, in a front loader with clothes of similar fabric and weight. LL Bean please tell those of us who are having these problems what we are doing wrong. Maybe the people who aren't having the pilling just are not having it YET. Maybe there is a laundry magic the rest of us need to know. Why are you suddenly making a product that does not last? please tell us this is not a sign of things to come...

The material is very thin. It would be good for summer, but certainally not for winter. The waist was somewhat loose and the drawstring was REDICULOUSLY long. Could loose a foot of it, not proportional to the pants. However, the fit is comfortable.

I ordered 2 pairs of these pants last year and wore them regularly. This year I ordered 3 pairs because the first 2 pilled and snagged badly. I do not use these for hiking or camping so they are not exposed to the great outdoors. I like everything else about them but they last at most only one season.

Really like these pants but had to replace the elastic in the leg bottoms because the elastic gave out.

I reviewed these before and said they were fabulous, and they are, to a point. They are EXTREMELY comfortable, look nice, roll up into nothing to pack, and drip dry overnight, which made them great for a recent European trip. However...as others apparently have noted, they pill badly on contact with anything even a little bit rough. I assumed they would be indestructible as the Vista Trekking pants are, and the material feels superficially similar, but they are not. I have fallen on rocks in the Trekking pants and cut my knees THROUGH the pants, while leaving the pants undamaged. In these camp pants, all I can remember doing was sitting on some stone steps outside a museum while eating a sandwich; this was standard travel stuff, nothing exotic or demanding of a pants fabric! They also snagged on a bit of Velcro on my laptop case, and a couple of threads had to be snipped, but that damage was invisible. The pilling looks bad. For pants at this price, and labeled as related to the Trekking pants, I would expect something pretty close to indestructible.

The black pants are a good dark shade, the material is soft, the pockets are plentiful, but the pants did not work for me. I'm sure others appreciate the seams across the legs but they bugged me. I got the trail pants instead, even though the black is less saturated. I would have liked belt loops for a fabric belt on both styles of pants, but I'm keeping the trail pants because the fabric is similar to the cycling capris, which are seemingly indestructible after a few years of wear and many washings.

These pants have a cute casual look, and are very comfortable. I usually wear a M, but ordered a S, and they fit well. The fabric is extremely light, maybe too light. I am sending them back because the length is far too short for me. If only a medium tall were offered. I would recommend to a person who doesn't require a long inseam.

These pants fit loose enough to move well whether on the trail or just in town, and they still look slim and don't get baggy. But, and it is a big one, they pill. Where the seat belt hits, where a purse hangs, it does not matter - any rubbing ends up with pilled up sections on the pants. That was extremely disappointing because they are so comfortable in hot weather.

I am 5'2" 134lbs. Hips 37.5". I ordered size small because of reviews saying the pants run large. They did fit, not too tight. The stretch was nice. They were cute on, but I wanted a good day hiking pant. The side cargo pockets were pretty useless, not big enough for a phone, I guess a kleenex would fit in OK, but not a hanky or plastic bag (for picking up trash). The main reason I returned these is because the pants pulled against my legs/thighs when I walked. This is not an unusual problem. The pattern is designed wrong. A walking pant should not pull anywhere as that adds extra effort when walking. I thought about trying a medium, but I think it would fit too large. Sorry I can't comment on the length, I didn't pay attention and don't remember. However, I do agree they are cute on and for hanging around.