By Amber Dasilva
Copyright jalopnik
The Mila Cargo Black is an AA-rated riding jean that looks like normal denim, with armor pockets in the knees and hips. Stop me if you’ve heard that before. It’s not a complicated formula, nothing unique, so it makes one wonder what special sauce Pando Moto brought to the table here. Well, as it turns out, there is actually a bit more to this pair of jeans than meets the eye — if you can manage to find your size when you go to buy them.
These jeans are less flexible and stretchy than the A-rated jeggings that have become my daily wear, but the Cordura-denim material they’re made from is still more flexible than some jeans you’ll find from Levi’s. They’re shockingly breathable, too, despite lacking any kind of vents or mesh. They’ve got exterior zippers for knee pad removal, easy access to the hip pad pockets, and pockets that zipper or snap to hold all your stuff in while you’re on the bike. I’ll actually put things in my back pockets on the bike in the Pando Moto jeans, which I won’t do in any other pants.
But the big downside with the Mila Cargo Black is sizing, specifically finding a pair to actually fit. I initially tried a pair in a 28×34 size, which I naively assumed to mean a 28-inch waist. The pants I received were enormous, with a waistband over 31 inches on the inside, and I ended up swapping them for a 26×32 that’s closer to my waist size but just too short to cover my ankles in a tuck. Even in the smaller size, I still find the pants loose and end up pulling them up frequently, even with the bodysuit tucked in to them.
The Mila Cargo Black also retails for $318 at time of writing, which is on the expensive end for riding jeans. I’d very strongly consider dropping my own cash on them if they came in a size that fit me a bit better (perhaps a 25×34, in their measurements) but I wouldn’t shell out for them as they sit. That’s more a me issue than anything wrong with the pants, I’m just too tall for some brands, and it’s a bit of a shame — I really like the comfort, breathability, and features of the Mila. If you’re shorter or thicker than me, they’re a great jean. For size comparisons, I’m still 5’11” with a 27-inch waist and 36 inch hips, wearing a 26×32.
