I own a bunch of the original Covert pants, both Canadian and overseas. I wonder how this new model fits in comparison, i.e., whether these (presumably) overseas QRL pairs are functionally identical to the overseas "older" Coverts. I like the shorter leg length, but the PSH pics make them look longer than the old version, and almost as long as standard Hustlers are/were.
OK, yesterday I finally got my hands on a pair of the QRL Coverts and was able to compare them side-by-side to both Canadian and Chinese original Coverts I already have. As a baseline, I found the original Canadian Coverts to be a touch larger in the waist than the China original Coverts, roughly 5-10% bigger. On my 36" waist, a loosely laced large Canadian Covert is comfortably secure, while a loosely laced large China Covert was fairly snug (but not uncomfortably so). Both work for my needs
The QRL Coverts, obviously, are China made, but the raw materials and workmanship seem to be of a bit higher quality than the China-made original Coverts, but not fully on par with the Canadian original Coverts. The standard pant length between all three models remains identical, so they're all about an inch shorter than Hustlers, Franchises and most other pant models by other brands. Leg width is identically wide, too. My initial impression is that the waist size of the QRLs seem to be a little bigger than the China original Coverts, but not as big as the Canadian ones. Admittedly, they're all pretty similar, so we're talking marginal differences between the three.
The QRL Covert replaces the two-belt tightening system of the original Coverts with a single "internal" belt, which runs around the inside of the pant, rather than in a channel through the external padding, if that makes sense. You can feel the belt itself pinching directly against your waist when you tighten it, rather than the pants themselves just feeling tighter, as under the older version. I don't know whether I like that sensation more or less. I'll have to decide once I wear them in a game. Not a dealbreaker by any stretch, just something new.
The QRLs also have a new zipper tab design, where the zipperhead gets tucked away into a two-sided "slot", for lack of a better word. Hopefully, this will make the pants more durable compared to the China original Coverts, where the velcro often caught on the fabric of the opposite inner thigh and led to major pilling (something I've never seen on any of my Canadian original Coverts).
I hope this information helps!
