Dustin_B Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 I'm looking for some lightweight, waterproof/breathable pants. I'd definitely like to keep the weight under 12 oz as I'll be carrying these with me a lot. I'm considering the Marmot Precip, Mountain Hardwear Epic, and maybe a Sierra Designs. Any others I should consider and/or avoid? Side zips are a definite plus so I can slip them on without taking off my boots. I plan on using them mostly as rain pants (bottom of the pack), but they'll likely see some use on a few glacier/snow climbs (with the occasional glissade hear and there) so some level of durability is desired. Yeah, I know if I want some thing that light they'll likely rip under those conditions. I have the "full-on gore-tex bib" for long and nasty glacier slogs and soft shell pants, but I need something in between. What do you use? Thanks. Quote
Toast Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 I'd stay away from the Mountain Hardware stuff if it's mad of their Conduit stuff. It doesn't breath anywhere near as well as it needs to. Â I had a MH Conduit bivvy last year, and I got soaked in it every night. Swapped it out for an OR Basic Bivvy made of plain vanilla GoreTex. I stay dry in that. I suspect there'll be significantly higher humidity in your pants than my bivvy. Â Â Quote
cracked Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 (edited) Light and durable? No can do. Arc'teryx makes some 15oz gore pants though. Cost a lot, but nice. What I use? I haven't worn rain pants in a year. I wear my windshell pants for everything. I have some miserable REI Elements pants for if I ever need em. They have a horrible fit, but what the hell. Edited February 19, 2003 by cracked Quote
cjain Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 You can get Red Ledge side zip pants from Campmor for $40 or so. Got good reviews as lightweight raingear. Don't know how durable it is. I got a pair but haven't used them yet. Â Quote
mattp Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 cracked said: I haven't worn rain pants in a year. I wear my windshell pants for everything. I have some miserable REI Elements pants for if I ever need em. They have a horrible fit, but what the hell. Â I'm with you, Cracked. Unless you are ice climbing, windpants will get you through just about every day of climbing any reasonably sane person wants to undertake in a given year. Quote
Dru Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 except bushwacking in the rain. full 3 ply gore bibs are gonna keep you wet from sweat instead of rain in that case, but at least you'll be warm. but for mountaineering, under all but the wettest conditions, you dont need hardshell bottoms. Quote
Attitude Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 cjain said: You can get Red Ledge side zip pants from Campmor for $40 or so. Got good reviews as lightweight raingear. Don't know how durable it is. I got a pair but haven't used them yet. Â I'll second that. I bought a pair in Seattle at Outdoor Emporium for $32. Light and cheap. And kinda breathable. Quote
freeclimb9 Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 Dru said: for mountaineering, under all but the wettest conditions, you dont need hardshell bottoms. What about for cold and wind? Quote
COL._Von_Spanker Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 cracked said: Light and durable? No can do. Arc'teryx makes some 15oz gore pants though. Cost a lot, but nice. What I use? I haven't worn rain pants in a year. I wear my windshell pants for everything. I have some miserable REI Elements pants for if I ever need em. They have a horrible fit, but what the hell. Â Hey cracked, what kind of windshell pant do you sport? Â I've come to the conclusion that if it's really out wet yer gonna get wet, just resign yourself to that fact. I think it's time for me to let go and stop carrying my gore pants. The only time I can see myself using them is if i'm hiking in deep snow for a long time, or if it get's cold and windy all the sudden; for some reason I still bring them with me. Quote
Dustin_B Posted February 19, 2003 Author Posted February 19, 2003 Toast said: I'd stay away from the Mountain Hardware stuff if it's mad of their Conduit stuff. It doesn't breath anywhere near as well as it needs to. Â The MHW pants I mentioned are made out of "Conduit Silk". I have a jacket made out of it and I love it so I thought the pants would perform nicely too. I don't really need pants to breath as well as my jacket because my legs don't sweat as much as my torso nor do they get as cold. Quote
Dustin_B Posted February 19, 2003 Author Posted February 19, 2003 Cracked, Mattp, and others: what kind of windshell pants do you use then. My softshell works great but their too heavy 18 ozs, I'd like something about half that weight. Are there anywind shell pants with a waterproof "seat" area? Nothing worse than a cold, wet ass after sitting on the snow... Quote
Dru Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 freeclimb9 said: Dru said: for mountaineering, under all but the wettest conditions, you dont need hardshell bottoms. What about for cold and wind? Â you can buy non-hardshells stuff that is warm and windproof Quote
chelle Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 I think it's hard to incorporate all three into a single pant. You either get waterproof/breathable, lightweight/breathable, or lightweight/waterproof. Â If you're looking for a lightweight/breatheable pant and don't need waterproof check out the Patagonia Talus pants. They shed water pretty well and are windproof, but would only be warm if you had a base layer on. If you go with a Precip type pant for rain gear, you could always reinforce the seat with duct tape if you're set on also glisading in them. Might look kinda funny though. Quote
Dru Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 honestly. take a black garbage bag. you can sit on it or butt glissade on it and your ass will stay dry. and you save 200$ over trying to buy a light, warm, strong, dry pair of pants so you can sit on snow!! Â or just sit on your pack. Â is it so hard to figure out? Quote
COL._Von_Spanker Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 Dru said: honestly. take a black garbage bag. you can sit on it or butt glissade on it and your ass will stay dry. and you save 200$ over trying to buy a light, warm, strong, dry pair of pants so you can sit on snow!! Â or just sit on your pack. Â is it so hard to figure out? Â 2 garbage sacks are such a great addition to the pack. So versitile, poncho, pack cover, bivy sack, glissade diaper, and you can fill it up with that peculiar green plant that you happen across while bushwhacking. Quote
cracked Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 I got me some stylin' blue and yellow windpants that I sewed myself. Along with the blue and yellow jacket I look like a freakin' Euro! I really like the windshell though. It is very light, so I can wear them as my only layer as protection from mosquitos in the summer. They are nearly windproof, but since they are so thin I have to wear long underwear beneath them unless it is very warm. Also, the nylon that I made them out of is pathetic, very slippery, very water-absorbent, and an after-market DWR won't work on it for some reason. I wish I could buy some EPIC, but Nextec won't sell it to individuals. Oh well. Quote
Dru Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 if only you had a Kangol cap you could pimp in that getup? sounds like a nylon tracksuit to me. Quote
cracked Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 (edited) Only uglier. Looks like a one-piece suit, like the ones that Blanchard, Doyle, Twight, and Robinson wore on Nanga Parbat. So if you see a guy wearing that suit with a BRIGHT orange pack, it's me. Luckily my ice tools match my pack. Phew! Edited February 19, 2003 by cracked Quote
mattp Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 Dustin- Â I have liked the microfiber wind pants that they have at MEC. They are pretty tough and fairly light. When the ass gets wet, it dries quickly. Personally, I would not want a waterproof patch on the ass because then I'd just sweat more and the main benefit I derive from the windpants over something like goretex is the greater breathability. The schoeller fabric works pretty well, too, and lately that has been more often what I wear. I usually don't find that it needs anything over it except when climbing a dripping waterfall or when, on a technical winter route, I will be sitting in the snow for long periods of time and then am not active for long enough to dry the seat. Â When hiking through wet woods, I usually take the pants off because my bare legs don't soak up much water. Gaitors keep the water from filling up my boots. Â Â Â Â Quote
JoshK Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 Yup, the MEC sentinal pants. quite light, decently strong, and made of XCR goretex. and also cheap for a goretex pant. MEC s Quote
Dru Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 but the sentinel fits like a garbage bag... i think... i havent actually sized one but when it says in the catalog "generous cut to fit over bulky underlayers" lookout... I have found MEC medium is like Arcteryx Extra-Large. Different average customers sizes I guess. The majority of MEC customers, like their garments sized baggy, i suppose. Quote
JoshK Posted February 19, 2003 Posted February 19, 2003 Huh, mine fit quite well on me. I guess my ass takes up a lot of the room in them or something? Quote
tomcat Posted February 20, 2003 Posted February 20, 2003 You can't go wrong with the Lowe Alpine Adrenaline pants. I bought a pair for $80 .. they are super light and are fairly durable .. watch out with crampons, but that should go without saying. You can stuff them in your pocket and they have full length side zips. Quote
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