UKC

After years and years of being soaked by wearing sub-standard w/proof trousers can anyone recommend a decent pair?

Preferably windproof and good for rock/ ice/ snow too.

Anyone use the Marmot Precip pant?

In reply to Jon Hemlock: Not the pant but the jacket works a treat for it's weight and cost. Purely in terms of the membrane: not as breathable as GoreXCR or eVent but damn immpressive none the less. Packs down well and is more durable and abbrassion resistant than I expected.

In reply to Jon Hemlock:

I've used my precip pants for cycling a few times. Not the best breathability but they def do the job and pack down to nothing..

In reply to Jon Hemlock:

I've used berghaus aquafoil trousers in the rain all day on Snowdon and around Tryfan and they've not leaked a bit.


Josh.

In reply to Jon Hemlock:
whynnster - aquasto 5000. both windproof and waterproof... i do lots od walking in mine and never feel the wind through them ! dry wen raining also !

In reply to Jon Hemlock:
These are good
http://www.theomm.com/garments_k_pants.html

Comfortable, waterproof, windproof.
I'm not sure how robust they are for climbing, have only worn them once on rock but they haven't worn through yet.

In reply to all:

Cheers all, I'll go and try a few pairs on for best fit.

In reply to Simon Caldwell: They are quite heavy aren't they? I thought some of the OMM gear wasn't 'that' light compared to other makes.

Have you looked at the montrail atomic pants?

In reply to IainRUK:

Slightly heavier than my Lowe Alpine Rush (?) overtrousers. But the main advantage is that they're comfortable, feel just like ordinary trousers. So you can happily wear them over shorts, or as your only legwear.

Only problem I've had was on the OMM last month, by the end of the first day they were saturated and quite heavy. I think this was because I'd been lazy in keeping them proofed though, ie I hadn't cleaned them since I bought them

In reply to Jon Hemlock:

I've been using my marmot xcr waterproofs for 5 years now in the Alpes, Wales etc and they are still superb. Best buy I've made, even if gore tex takes a lot more looking after than lowe alpine stuff.

In reply to Jon Hemlock: Paramo Cascada.waterproof/breatable/Robust/repairable/ethical company.I finally gave up on the usual gore/laminate type and now a full convert.

In reply to pinkie:

I might be being stupid, but how can something be waterproof but not windproof?

In reply to Smelly Fox:

In simple terms water molecules clump together to form droplets which are large, whereas nitrogen/oxygen/carbon dioxide etc (ie air) doesn't, they are individual molecules which have no strong attraction to one another. The individual molecules are small enough to get through the gaps between the fibres whereas the larger droplets of water from the rain aren't. However, the water that you sweat out of your body is initially in vapour form, ie individual molecules, not droplets, so this too is small enough to get through the fabric - giving you a waterproof but breatheable fabric, but not wind proof!

In reply to michaeluke:

Paramo! How could I forget??

In reply to Jon Hemlock:

And so light and packable!

In reply to Wilbur: He doesn't ask for that though, just waterproofness.

In reply to Jon Hemlock: i have precip waterproof trousers and really like them. However, im not a very sweaty person, and most of the blokes i know get wet legs inside their waterproof troiusers due to sweating rather than lack of waterproof-ness.

In reply to Jon Hemlock:
How about these:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=214228&v=1#3142556

In reply to Jon Hemlock: Paramo Alta trousers.

In reply to Wilbur:


I never pack my Cascadas: just wear them all day. Way too hot for summer though.

In reply to Ashley:
How do you explane gore windstopper. 100% windproof but yet breathable? Or maybe gore should be doing the explaining!

In reply to Jon Hemlock:

I've got the precip plus pant with the elasticated braces (not mountaineering type - still standard trouser height). Seem more robust than the standard pant, don't fall down and are apparently more breathable.
Not bad for the money.

In reply to Smelly Fox:

The only way to explain that is witchcraft

In reply to Ashley:
lol

In reply to Jon Hemlock: I use sprayway top and bottom on a new pair of trousers now cos there rubbish when you rip a hole in them with your crampons or at least the part with the big gash is the rest still works well after about five years.
All the best
Rob

In reply to IainRUK:

the omm kamleika pants only weigh roughly 250g so not exactly heavy weight. their biggest selling point has to be the elastomeric fabric which has 4 way stretch for a close yet unrestrictive fit for active sports. and its comfortable next to the skin and doesn't sound like a bag of walkers crisps.

In reply to Jon Hemlock:
Aldi cycling trousers. £7.99 a pair, taped seams and a reinforced bum! I use nmine all the time but would probably wreck a pair or two on rough stuff.

In reply to Jon Hemlock:

Waterproof trousers have one serious problem. We tend to move our legs when going up hills.

That's it really. That's the problem. Its not the membrane or the taping or anything to do with the material. You can invent whatever material you like for a jacket but trousers are doomed.

Partial Solutions:

1. Size.
I know you want to look cool and sleek but it will end up as cold and wet and sleek. Those well-fitting ones will last 5 minutes tops because the gusset area will be stretched and ruined in the first few steps. Buy a bigger size.

2. Pants.
Same problem as occurs with jackets. If you wear sh1te underneath it you will get sh1te performance. Get rid of the cotton boxers and buy Helly or Damart pants.

3. Knees.
I have a pair of Bundeswehr Goretex breeches. My gaiters cover my lower legs so I dont need trousers to cover them. The breeches fix with velcro and a popper around the top of the gaiter and are fairly baggy at the knee. This means no repeated stretch of the Goretex round the knee and therefore no breach of the membrane. No other solution, no matter what the expense or technology, has worked as well as these breeches.

In reply to Jon Hemlock:

One word 'Paramo'

Cash no object Aspira Salopettes
on a budget Cascada trousers

They rock! I've worn Paramo for 3 yrs and have not yet been wet or cold.

In reply to Jon Hemlock:

I use Crag Hoppers if I'm honest.

In reply to Jon Hemlock:

i have a pair of tnf trousers(guide?), which i got in a sale for about 60 quid. For the last two years or so ive been thinking they're brilliant.

They have now started leaking, major style. Took the dogs out for about 20 mins on wed (albeit in the horrible scottish rain) and i was wet all down my left leg, and looked like id wet myself. Not impressed.

Im going for cheap and cheerful this time.

In reply to otter227: That's pretty heavy, the Montane Atomic pants are 150g. Quite a bit less.

But it depends how much you'd wear them, mine spend 99.9% of the time stashed in the bag, so weight is crucial.