Houdini equivalent in pants?

[Mike M]

I'm in love w/ my Houdini "wind" shirt- very light, packs to next to nothing, stops the wind and I've found it to be very good in short or lighter rain events (if it does wet out, it dries fast)

I'm looking for an equivalent now in pants. These would be most often layered over shorts, but if cold enough- over some light fleece ( R1) pants

thanks in advance

Mike

[David Chenault]

Patagonia did make a Houdini (or was it still called Dragonfly?) pants early in that piece's life.

[Mark Verber]

montane makes the featherlite wind pants would certainly be the sort of thing you are looking for. Not quite as windproof as the houdini, but just about right for me are a pair of BPL Thorofare pants.

–mark

[Greg Mihalik]

The Montbell wind pants do the job. Very wind resistant. Shed water well for about an hour. Mosquito-proof. If you expect to be warm while wet you need a base layer underneath. 2.5 ounces for a large.

The fabric at this weight is not robust. I typically wear my shorts over them in camp to protect the seat. So if you only wear these over long pants you have to be careful where you sit (Not on Sierra granite). I've poked a couple of holes in them bushwacking. But I like what they do for what they weigh.

When these die (maybe in 3 or 4 years at my current rate of abuse) I will buy another pair.

[Mike M]

those both look promising :)

[Link .]

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[Bill B]

For me, softshell pants work as wind pants just fine. If I really get cold, I put light rain pants over the softshells. Would you be carrying both wind pants and rain pants, or leaving the rain pants behind?

[Aaron Sorensen]

I just wish someone made a mens version of Schoeller pant like this one.

http://www.contourwear.com/schoeller/anywear_pant.html

Great with wind and excellent water resistance.

[Bill B]

Aaron have you tried these:

Wild Things Granite Pants (Schoeller Dynamic Extreme)
You have to call Wild things to get them. They are not available on the website.

Cloudveil Switchback: (Schoeller® Dynamic)

[Mike M]

Bill- would be leaving rain pants behind (at least on trips that I would pack these)

the stretch ones look nice, like the ankle zips

they (prolite) also has a ID pertex wind pant (~ 4 oz) how would these compare w/ the Montane and MB ones?

basically I'm looking for a good performing wind pant that can double as a rain paint in less severe conditions- much like the houdini does

[Bill B]

Mike,
I guess it's just a different philosophy for different weather conditions. I hike in softshell pants that can soak through, but dry within 15 minutes once the rain stops. I carry Golite Reed rain pants (3.9 oz in size Med.)but only use them if the weather is cold and rainy.
Bill

[Mike M]

Bill- I've haven't tried soft shell pants like you've mentioned, might have to

for three season I spend 90%+ hiking in shorts, if it gets really cold I don a light fleece pant (Patagonia R1's ~ 8 oz), heavy rain- rain pants

I often hike in areas (or times of year) where rain is a low likelihood or if it does it's of short duration- it's those area/times that I think I'll ditch my rain gear and rely instead on my Houdini and "houdini-like" pants :)

I found a similar thread dated a couple of years back- in that thread someone gave the ID pertex pants a go and said they were horrible

evidently lots of folks had the Houdini pants back then, which nary a bad word was uttered- of course they have long since been discontinued (which is too bad)

that same thread the general consensus appeared to be that the montane featherlites were more breathable than the MB offerings, but less water resistant and a little less wind resistant (makes sense)

now if someone happened to have some Houdini pants collecting dust in their closet………. :)

[Diplomatic Mike]

Aaron,
Have a look at Combin Pants from Mountain Equipment in the UK.

[Mark Verber]

> I just wish someone made a mens version of Schoeller pant
> like this one.
> http://www.contourwear.com/schoeller/anywear_pant.html

Besides the material… what features / design are you looking for. Several companies including REI, Arcteryx, Cloudveil, and beyondclothing.com regularly sell pants made from dynamic.

I am not sure Dynamic is the sort of material that Mike is looking for. It is more durable than most materials, but I found it's comfort range was smaller than a number of other materials.

I have had pretty good luck with Cloudveil's Inertia Plus as an all-around material for pants. That said, it's pricy and I have noticed that I was more and more primarily wearing shorts. So I switched from Cloudveil zippys to some running shorts and a pair of the BPL pants. So far, the combination has worked well.

–Mark

[Link .]

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[François Lederer]

I used to carry montane pertex pants, but found them somehow incompatible with my energic style, useless when weather getting bad, and not warm enough for camp around time.

Instead, I had a look at some stretch pants and found a great model made out of mixture of stretch fabric from Schoeller Dryedge and Gore windstopper at specific places.
This pant is a all year round pant I use also in winter for running. It is called Cross track pant by Millet:

http://www.milletusa.com/catalogue_ete/cross-track-p-371.html?typo_prod=1:us&temp=1&cPath=3_8_44_47

I carry some MLD cuben chaps for raining days as complement.

[John Vance]

Wild Things also has an EPIC microfiber windpants. 5.1oz for the my medium size and quite water resistance. These are the only wind/rain pants I carry anymore for the intermountain west. As a plus they are 50% right now.

[Andrew King]

You might also want to check out the Golite Whim. At 4 oz for size large, they are very water resistant and durable, but not as breathable as Pertex. They pack up very small and stuff into the included waistband pocket. They are evidently some kind of hybrid material that incorporates polyester and a carbon fabric. I've had good success with them.

[Mike M]

Anna- they were talking about the UL ones, I didn't realize the stretch ones were more breathable- that's good to know- I do like the ankle zips on the Stretch ones and the fact they are a little more durable

the Whim and Wild Things Epic wind pants look like viable candidates, better too many choices than not enough :)

[Dale Wambaugh]

Montane Featherlite or GoLite Whim, the Montane being my choice. There is a price to be paid– a windshirt can be snagged or ripped, but pants really take a beating, with more mud, dirt, brush, rocks, roots, and abrasion from your own boots to destroy them, not to mention sitting down.

A windshirt protects your core. Pants certainly help and wind pants can keep bugs and sun off too (why are they all black???). But… I would rather wear zip-offs for my "bottoms" wardrobe, or rely on my rain gear for long pants if the weather gets stinky. In my neck of the woods, if it is cold, it is usually wet, so the rain pants will be worn anyway.

[Author]

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