ultra light rain pants for ultra running/fastpacking

[Art …]

I have a pair of somewhat light rain pants, but …

I'm looking for a pair of rain pants that are as ultra light as possible,
No bells and whistles, as minimalist as possible,
the more breatheable the better but weight is more important.
something that's just a step up from wind pants.
These would rarely get used, mostly in the pack as a worst case backup.
would be used in over night ultra running and fastpacking situations.
cost is a minor issue as I'm independently middle class.

My upper is a North Face Triumph anorak and I'm happy with it.

any ideas ?

[Carsten Jost]

Marmot Essence Pants

[William Johnson]

I suggest Zpack's Cloudkilt.

1.6 oz. (for regular size), three sizes available.

CLOUDKILT

[Dale Wambaugh]

"These would rarely get used, mostly in the pack as a worst case backup"

Driducks if just for worst case. Coated/membrane pants like GoLite Reed (discontinued) are light, but not as breathable, but more waterproof. No free lunch :)

Assuming you have wind pants anyway, a rain wrap/skirt is about as minimal as you can get.

http://www.ula-equipment.com/rainwrap.asp

[todd]

I'm not very optimistic about running in a kilt!

[Art …]

as pretty as the "skirt" looks, it doesn't quite fit the bill. lower legs not covered, and fear of wind blowing up my skirt.
also …
I would not be carrying wind pants, so these rain pants would serve as rain/wind pants.

Marmot essence looks interesting, but anything lighter … without the foot zippers ?

[Dale Wambaugh]

"I'm not very optimistic about running in a kilt!"

Less drag than sticky rain pants and better ventilation. You did say worst case and light. Didn't seem to slow down the guys charging full tilt in Braveheart!

[Chris Benson]

linky

[Aaron Reichow]

DriDucks, all the way. For most 3-season situations, anything more is a waste of money and weight. That's been my experience, at least!

[David Olsen]

If you add some sort of light suspenders to the dri ducks the are less likely to blow out
at the crotch.

[dan mchale]

It's hard to beat chaps if you aren't going to use them much. For running they can vent well. I'm not sure what the state of the art is currently but I made some in the 90s and they are great whenever I use them. Cant beat them for compactness.

[Steven Paris]

I think I'd rather just have some Pearl Izumi ultrasensor tights, something that can get wet but will keep you warm while you are moving. It's only when you stop that you might need another layer to keep the wind off. Silnylon chaps and/or a silnylon or cuben rain wrap would be easy to slip over tights.

[Richard Mock]

What's the matter Todd; the wind up the skirt worked historically for Marilyn Monroe. (LOL)

[Nick Gatel]

[Dale Wambaugh]

I wrote about some Bellwether Aqua-No rain pants that weighed 6.8oz in XL size:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=76738

From Richard Nisely's report on the breathability/water resistance of the newer Houdini fabric, it looks like the wind pants might make a good option for light precip.

DriDucks sound good for occasional use. I imagine they could be tailored easily enough to get the bulk down. Certainly the cheapest option.

I normally use Marmot Precips which hit the balance of cost/weight/performance for me. My XL pull-on version weighs 9.8oz.

[Peter Bakwin]

SD Cloud pants might work. Just 3.5oz.

[Alex Wallace]

Mont-bell DYNAMO wind pants. I have no experience with these but have always been intrigued by the weight.

DESCRIPTION
The Dynamo Wind Series offers an excellent blend of breathability & comfort, while sheltering you from pesky insects, light precipitation, or alpine gusts. Being highly compressible and light in weight we defy you to find a reason not to take them to the trail on your next peak ascent, trail run, or mountain bike excursion. We all head into the wilderness with hopes for a “blue bird” day, but only the wise are prepared for a curveball from Mother Nature.

FEATURES
Crimped fiber, woven fabric "cut on the bias" to provide 2 way or Bias stretch
Elasticized waist with drawstring
11 inch ankle zippers
Simple draw cord waist adjustment
Small inner key pocket
Stuff sack included

TECH SPECS
12-denier rip-stop Ballistic Airlight nylon
Polkatex® DWR treatment
Size: S/ M/ L/ XL
Color: GM(Gunmetal)

[Weight] 2.6 oz.
Compressed: 2.6" x 1.8" x 3.6" (stuff sack included)

[Mike W]

Montbell Versalite Pants 3.6 oz.

My son just bought a set (jacket and pants) and I was so impressed with the weight and how they compact, that I have ordered a set for myself (set is under 11 oz).

I just hope this latest run resolves the quality issues that were mentioned in an earlier BLP review. The material is unlike any of my other Montbell rain shells and is very much like a wind top in weight and feel.

We'll see how they hold up.

[W I S N E R !]

I would save the money and go with a trash bag skirt for this Art.
If running/fastpacking, I never really need to keep my legs dry anyway.
If things really get crazy, the skirt at least helps keep your shorts/aRse a little warmer.

In my experience rain pants or wind pants, especially if running in the rain, always end up wetting out from the inside and sticking miserably around the knees/calves anyway.

[Jason Mahler]

I typically am hot enough to stay warm in a rain, so my rain gear is more for hanging in camp and creating a little micro climate to dry my clothes or to wear over my sleeping clothes. These work for me and only weigh ~2.7 oz.

http://lukesultralite.com/content/silnylon-pants

[Ben C]

+1 on the rain skirt. I just got back from a trip of hard cool rain. Of the 4 in my group, I was the only one with a rain skirt. My shorts stayed pretty dry. Everyone else was wet from the waist down. I felt considerably warmer than the other 3 on the trip. I think the butt/crotch area is like a core area for warmth.
My skirt is a cuben Zpacks skirt I bought on gear swap. I think you can run in it fine.

[Dustin Short]

Houdini pants could work. Also look at the gear from Camp-usa since they're moving to a more adventure racing style gear company. Their pants range include wind pants and silnylon pants. The ES Protection pant may work for you (can't tell from the site though if it's silynylon or a siliconized thread fabric, like the MIA Epic from Nextec that many liked).

[Eric Krumland]

I live in WA trail run in the rain A LOT!!! Rain pants SUCK! to run in, skip them and go for some light weight tights, they will be great for running but also good most bushwhacking you may encounter and will not get super sweaty inside them. They will continue to work just as well once they are soaked and you wont notice a difference. I wear a rain shell on top and tights on the bottom often. It is the only way to go in my humble opinion.

[Art …]

thanks for the inputs so far.
my view of rain gear (upper and lower as a set) is that its a traveling storm shelter. I do sweat a lot so don't expect to stay dry.
I want protection from a real storm if I am moving.
for this reason skirts, trash bags, even simple wind pants to not meet my criteria.
breatheability is much lower on the list than absolute wind proof.

if it was simply warm and raining I wouldn't bother with rain pants.

The scenario is :
you're at 12,000 ft, its 34*, its raining, with winds to 50 mph.
you have no tent. you want to keep moving.

[Martin RJ Carpenter]

Montane have the minimus overtrousers at ~120g in medium size. Properly waterproof etc. Only quarter zips which is where much of that weight saving comes from.

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