Winter Pants

[Joe Geib]

I'm looking to solve my winter pants issue. I used to hibernate during the winter, but this winter I decided to get out more. I went on hikes where the temps were near freezing.

On the snow-less winter hikes I've been on this winter, I wore my running tights under my rain pants. This worked well for a bit, but then I began to sweat, and the pants held onto the sweat on the inside, which was cooled and then began to chill me.

Knowing this, I guess I should look for some wind-proof pants? Not necessarily water-proof though?

I've heard great things about the Montane pants and GoLite pants.

I saw a great deal for GoLite Trunk pants. Any experience with them?

[Sven Klingemann]

Hey Joe,
you could wear any good pair of softshell pants (with or without tights) if you don't expect a lot of snow/rain. Alternatively you could wear a pair of pants made with eVent if you do expect worse conditions. For me, the 66 North Blafell pants work really well. I wear them in temps <60F and have not had problems with sweating.

[Patrick Young]

This winter I spent 3 days on the N. Rim of the Grand Canyon and in the Canyon. Temps. were from 50F to 13F with wind gusts up to 30 mph on the 13F day. It snowed 18 inches on that same cold day. I used REI Mistral softshell pants for the three day trip with wool boxers for the majority of the time. I added some wind pants during the windy and colder (13F) periods over them. The pants were comfortable to around 20F without the windshell pants while I was moving. They shed snow and breathe really well.

[Diplomatic Mike]

These are a couple of choices that i use in Scotland.
The Rab Vapour Rise Pants are a good choice for winter hiking. A windproof shell with a DWR and a light fleecy inner. The fleecy inner lifts moisture from the skin to evaporate from the surface of the outer. Very light and comfortable.
I usually wear Paramo Aspira pants all winter. They use a different approach to keeping dry than other manufacturers. They are fully lined and waterproof. Soft and quiet fabric. The fabric is non-membrane, so is very breathable. Full length side zips with poppers enable venting if required. Quite heavy, but no other pants need to be carried.

[Mark Verber]

I generally recommend pants made from Schoeller Dryskin for high aerobic, winter activities. REI Minstral, Beyondfleece, and several others.

[Christopher Chupka]

I have used the Patagonia Guide Pants and the Patagonia Simple Guide Pants. Both are fairly wind resistant and breathe well. The Simple Guide pants are a few ounces lighter but do not fit as well, they are sized S,M,L. The Guide pants are sized by inches for waist size. The Simple Guide pants have a tendency to slip off my bum.

[Ryan Krause]

I too have a pair of Patagonia Guide Pants – I got them on sale during one of Patagonia's sales and absolutely love them for winter use. I've hiked and skied in them and found them to be great.

[Joe Geib]

Thanks all for the input. I found some overstock GoLite Trunk pants that I'll try this winter. They were cheap, so it wasn't much of an investment if I get it wrong.

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