My old Red Ledge Thunderlight pants no longer hold DWR very well and the interior coating is flaking so I'm in the market for new wp/b pants. I was looking at the Montbell Versalight pants but reading Brett's lukewarm review on them (super-long url so go to Community > Reader Reviews > Clothing – Raingear > Montbell Versalite rain pants) where they suffered several tears from contact with granite and ice, I am now rethinking my ideas. I do a fair amount of off-trail hiking including some bushwhacking so lightweight needs to be balanced with durability. Some examples of fabrics I have (including denier as a rough guage of strength) and how they have faired:
– Marmot Ion (15Dx40D fabric): 3 years old and I use it constantly including bushwacking. I just noticed some abrasion wear from where my hipbelt would be that has gone thru a small section of the fabric and there are one or two tiny puncture holes. Probably has another couple years left in it before it needs replacing (I can live with some wear since this isn't my wet weather shell).
– Marmot Precip jacket (45D fabric): About 3 years old and just replaced for breathability reasons. No signs of wear.
– Red Ledge Thunderlight pants (70D fabric): No punctures, tears, etc in over 5-6 years.
The Versalight and Peak fabrics are composed of a 12D face and a 10D interior with the membrane laminated between them. I know that denier isn't the only measure of a fabric's strength and Montbell claims to have increased the tear resistance of it's fabrics by 200% and the abrasion resistance by 150% but those are thin fabrics. Also, being a laminated fabric may improve tear strength (am I right on this? Anyone have any numbers to support / refute this idea?).
I'd like to hear feedback from people who own lightweight wp/b pants – either single layer like the Golite Reed or laminated like the Montbell offering or Outdoor Research Celestial, etc – on their durability or lack thereof. I'm considering anything under about 8oz with decent breathability (equivalent-ish to GoreTex).
