Insulated pants for winter use

Check out the Mont-Bell UL Down Inner Pants and the Western Mountaineering Flash Pants. Both are around 7oz and $140.

You should be fine with just the 200wt pants, IF you have a good, warm bag. I have done done all of the trails in Big Frog and Cohutta in the winter and have never carried any insulating pants and have never missed them (Jack's River Trail and the Conasauga River Trail were awfully cold!) The coldest I have experienced was at Panther Creek Falls where it was around 15 degrees. It could conceivably be colder, but not very likely.

Big Frog Trail is one of my absolute favorites and I try to do it every winter. You will likely have the area mostly to yourself as well, enjoy your trip!

This forum thread was from last week:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=26415

lots of other good info, too, if you type "insulated pants" in the search box

I'm in the same boat and I'm thinking synthetic pants might be better, just because I think pants are more likely to get wet……

m65 field jacket liner is the poor man's micropuff, the pants are basically the same thing. often they stop right below the knee, and won't be quite as warm as thermawrap pants, but they'll be durable, and likely $10 as opposed to $100.

Wear quilted pants that will fit under your baggiest wind pants like the RailRiders. That way you can wear the quilted pants in your sleeping bag if necessary. Same with the top.

I can't find a weight for the m65 quilted pant liners…..anyone know?

I can make some phone calls tomorrow.

It looks like they're knee-length?

I picked up a pair of these yesterday at an Army Surplus store in San Jose. $10.00 and they're new!

They weigh 9.5 oz and seem like they'll be pretty warm.

They are heavier and probably not as well insulated as other pants, but did I mention they were $10.00?

how do they fit? I'm thinking of getting a pair but the biggest size i can find is large. i tend to wear an xl.
but for ten buck if might be worth a try.

I'm usually a 32×34.

These are size small. There is plenty of room inside for a poly base layer.

They come to just above my ankle.

Pretty goofy looking, but I only expect to use them to sleep in the winter.

Did I mention they were $10.00?

My guess is that you would be fine in a large….

Fleece is pretty warm compared to a lot of the synthetic fill stuff, it’s just bulkier, usually.

According to data in this chart, 100 wt Polartech Power stretch is slightly warmer than the 50gram Exeloft Montbell Thermawrap jacket. That should translate to pants as well, since the Thermawrap pants use the same fill weight.

My Black Diamond Sportswear Powerstretch tights cost me about $35 shipped for Sierra Trading Post, and they weight 7oz. The Thermwraps cost over $100 usually and weight 10.2.

That said, if I had the extra cash I’d get a pair of pants with full side zips for easy on and off despite the weight penalty.

I’ll have to go into my tent and strip down to get the tights on.

some more discussion on the Montbell UL Down and the new Western Mountaineering equivalent down pants.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=26373

I purchased a couple pairs of the M65 pant liners and plan to tailor them a bit (they run rather big) and add full length zippers on each side for easy-on, easy-off. Too busy now to get that project done, but it looks very do-able to me. And I concur about the low price.

Dave – If you do get around to this project, please post the results (& in progress).

Thanks!