Once and For all… Best Rain Pants under 7 oz?

4oz for a large.

+1 for GoLite Reed rain pants. Very light & used for leg layering when sleeping or hiking in very cold conditions. Reasonably breathable, comfortable over hiking pants or shorts. Great for hiking thru high, wet grass on Appalachian balds.

Yeah they are very comfortable. Gussetted knees, nice fit. The inseam is a bit long for me, but should fit most well.

If I remember correctly, they're non-breathable, which would be good for use as a vapor barrier. Nonetheless, I've never felt clammy, but I use zip off pants (shorts mode) and have only used in cool temps over long pant mode.

Yup, Reeds all day

I like the newer version of the Golite Reeds. 5.7 ounces for size medium. I like fit (even thought the inseams are a bit long) and the ankle zips. They're comfortable under a range of conditions…

I'm currently working on what I think are going to be the best rain pants. They are MYOG rain pants using bomber black 1.2oz cuben. With the heavier mylar layer and loads of spectra, this cuben is really durable. It's the same stuff Zpacks uses for groundsheets. It'll be a lot stronger and more durable than the Reeds.

I'm estimating the finished weight at 2-3oz with a simple drawstring/elastic waist. I might add some velcro inner thigh vents. Obviously these pants won't be breathable, but I don't find that to be a significant concern on my legs unless it's really hot, and if it's really hot then I won't bother with rain pants.

The last MYOG rain pants finished out at 2.5 ounces. But, they had no pockets or other features.

My favorite rain pants have diagonal zippered slits where the front pockets would be, but no actual pockets. Those serve as vents (if I am getting too hot) or as a route to get my hands into my regular pants pockets (which can be quite handy).

Rear pockets can be good also, but you probably want zippers over them.

–B.G.–

Ok, I'm convinced, Golite Reed it is!

Now, where do I get one? Every where I look, they are out of stock.

FYI, I'm a size Small.

you wont find them. they were discontinued last year, just everyone here has a pair stashed away.(i have more than a couple)

closest thing is the New Tumalo pants or Sierra designs Isotope pants

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I have a pair of the much missed Reeds. They seem to be collector's items these days. I should have bought a second pair and kept them in the original packaging… ;-)

Plenty of companies do similar pants like Rab, Montane, etc. Or try these Scandinavian exotica:

Norrona Bitihorn Dri1 pants:

http://products.norrona.com/webshop/tradepoint/b2c/ItemView.aspx?ID=0741-09%208830

More recently I have been leaving traditional 'rain pants' at home on '3 season' trips in favour of a 'water resistant' shell pant like my Haglofs Shield pants (175g):

http://www.haglofs.com/en-US/products/clothing/layers/shell-layer/men/shield_pant_en-us.aspx

I completely lucked out (googled "Golite Reed")and got a small pair on ebay for $30 shipped. They come up on here from time to time.

$25-40 seems to be the going rate. You could try calling Golite and seeing if they have any kicking around in their warehouse. I know they had them new during their last sale recently, not sure if they have all sizes.

I'm sure there are other alternatives, it's a pretty simple pant.

This looks like a reasonable alternative.

since it was cheap I picked one up. It packs down to a tiny little stuff sack, and seems to provide good coverage. I havent used it in the rain yet however.

I emailed Golite regarding the Reed, and they said:

"We do not have any Reed Pants in stock. We now make a pant called the Tumalo Pant which is our lightest weight rain pant. We do not recommend women's pants for men because the cut and fit is completely different."

Two questions:

1. What are the pluses and minuses of the Tumalo Pants compared to the Reed?

2. Will the Woman Reed pants fit not work for a Man, as suggested by Golite?

<<2. Will the Woman Reed pants fit not work for a Man, as suggested by Golite?>>

Albert, at GoLite's sale here in Boulder a week ago, I was looking for a men's PacLite Shadow pant. I needed a large, but they had none. I found a pair of women's XL and tried them on. They pretty much fit, but they were not as roomy in the legs and butt as a men's large (length was fine). So I am thinking you might be OK, but I would definitely suggest for you to try them on first, to be sure (or, if you must buy them blindly online, have a slightly more slender friend that you can give them to for Christmas, if they don't work for you).

>>2. Will the Woman Reed pants fit not work for a Man, as suggested by Golite?

I wear a size L womens Reed pant for my small to medium sized men's waist. It works just fine. I won't win any fashion contests but it's really hard to tell I'm wearing women's pants once I put them on. My girlfriend didn't notice anything weird about them when I asked her after I purchased them.

The hips may be a little bigger in general, but we're talking about rain pants here, not jeans. If you can get a deal on a pair of women's reed pants go for it.

Mountain Hardwear Epic. 8oz…close. But you do get 9" ankle zips which are very handy.

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Epic%E2%84%A2-Pant/OM1705,default,pd.html

You could also check out the Tyvek pants from US Plastics. The XL size I use weigh less than 3oz per pair. They're not stylish, and they're not bulletproof, but they work just fine for most situations and only cost $3 bucks!

I'm normally a size medium and I used women's large GoLite Reed pants last season. They fit great (see avatar). The fit looks entirely unisex to me. No one would ever suspect they're ladies pants.

It is possible that GoLite's current offerings are more gender specific since they are moving more mainstream, hence their answer. I still don't think there can be a lot of 'gender' in rain pants though aside from color.

I ordered Tyvek pants from US Plastics a few days ago. They'll be my go to rain/snow pants this winter.

how durable is Tyvek?

I've come across some Rab Off Limits Rain Pants for close to the same price as the Woman's Reed. The Rab is listed at 6.1 oz for a Medium, so Small might be a little less.

If it were you, would you go with the Women's Reed, or the Rab?

"They'll be my go to rain/snow pants this winter."

@Eugene – I used Tyvek overboots as camp shoes over goosefeet with some disposable hotel slippers inside recently, which worked ok, but…the snow had a tendency to stick to the tyvek. It was strange. For lack of a better analogy, it was as if the snow was statically charged, but then stuck like velcro. The more worn the tyvek got, the worse it became. After 2 nights, they were toast. Moisture content was moderate to low (~12:1) camped at 13,000'

In an BPL series about winter footwear, Will Reitveld, used Tyvek overboots, he sprayed it with silicone to keep the snow off.

Stuff like the Atsko spray found at the Walmart hunting/fishing section for $4.

Scroll down to bottom of article.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lightweight_footwear_systems_for_snow_travel_part_2.html