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Lightweight Rain Pants


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  • #1220982
    Brad Rogers
    BPL Member

    @mocs123

    Locale: Southeast Tennessee

    Does anyone have any thoughts on lightweight rain pants? I am currently looking at:

    Marmot Prcip (7oz) The Precip series seems to be well liked among regular backpackers, and the price is right, but are they really 7 ounces?

    Montbell Versatile (7oz) I just stumbled across these, but have never heard of them before. Does anyone have any experience?

    GoLite Reed (5oz) These seem to be the favorite of the UL community and they can be had at great prices right now, but I don't know how well I would like a pant with no ankle zips. I would hate to have to take my boots off to put on my raingear.

    Does anyone have any first hand experience with any of these? How well do they breathe? Do they live up to their weight claims?

    Are there any others that I should look at? I would like to stay around 7 ounces or below.

    #1372351
    Douglas Frick
    BPL Member

    @otter

    Locale: Wyoming

    And here is a further question: does anybody hike in any of these rain pants directly over a base layer (or nothing), and how comfortable are they? I am thinking of replacing my hiking shorts with chopped rain pants in wet weather.

    #1372352
    paul johnson
    Member

    @pj

    Locale: LazyBoy in my Den - miss the forest

    Don't have the Versalite pants, but do have the Versalite Jacket – both are made from DryLightTec. Fortunately, the jacket has pitzips as i don't find the fabric that breathable when used in a jacket. The DLT fabric would prob. be more acceptable in pants as most people state that their lower body (crotch area excepting) perspires less than their upper body when they are exerting themselves.

    The Versalite jacket made from the same DLT fabric that's used in the pants is quite waterproof, IMHO. The jacket is constructed very well as are all of MB's products that i own. I would imagine that the pants are of a similar high quality.

    The GoLite Reed pants being a bit lighter seem to be the choice of many experienced L/ULers. I have no experience with them either, or the Precip pants for that matter.

    Personally, i often rely on Epic by Nextec treated pants worn with a rain poncho or cape. While only highly water resistant, Epic pants seem to function fine for me as the water doesn't pool on the lower legs and runs off. I don't recall ever wetting them through. My pants are 3+ yrs old, and i'm not sure who makes pants using Epic treated fabric nowadays.

    I've also used the Micropore rain pants sold by Gossamer Gear (only 3.7oz in size M, but not too robust, so, keep them away from brush). These breathe real well, IMHO, and are quite waterproof.

    #1372354
    Adam Rothermich
    BPL Member

    @aroth87

    Locale: Missouri Ozarks

    You may want to check out the ULA Rain Wrap when it becomes available. I know I will be. Its basically a long silnylon skirt, so it will breathe better than pants and be easy to pull on and off. Its stated weight is only 2.5 oz too, half the weight of the lightest pants you have listed. It is definitely something to look at if you aren't absolutely set on pants.

    Adam

    #1372362
    Robert McGaughey
    Member

    @havoc

    Locale: North Texas

    If you can wait another month or two the Golite Reed pants for 2007 are supposed to have ankle zippers. Don't know if they will stay the same weight or not though.

    #1372397
    Colin Kelley
    Member

    @ckelley

    Locale: Santa Barbara

    I have had Marmot Precip pants for many years and recently bought the 2006 Golite Reed on clearance. Comparing the fabrics they seem absolutely identical. Both are nylon with a polyurethane/silk protein coating.

    The weight savings on the 2006 Reed appears to be strictly due to feature minimalism: simpler waistband, no pockets, no ankle zippers. The lack of ankle zippers is the big compromise that has been remedied in 2007.

    BTW the Reed sizing seems to be generous and not matching the official Golite sizing page at all! I usually need a size Large for my long legs (34" jeans inseam) but the Golite sizing page says Large has just a 32" inseam. I took a chance anyway and it turns out that the Reed pair is about 1.5 inches longer than I need! No problem but I could probably have gotten away with a Medium. Why don't they list outseam measurements?

    #1372398
    EndoftheTrail
    BPL Member

    @ben2world-2

    I have the MontBell Versalite pants, and would highly recommend them. They are breathable, sturdy, and IMO, the ankle zips and crotch zip are well worth the additional 2 ounces. YMMV.

    #1372410
    Brad Rogers
    BPL Member

    @mocs123

    Locale: Southeast Tennessee

    Does anyone know what the weight is supposed to be on the new Reeds with the ankle zips? The BPL staff usually has the entire scoop on new UL gear. Thank you all for your help thus far.

    I am currently using a pair of modified sterns wp/b pants that I bought for a last minute deep sea fishing trip in Florida a few years back. I have modified them to around seven ounces, but the fit is awful, they breathe like a garbage bag, and they wet out in a long steady rain (probably could be fixed with a new DWR)

    #1372427
    Michael Schurr
    Member

    @mrschurr

    Locale: SW US

    I like the Reeds as is. The new and improved version will no doubt weigh more. My small size weighs 3.45 oz. and I would rather take off my muddy shoes to put them on. I may need to buy another "old" pair while I still can.

    #1372467
    Zack Karas
    BPL Member

    @iwillchopyouhotmail-com

    Locale: Lake Tahoe

    How do the Reeds fit? Is the sizing right on?

    #1372529
    Dondo .
    BPL Member

    @dondo

    Locale: Colorado Rockies

    Brad, I'm with you on this one. It's a bummer to have to take off your muddy shoes and put them back on just to wear your rain pants. So far, I've passed on the Reeds and am still using my ancient Lowe Adrenaline pants which, at 7.5 oz., are a little on the heavy side. I'm keeping a close eye on the new Reeds, though. Even a savings of a couple of ounces may be worth it.

    #1372535
    Ken Helwig
    BPL Member

    @kennyhel77

    Locale: Scotts Valley CA via San Jose, CA

    But what about the Gossamer Gear Spinn Chaps 2oz I think?

    #1372557
    Dondo .
    BPL Member

    @dondo

    Locale: Colorado Rockies

    >>But what about the Gossamer Gear Spinn Chaps 2oz I think?

    Ken, they look like a great UL solution but my experience with chaps suggests that they work better with ponchos and capes than they do with jackets.

    #1372559
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I'm another Reed fan. My smalls weigh in at 3.8 oz on my scale and have served me very well for 5 years now. They are not Pac Lite or Event when it comes to breathability, but they do well enough, especially on the legs. Wouldn't want to use the same WPB technology for a jacket, though. I use them with a pair of Patagonia silkweight(pre-Capilene 1 era) pants which will be damp but not soaked at the end of the day. They also make a great addition to a layering system over my Ibex Woolies pants around camp at night and in my WM Highlite bag when the temperature dips down into the low 20's. As for ankle zips, I consider them to be useless extra weight because I would never try and slide my muddy boots down the legs of my Reeds in any case. It's a quick way to trash the linings. It only takes about 3-4 minutes to get the boots off, pants on, and boots back on. Don't know as I've ever been in such a rush that I couldn't spare that kind of time. Gettin' old, I guess.

    #1372606
    Michael Schurr
    Member

    @mrschurr

    Locale: SW US

    The size small is right on, so I should think so.

    #1372622
    Richard Scruggs
    BPL Member

    @jrscruggs

    Locale: Oregon

    I have the Marmot Precip in XL — they weigh 8.40 oz per my Sunbeam digital scale.

    #1372666
    Phil Barton
    BPL Member

    @flyfast

    Locale: Oklahoma

    Zack, my Reed pants are XL and I have felt that the size is right on.

    #1378959
    William Siemens
    Member

    @alaskaman

    I have the Reeds, and don't like them because of the lack of zipper. I tend to delay putting on rain pants until it is really necessary, by which time it is a major inconvience to find someplace dry to sit, remove shoes, put on pants, put shoes on again. Often can't find a good place, end up putting on the rainpants over soaked pantlegs. Have tried putting them on balancing on one leg at a time. Doesn't work, not without removing the pack. I had, way back when, some Sierra Designs rainpants that were made the same way, only with a less slim cut to the bottoms of the legs, and you could whip them right on over boots. So, my advice would be, don't buy any closeout or holdover Reed pants without the zipper….wait for the new ones, or go for one of the other options. I personally think the Montbell drytech fabric is better all around…the inner lining of the Reeds seems sort of soft and sticky. Just my two cents worth.

    #1378966
    John Baird
    Member

    @jbaird

    Locale: Deleware Watergap A_T

    I have a realy old pair of Marmots that still wear pretty well. A while ago I saw a hiker wearing a piece of thin foam rubber hanging down from his waist to cover his butt.
    He said try it, you'll like. So I did.
    When trying to get the rain gear on or just when you need to sit and take a rest ….say on a wet stump or stone…. no wet pants. If your in areas that are wet or muddy or mossy it's a great addition.

    #1378969
    Tim Cheek
    BPL Member

    @hikerfan4sure

    Anybody tried these ULA rain wraps?

    http://ula-equipment.com/rain_wrap.htm

    #1378987
    eric blumensaadt
    Member

    @300winmag

    I own the Cabela's Rainy River PacLite parka and, because of its excellent quality and esign, will soon get the Rainy River pants. The pants are only $79. and have knee-high zips.

    The fabric is a non-shiny "Taslanized" fabric which I prefer to the noisier, shiny ripstop some brands use for their PacLite rainwear.

    Now we're talking RAIN pants here so let's understand that Gore-Tex's PacLite laminate is more breathable than Go-Lite's and other non Gore- Tex fabrics ( expensive eVent excepted) and is at least as waterproof. Plus rain pants are subject to more abrasion than parkas so the Rainy River pants will hold up better than lighter but less breathable rain pants.

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