I'm going to be out in the Snowmass/Maroon Bells area for 10 days starting next week. 4 days of fishing/relaxing, 6 days of backpacking.
I love hiking in my shoftshell pants (patagonia rock guides) but the weather looks like it might be a bit wet. Do you think I'd be happier with rain pants and shorts?
Kind of hard to say what you'd be happier with. I'd say it depends on your strategy for rain. How do you normally deal with rain in the soft shell pants? And do you keep hiking or wait it out? I usually wear convertible pants. If it's raining I take the legs off. I don't mind my legs getting wet. Then I use a Dri Ducks rain skirt and jacket. If it looks like it's going to be short lived, I'll wait it out so I don't end up getting soaked from sweat instead of rain. (It's really just the jacket that's the problem.) I did the 4 Pass Loop in a constant light drizzle over 2 days. I spent most of the time in shorts and rain skirt and my Houdini. That worked well.
just returned from the maroon bells last night. was there 4 days. we saw all weather. i took no rain pants, just lightweight, quick drying, 4 way stretch pants. we hiked in the lighter rain, and wet grass, they were fine with short gaiters. during the heavy storms, we hunkered under the tarp. the squalls were rather short lived. less than an hour. saw low 30s to 80 with thunder, hail, rain, wind, etc
Just finished the loop in soft-shell like shorts+REI Sahara tech LS shirt, … but I was hiking. Once finished, the rainjacket, R1 jacket, and capilene 1's went on in camp. Wouldn't say I was super comfortable (only just )
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