Insulated waterproof Winter hiking/mountaineering pants

I would separate the function. Get waterproof shell pants to layer over insulation layers. That gives you a lot more flexibility. Shell pants over Power Dry base layer. Shell pants over Power Stretch tights. Shell pants by themselves.

I've only hiked down to about 11 degrees F, but I have never, ever been cold on my legs enough to wear insulated ski pants while hiking.

My winter hiking arsenal. Three types of base layer: Capilene 2 weight Power dry tights. Capilene 4 Power Dry HE tights (awesome). Power Stretch tights (too hot except for bitter cold). I wear one of the above under either unlined stretchy softshell pants (Marmot Scree pants) or under a waterproof layer – Marmot Essence, Marmot PreCip, or (new this year) NeoShell pants.

You won't need the insulation when you're on the move, only when you get to camp or when you're stopped for a lengthy break.

For winter hiking at altitude I have the Arc'Teryx Gamma AR softshell pant, when I expect temps to be 15F and below. They are discontinued, but you might be able to find your size online. They are right around the $200 mark.

For insulation, I layer the Rab Photon pants (also around $200) or the Western Mountaineering Flight pants (will bust your budget) on top of my Gamma ARs.

An alternative to softshell might be to find a pair of Neoshell pants on sale. GoLite had a pair but I found them ludicrously sized and now they are going out of business… But search around and you might find Rab Neoshell on sale. You'll still need an insulation layer on top for camp and longer stops, though.

>> Arc'Teryx Gamma AR softshell pant

Boy, at $200, they aren't taking any prisoners on those pants. Every hiking company makes softshell stretch hiking pants. REI, Marmot, Patagonia, etc. The Marmot Scree Pants retail for $110 and are available in short, regular, and tall lengths.

http://marmot.com/products/details/scree-pant?gclid=CK_r4PmT28ECFWcF7AodAxkAbg

I have two pairs of Marmot scree pants that I bought for a mountaineering course I took in Rocky Mountain National park last winter they are great for when you are on the move. I am looking for pants to wear around camp that I could also use when mountaineering when the weather starts to be around 0 degrees. I wore the scree pants in the teens and low 20's with a midweight wool thermals from Montbell and was quite toasty.

Scree Pants over Power Stretch fleece tights would probably be good down to around OF. I've warn Cap 4 baselayer pants under Scree Pants down to 11F and was fine while hiking.

Next step in warmth would be to step up to windproof/waterproof shell pants over the same range of baselayers. I wore NeoShell pants over PowerStretch tights a couple weeks ago just hanging out at a campsite in the upper 30s — mostly because I wanted to try out he NeoShell pants. That was very toasty and having the wind barrier definitely increases the warmth.

There are a ton of insulated waterproof ski pants out there, so you won't have any problem finding options. I just don't don't think you'll get much use out of them compared to separate layers.

For example, on snow days when I'm shovelling snow a few times during the day, I just wear Power Stretch tights and then throw on a pair of waterproof shell pants (like Precip pants) over top when I go out. When I come back in, take the shell pants off and I've got dry Power Stretch fleece. Much more convenient than insulated ski pants would be.

For winter use below the tree line I find long underwear and a light softshell pant to be the ideal combo. If it's above treeline I add eVent rain pants over those.

If I expect to spend a lot of time in camp outside my sleeping bag I add the Arcteryx Atom puffy pants or my EE puffy kilt.

All,
Thanks I am bookmarking the pants you suggested. I will have to do more research on this for sure.

I'm not sure what size you're looking for, but Stephen M had a pair of these on gear swap just last week.

I wear a medium