Marmot PreCip Pants

I have a pair. I would not want to hike in them all the time. Keep them as rain pants. Or for use around camp.

Thanks for the quick reply! Why might I ask would you not hike in them all the time?

I really like the idea of an elastic waistband because my backpack resting on my belt can get a bit uncomfortable. But alas, almost every pair of hiking pants I've looked at has belt loops and no elastic waistband.

There is no stretch in the material. Still feel like plastic rain pants. Though the fabric is nicer that years past. I know what you mean about belt less. I have been using Montbell Sunnyside pants for many years now. Sadly discontinued, and I am on my last pair. Let me know if you find anything as the hunt will begin soon for me.

Like all things that are advertised as 'breathable'… not so much. You would be a sweaty mess hiking in those pants.

The only time I would hike in them would be if it were very cold, very windy, snowing, or raining hard.

Also, you might consider the full length side zips version as you can open them up more for much more breath.

Also, I and others have found that the Velcro closure at the hips on the full zip version does not hold well and tends to open up on it's own. I added snaps to mine… better

Billy

I will add that I was surprised as to how much heat I could dump with the zippered pockets open. Took a minute to figure out why the fronts of my thighs were cold, open zippers. If these are regulated to actual use during rain I can live without the added bulk and expense not to mention weight of a fully zipped pair. I think it would depend on how wide of conditions you will use them in. For me this means rain or moving through really wet trail. Think tall grass, in spring.

Also they look ice and do double duty in town for me as well. This is where the pockets come in handy.

PreCip pants are really nice — as rain pants or winter snow shell pants. I throw them on over fleece tights in winter to stay dry while snow shovelling and stuff. They are nicely made. The outside fabric is nice.

IMO, they would be very hot for hiking or any aerobic activity in anything but very cold temperatures (below 20F). Like most rain gear, they aren't even the slightest bit breathable in the real world. While it may be possible to coax a bit of moisture through the PU barrier in the test lab, in the real world, those claims (by all manufacturers) are simply not true.

The Marmot pant for three season hiking/camping is the Marmot Scree pant. A fairly robust unlined softshell fabric. Stretchy. Articulated knees. Very breathable, but substantial (like synthetic jeans if that makes any sense) Very comfortable scrambling over rocks. Good by themselves down to about 20F for hiking. Comfortable over baselayer pants/tights. Zippered pockets. Zippered boot cuffs. DWR treatment makes them a little water repellant — enough to shed some snow or drizzle.

I have worn them up to about 50 degrees for hiking. Above that, I'm in summer hiking pants. I'm sure other companies make similar pants, but I can't say anything bad about the Marmot Scree pants. Really terrific cool/cold weather hiking/camping pants.

If you hunt, you can find them in Short, Reg, or Tall lengths in the $70 to $80 range.

http://marmot.com/products/details/scree-pant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JvPUGvd4jM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia_wi_Vfprg

i got REI's Kimtah eVent pants for skiing as wells backpacking. They do "breathe" very well, but, they weigh 15 oz. for size Med. That may be too heavy for you but I needed the durability.

Doesn't look like REI makes eVent rain pants any longer.

I got a pair of NeoShell pants on sale this summer than I'll be trying this winter as snow pants. Really nice fabric — stretchy softshell, waterproof, lined with thin Polartec Power Dry. NeoShell seems to breathe a little bit. I've worn them camping over fleece tights with morning temps in the 30s. They were great for that. I don't think I'd wear them for actual hiking or snowshoeing very often.

But, NeoShell (or GoreTex or eVent) pants are crazy expensive. Wouldn't be my first choice for basic three-season hiking pants!

yeah, I'll second/third/fourth/etc all the comments about NOT hiking in rain pants except in all but really cold temps.

Wind pants are great for that (i'm a big fan of the shorts/tights/wind pants combo for all my lower extremity needs…) but even eVent pants would be awful to just hike in unless it was snowy winter.

I have a pair of the Marmot scree pants too and I really like them for harsher weather conditions. Otherwise I'm in some combination of shorts/tights/windpants.

And Eric, REI doesn't make the Kimtah stuff anymore. And 15 oz for a pair of pants?? yikes! My 7 oz REI rain pants work like a charm, have lasted through lots of bushwacking and winter escapades and rainy/wintry bike commuting etc for more than 8 years with nary a scratch on them. I can't imagine how miserable it would be to hike in 15 oz rain pants in anything but a blizzard.

I was looking at the Scree pants earlier and thought they were really nice, but they're a little on the pricey side for me.

I looked to see what Montbell had to offer and the Stretch OD pants look good and they're only $65. They're probably not as rugged as the Scree pants, but they do look comfortable.

Alas, it doesn't look like they have an elastic waistband either. I'll probably just have to (unfortunately) compromise on that.

Check these out…you can usually get them on sale. A bit heavier than, say, the Montbell Dynamo wind pants, but still super light for pants and super comfy to hike in. Elastic waist, ankle zips. You could layer a base layer underneath if it was cold out…

+1 on the Montane featherlite wind pants. I,ve been using them for years on top of light brushed nylon hiking pants while walking in the rain.They breath great and I've never been wet yet either from condensation or rain. However they are not designed to be waterproof. If one were to sit in a puddle of water they would wet through. I've re-applied the DWR once in six years just as a precaution. I also have a similar pair of MontBell windpants, but I prefer the Montane since they,re lighter and pack smaller.