Rain Pants Colorado Trail

I carried a complete GTX PacLite suit and was glad I did. Pants with a full side zip are nice but weigh a bit more.

Now I have an eVent suit which doubles as wind protection.

> Afternoon thundershowers can be intense and last an hour.

Earlier today I hiked for 4.5 hours here in the Seattle area. It poured the entire time with winds up to 30. I had a Golite umbrella but the rain was sideways. Anyways, my rain pants soaked thru. All I had under them was a pair of nylon lightweight hiking pants. I could feel the rain coming thru.
I need a new pair of rain pants too.

Shawn, I'm in the same boat as you. I'm taking a nice, leisurely 5-6 week stroll on the CT this summer, and was planning on my umbrella, rain jacket, wind pants and rain kilt to keep me dry enough. But of course, being unable to actually commit to anything, I'm still going back and forth about whether to bring my 9oz REI rain pants (several years old, really like them!), buy new ones, or just take what I have.

I hate making decisions – especially when any choice is probably just fine.

I'm thinking of getting the Zpacks Challenger Rain Pants. They are under 4 oz and I hear positive results on the jacket.
I have cuben kilt. I wish I'd brought them with me yesterday.

I go back and forth on the rainpant issue. In warm weather I just hike in shorts and let them get wet. But if its cold and windy I like something on my legs. My experience has been that cold legs lead to cramped muscles and more fatigue. Also in cold weather my rain pants take the place of long john bottoms and wind pants. If its cold I put the rain pants on over my hiking pants.

A compromise of mine has been to cut off old rain pants into a sort of capris. They are about 3.5-4 oz (down from about 5) and they keep me a lot warmer and drier then no rain pants at all. My shoes arent' waterproof so I'm going to be wet up to my ankles anyway.

Guys,

What do you think about Pertex Shield rain pants? most of them 2.5 layers and I'm not sure how they breath or how long they stay dry in the rain.

example:
http://www.montane.co.uk/range/men/shell/minimus-pants

Thanks for the discussion. I'm mostly interested in your experience with lighter rain pants (3-4oz; e.g, Versalite) vs heavier versions (9oz; e.g, Torrentshell) for weeks of 1-3 hours of heavy wind blown rain each day and stuffing in pack. If the lighter versions are either new or newly DWR rejuvenated, are they going to hold up just as well as the heavier of the same starting condition, or are they likely to wet out? I'll be hiking in running shorts and don't plan on having any other leg cover protection than one pair of pants.

I'm wondering what to do for the CT, too… I'm taking John's earlier posting to mean that his OR PacLite pants failed, which surprised me because I thought PacLite was supposed to be a good choice.

I was originally thinking of just using a rain kilt, or maybe "going poncho", but I'm still undecided, so this discussion may help me.

One consideration: for me at least, sweaty legs just aren't an issue. So I'm less concerned with breathable fabrics for my rain pants. I value waterproofiness and decent weight over everything.

I am taking a rain kilt since my shoes aren't waterproof so anything below my knees can get soaked as far as I care.

I took a rain kilt on my 2013 trip.

Only used it twice – but up at 4,000m on Snow Mesa the weather was a little extreme for a while and I was close to being uncomfortable.

I'm going to take a rain kilt this year for the reasons listed above. I did a week on the CT last summer and never pulled out my rain pants.

If you'll be wearing running shorts and the rain pants will be your only long pants/leggings, I would vote for your Patagonia Torentshell pants if you like them. With the running shorts, you may want to wear the rain pants for warmth or around camp more often than if you were wearing nylon hiking pants, so I think the extra durability and weight would be worth not having to baby them the whole time

While I do like using my ULA rain kilt + long MLD eVent gaiters for cold rain (breathable, easy to don and remove, light, effective), the kilt does turn into a balloon in the wind. Maybe a cuben rain kilt would do better because the material is stiffer

Thanks, John. Your advice is what I was thinking best for me also.

I am seriously considering a shift in my rain clothing system to a ZPacks poncho for total pack coverage (straps,belt), avoiding wet-through of WP/B, and the ventilation (I steam in jackets). If so, I will still be hiking the CT (potentially) during monsoon season in running shorts. So, with a poncho and shorts, would anyone recommend other leg coverage…rain chaps…kilt…MB Featherlite…Patagonia Torrentshell…? I'm Leaning toward the chaps and looking for confirmation or 'you dummy, that's not enough' or… I want the simplest system that provides flexibility for the weight/volume. I do own capilene bottoms that could be part of the system if anyone feels strongly about some lower body insulating layer for this trip. But I do expect to be on the move all day and crawling in to my 20C quilt for sleep when I stop at night (little to no camp time) with only some breaks during the day. Also, I am always warm/hot and sweat a lot.
Thanks!
[someone might think to mention it so: I've looked at the SD Cagoule and chaps combo as well as the Packa and they aren't right for me. If I go this increased ventilation route it will be the ZP poncho up top]

I've been thinking of switching to the ZPacks poncho, too. I like the idea of having something that is truly waterproof. Obviously it will get annoying in windy and rainy conditions, but those storms blow through so fast in Colorado that a windshirt should work the rest of the time.

As for lower rain gear, I always hike in nylon pants and have long johns to sleep in if the pants get soaked. I usually don't take rain pants of any kind, and have never once needed to use them when I did bother bringing them with. The only time I've used my pants (which are Frogg Toggs, btw) in Colorado is when testing them in torrential downpours in the open space near my house. FWIW, they did fine and only weigh 4.1 oz in medium.

Versalite pants are usually in my pack, as much for warmth as keeping dry. Only needed them a couple of times last summer, but when I did I was glad I had them. I tend to hike in long running shorts so the rain pants are mult use. I don't mind getting lower extremities wet, but it can get cold at 11 or 12,000'. If it is dry and too cold for shorts the longies go on under the shorts. Wet and cold for any length of time, rain pants, unless I brought regular pants which I do in late season.

I've recently decided to just take the 10oz driducks jacket/pants on my CT thru this summer, but really tossed around the poncho/chaps idea for a while. I just don't have that kind of cash this summer.

I will say that with the poncho, I would definitely bring some rain pants/chaps/skirt of some kind. Especially if you really want to be able to hike all day and keep the miles up. Andrew Skurka posted specifically about his decision not to bring rain pants on the Colorado Trail in his "Stupid Light" article: http://andrewskurka.com/2012/stupid-light-not-always-right-or-better/

I really never worry about my legs being wet, and am a very warm person usually. With that said, I'm going to either diy some ~2oz silnylon chaps or bring the 4oz driducks just in case. Seems like the smart thing to do.

I wouldn't go without leg coverage. I'm wondering if chaps would be enough.

Chaps (cuben) are good for rain while keeping ventilated under poncho, not as good as wind pants for wind only.

Windpants good for wind and some extra warmth but what about for rain, when it comes, on the CT under a poncho? Not as breathable/ventilated as chaps. I have MB Featherlite which have a DWR – but I plan for DWR to possibly wet out. Torrentshell pants are more durable as all around pants with good DWR but less breathable and heavier.

Both seems redundant. Thus the kilt idea…Featherlites and kilt? Not as good as chaps for walking in wet brush/trail-side grass and not WP for lower legs in rain. Might billow a bit in high winds. Kilt doesn't add a lot beyond poncho. Thinking this is less consistent with my style.

Capilene gives warmth but terrible as wind or rain protection and I don't need them for sleeping.

I suppose these are the mental obstacle courses that the more experienced read while giggling and thinking "I did that once and the big secret is that any of those options is going to be fine, just get out there".

I have tentatively planned on taking my ZPacks poncho, rain kilt, and Montbell wind pants for the CT this summer. I will be hiking in June so it is right at the height of monsoon season. I dont plan to use the wind pants as part of my rain gear however, I will be carrying the wind pants for hiking out of camp on cold mornings and for general warmth around camp (and also to wear while doing laundry in town).

Because I expect storms almost every afternoon I will just try to plan my day around that and if possible be in my shelter during the storms. What I have done in the past is just pop up my tarp if I think it is about to storm and wait it out. This method only works if I get up early and get a large amount of miles in before lunch. If I have no choice but to hike through a storm I think the poncho and kilt will suffice, once I get to camp I will have dry wind pants and a 20 degree quilt to get into.