DCF rain pants – lower leg design

I like to have my pants loose so there’s air flow inside, water vapor is free to move around and eventually leave.

I put a hem at the bottom and put 1/8 inch elastic through it.  That pulls it closed to maintain warmth.  Pull the elastic wider to put my feet through it.

Fold over the fabric at the bottom 1/4 inch, then fold again 1/2 inch and sew it (a hem).  Then there’s an opening that’s maybe 3/8 inch wide, enough to put the 1/8 inch elastic through.

For my arm sleeves I put two strips of velcro.  Then fold over the fabric to put the two velcro pieces together to  close up any gap around my wrist.  You could do that for a leg.

My experience is that the cycling aspect is the more important to manage (if you are only going to wear them at camp otherwise? )

I have a pair of waterproof overpants for cycling- bought secondhand. They are really wide at the bottom. They have elastic cord at the ankle (and side zips). Cinching the cord in stops the pants getting caught in the chain etc, but the legs are so baggy that they still rub against the side of the chain- so get coated in chain-lube over time.

I’d choose to taper the lower leg more, and still keep the zip. Or carry a strap to cinch the leg in around the calf.

I like having the pants loose around knees, thigh and bum for riding, tho.

Cheers

Short-term, you can grab a set of cycling pants straps to keep the pantlegs out of the chainrings. You risk looking old-timey, but I just looked them up and most seem to have reflective strips.