Goretex shell pants?

Ed.

Point your browser at the Arcteryx site and get out your decoder ring. Alpha SV is dead birds’ most durable gear for extreme weather. It uses today Goretex Pro. Alpha SL is “lighweight, packable” for “emergency conditions.”  My 2006 vintage Alpha SL jacket is Goretex Paclite which was never known for sturdiness in brush or ice.  I think you were fortunate that the vendor that sold you the SL pants took them back. Was it REI?

You might try a regular nylon pant from RailRiders.  I have found that their X-Treme adventure pants hold up and protect my legs when moving through brush. RailRiders lighter weight Adventure Khaki pants would also hold up better in brush than PacLite.  You might find that a lightweight softshell climbing pant from Arcteryx (Gamma LT pants) or OR or Mtn HW would work.

It’s the face fabric durability that you’re after in this case, not the membrane itself.

As Glenn and Bruce pointed out, what you’re concerned with mostly is the Denier of the face fabric that is being bonded on top of the Gore Tex membrane as opposed to the membrane itself. One of the burliest GoreTex shell pants that I know of is the Mountain Equipment Tupilak pant which I believe is 80D. It’s also pretty darn expensive too, but if you can find them on BackCountry or Campsaver, you can currently get them at 20% off retail price.

I’m a fan of the Rab Bergen pants. They’ve been durable for me so far. eVent.

I own a Sprayway Mountain Rain Pants. 3L Gore-Tex Pro; owned them for three years, seen a lot of use and they have never let me down.
Primary use is cycling commuting.

But it’s really too heavy for backpacking; somewhere around 12 ounces. On the plus side, it’s not that super expensive.

I say buy cheap 2.5 layer pants as they will get shredded anyway. The rain pants that are truly durable are far too heavy for hiking.