Pants for PCT Thru Hike (2016)

If I were doing the PCT, I would go with the Railriders Eco Mesh Pants.

The vents zip open when its hot, and zip closed when its cool and they have insect shield protection.

You might want to look at Duluth Trading “Dry on the Fly” or “Duluthflex Dry on the Fly” pants.  One is all nylon the other has 3% spandex.  They are bit cheaper than Railriders but they don’t have the mesh and built in bug protection.  I can say that the Duluth Trading Dry on the Fly are very comfortable and wear well.

I would also try the Eco mesh. I hike in shorts, though.

Plant protection is not an issue. For me, this year, bugs were only an issue maybe 5-10 days, total. So, if you’re against sunblock, maybe look at these: http://www.sunprecautions.com/shop/unisex_mens/pants

you will not need extra leggings.

I used a rain skirt. Maybe start without it, and have it mailed to you for the end.

A couple years ago I was looking for a pair of convertible pants and I tried the Prana stretch Zion ones. Awesome.  Super comfy, and just the right amount of stretch in the fabric. Fairly light (for pants), and fast drying. Now I have a couple pairs of the regular pants as well as the convertibles.

For rain protection, if price is no object, I wouldn’t hesitate to get a pair of Zpacks rain pants. I use them and the jacket for wind protection. For the weight they’re pretty hard to beat.

I wouldn’t bring the extra long underwear. Since you’re going to be wearing pants, I’d say the vast majority of the time you wont need them, and on the rare chance its that cold you can always throw on the rain pants and/or the sleeping long underwear until you over heat.

So, if I bought a pair of Zpacks rain pants, would you advise that I leave my Houdini wind pants at home? Or is there value in bringing both?

I concur with Mordecai…get yourself a pair of the Railriders Eco-Mesh pants.  If I am hiking where there are a lot of mosquitoes or ticks, they are my go-to pants.  If you use these or other long pants, I wouldn’t recommend the Houdini wind pants, I’d go with either a wind skirt or rain pants.

I hiked six days in the rain in August on the PCT in Washington.  I wore shorts, windpants, and had a rain skirt, a combination I really liked.  But under the premise that you don’t wear shorts, then drop the windpants and let the eco-mesh pants suffice, plus some time of rain pant or skirt.

Add another vote for the RR Eco Mesh Pants, I have a pair and use them while I’m hiking with the bugs.  I’d take a good pair of rain pants with me, leaving the wind pants at home. The rain pants can do triple duty for the rain, wind and another layer for cold nights in the bag. For the leggings or long underwear for sleeping, you need to evaluate that yourself as this depends on the remainder of your sleep system and how warm you sleep.  Keep in mind that at mile 42 you will be at 6,000, San Jacinto 8000+, Big Bear 7,000+, Baden Powell 9,000 and over 8,000 several times more, all before getting to the Saufley’s at mile 454.

Be prepared for El Niño and you will have a far better hike.

Well, I think y’all convinced me on the RR Eco Mesh. Unfortunately, they are out of many sizes, including mine. I wear a 32/30 (In RailRiders lingo, that’s a Small with 30″ inseam). I emailed, and they expect to be back in stock in March. They’re cutting it close, but should work!

I also think you fine folks (and El Nino) have convinced me to bring some kind of rain protection for my legs, and leave my wind pants at home. Knowing that I’ll be wearing pants (hopefully the Rail Riders Eco Mesh), can I get a quick survey: ZPacks rain pants or the ZPacks rain kilt? Or, if you would recommend another brand, then by all means suggest away.

Thanks!

John

Keep in mind you will be walking 2,660 miles in very different types of weather so unless you can or want to trade out gear constantly, don’t get hung up on saving a few grams of pack weight just to lose effeciency elsewhere.  What will a rain kilt do for you besides keeping your crotch dry?

Rain pants are a lot more versatile for the PCT and I think worth the minuscule extra weight. Dry pants and legs and more warmth while hiking, use as wind pants and an extra layer when cold.  If you think the kilt is worth the trade off of a couple ounces, take it.

Thanks, Terry. I put the Kilt out there as an option less because of the lighter weight, and more because it has different thermal qualities than the pants (i.e. I assume the kilt will be cooler than the pants). Given that I will be wearing pants under my rain protection, I want to make sure I don’t overheat. On the east coast in the summer, it can get very wet and very hot. I have no experience hiking out west, so wanted to get some opinions. Sounds like you think I’m better off with the warmer, more protective pants, and that I don’t need to worry about being too hot in the rain. Noted!

I know very little about the PCT, so this is not specific for that, just speaking generally on pants.  While i don’t like the design execution that much, i really like the fabric of Prana’s Sutra line.  Very breathable, very well wicking, low odor, fairly light weight, feels dry in decent time.  It’s a blend of 53% hemp/44% recycled polyester/3% spandex.  I haven’t yet found a pair of nylon pants that breathe and wick as well.  Even Columbia’s Air Gill chill pants, with the venting in the inner leg and with the fabric bit more breathable than the standard nylon pants, doesn’t breath as well because the fabric in the Prana pants are is just that much more air permeable overall.   But still tight enough to block most insects, most of the time.  Biggest disadvantage as compared to many nylon pants, i doubt they would be as durable as all or predominantly nylon pants will be.  Anyways, just wanted to mention this line as i see it as a very underrated line for 3 season use.  I would not use them in winter or colder weather though (i switch to polyester-wool blends for that, may add a windshell, or if it’s more extremely cold–Cap 4 baselayer leggings).

Another vote for Rail Riders. The mesh side zips were fantastic. I treated them with Sawyer Permethrin every 400 miles or so since it washes out. As for rain protection I never used my rain pants and ditched them early on. Switched to a skirt (many wear light shorts by then) and wool long base layer leggings for Washington and used the Sierra Designs cagoule, I had the chaps with me but never used em.

Oh and a little add on… the Rail Riders lined Kodiak pants are THE BOMB. SO warm and comfy for colder weather I don’t hardly wear anything else all winter.

John, I think that my Arcteryx Palisade pants are the finest backpacking clothing item I own. They have lasted for years, are lightweight, deal with warm and cold equally well, mosquitos don’t penetrate, UPF 50. I roll them up the calf when I want leg exposure. They don’t have back pockets (good) and the seams land in just the right places so as to not chafe. I don’t care for floppy Indiana Jones pants; these are quite trim, even stylish.

Rail Riders is at that point of the year where they are allowing their stock to clear out.  We should see their clearance sales start up soon.  But they always restock with their new colors (and perhaps model changes) in spring (March time frame) so you should have no problem buying something before you start hiking.  When I did the PCT, I wore the Eco-Mesh pants and one of their shirts with the mesh along the sides and arms all the way to the Washington border where I switched out to none mesh pants/shirts since it was already Sept.9 and I wasn’t worried about heat any more.  As I live in SoCal, I still wear their clothing for hiking in direct sunlight including the Sierra Nevada.  Permithrin treated clothing does work against mosquitoes.  I only used DEET 2 days on the trail.  All in northern Yosemite where you were walking in a cloud of them all day.  The long meadow south of Dorthy Lake (just before you leave Yosemite) is consistently the worst place for mosquitoes on the trail during thru-hiker season.  Otherwise, having my clothing and hat treated kept them away; though I sometimes used a bug net at breaks.  I only got a couple of bites in the Sierras and Oregon when not using DEET.

For an alternative to Zpacks on Rain Pants, check out Montbell who does list the weight of their clothing on their website.  They have some lightweight rain pants that are cheaper.  I carried a lightweight wind pants and a long rain skirt on the PCT.  The wind pants were fine for light rain and snow, but they do saturate out in prolong rain.  But they did dry out fast.  I also carried a pair of MLD’s eVent Rain Mitts.  They had more than enough warmth on cold mornings (including the snow storm I had at the Canadian border) and were much better to use on a wet cold day then fleece gloves.