Wind pants

One word: durability

More words: I’m sure they’d work, but the longer you wear them the greater the chances of damaging them (easily done) and then, perhaps, they are no longer fit for purpose when the rain comes.

Duck Tape.

Yeah I had some concerns about durability mostly in between the legs they seem to wear heavily when I’m walking great distances. I have taped them many times and only recently had to get a new pair after 3 years. I wore them paint balling since they were wearing out and they may did them in.

Duck Tape.

Absolutely…unless you tear them arse to kneecap.  How much Duct Tape do you carry :)

Not that much!

This is from the BPL Way-Back Machine (aka “Search”) with a great pix of Dale  and hearty input from Daryl/Daryl and PMags for about $20.

Steofan M.

I did the JMT with nothing for my lowers but a pair of running shorts w/sewn in underwear and a pair of Driducks rain pants.  Durability wasn’t an issue; it’s all trail walking and zero bushwacking.  I didn’t hike in them much, carried them mainly for camp/mosquitoes and sitting on windy/cold passes.  They worked fine for that purpose.  Ten years later, I still have them; they now have one duct tape patch on the rear.

That’s exactly what I do. I use a “parcho” I made from Quest Outfitters for upper rain protection for me and my pack and use frogg toggs rain pants when it is super nasty and use them as my wind pants. As others have said, repair with duct tape as needed.

A pair of polyester (lined) running shorts (3.5 oz), lightweight Capilene bottoms (3 oz), and the lightest driducks pants (or ZPacks Vertice for more durability at a similar weight – 3.5 oz) provide an incredible amount of versatility for trail hiking in 3-season conditions, and is just about the lightest setup for the lower body you can assemble.

The only limitations I’ve experienced with this system is when the mosquitoes are bad while hiking and wearing the rain pants is uncomfortably warm. And on snow, with high sun exposure, and high altitudes, getting your legs burnt wearing just the shorts. But usually adding the cap long johns is just fine for sun protection, even when it’s warm.

Other than bushwhacking, sun and bugs are the two most compelling reasons to wear a “wind-resistant” or “trekking pant”. Shorts + capilene are a very comfortable combination for alpine conditions unless it’s really cold.

All great advice and given how cheap the frog togs are I can grab a pair and if it doesn’t work out then it’s easy to shift directions with minimal expense. Also duct tape is light and cheap.

I also can’t believe @ryan weighed in. I feel honored!

Yes!  Frogg Toggs pants work fine as wind pants on the trail.  For me, a skirt hiker.  Mine seem to last about 3-4 years, then wet out as rain pants.  (About the same as what is reported for more burly rain clothing.)  My lower layers are: underpants, lightweight leggings (Smartwool, REI Merino, or REI synthetic are all in my drawer), Purple Rain skirt, Frogg Toggs rain pants.  This is for 3-season wear.  I get cold easily but the FT’s work fine, as a rain layer, a wind layer, and a final warmth layer.  We don’t bushwhack much though.  If we take up more off-trail (cf looking at PNT) then I might have to revisit.  And of course it depends on your personal variations.  My husband tore up his FT pants on one long trip.  But all his clothing and gear falls apart fast, on the trail and at home.  Know yourself.

Happy to weigh in @chrisjgilmore! I think sometimes we gravitate to more expensive solutions before trying out something cheaper and simpler that may make perfect sense for most conditions.

@ryan I don’t mind spending the cash if it’s useful and the right solution to the problem. But I do look to spend my money wisely and only after looking for a cheaper and possibly dual purpose solution. When I can do a MYOG or dual purpose that is the direction I lean. Right now I’m just trying to eliminate items all together vs upgrade.

I moved to NC last year and haven’t even been on a trip here yet. I can’t find anyone to show me the territory so it off to Gaia to plan out a solo trip for spring!

I’ve used my silnylon rain chaps that no longer seem to have any waterproof capability anymore as “wind” pants for day hiking. If they still had waterproof capability I’d still use them for “wind” pants for day hiking since they really do help if a cold wind comes up.

I have dry-ducks rain pants that I bring backpacking but have yet to use them in the rain. I sometimes use them on my motorcycle for both warmth and rain. Dry-ducks will suddenly fail and tear to shreds on my motorcycle in the wind, so this is a big risk. So far so good.

What I would like to know is where can you get the shiny dry-ducks anymore? When I go to Big 5 they always only have the bulky and heavy fabric ones or the flimsy fabric ones, both of which have little dots all over. When I go online there’s no way to tell looking at the pictures if I’m going to get the shiny kind that I want or not.

Yes they can be fragile once a tear develops. I imagine a motor cycle is quite the torture test. Thanks for the input, although having grown up wearing chaps for rodeo I’m not sure they are for me.

OR, you can go to a fabric shop, buy a pattern for men’s pajamas and make the pants from uncoated, tightly woven polyester. Cheap and effective.

Used the Frogg Toggs for years, my sister used to sell them at her store. Unless it’s pretty cold they were always way too hot for me to hike in – prefer a rain kilt or chaps or umbrella. I do prefer the Frogg Toggs ultralight rain jacket for rain as opposed to my expensive gore-Tex model. The Eric B idea on the DIY pajama bottom wind pants is a good one. I bought some used Montbell Tachyon wind pants off EBay – super light and very effective for me. I won’t pay the “new” price, but with some looking and patience some gems can be found.

I have used many different brands of rain pants in years past – all have been too warm for me, rain and no rain- sauna tubes all of them. Maybe that’s just me though, running a little hot.

Lightweight gators for use on overgrown trails with briars, blackberry shrubs, and especially chiggers. Rain gear is a super light silnylon / silpoly / or DCF rain skirt. Ultralight, quick to deploy and easy to store, easy on the bank account. Great setup down to mid-cool 50-45 degrees with wind driven rain. Colder weather and I prefer the protection of pant legs. I know that Scottish guy is hiking in kilt sans undergarments, but my ancestors were all a bit crazed by the long, dark winters drinking all matter of brews and eating all matters of haggis. You would be a bit crazed, too!

Bill in not cold, but very soggy Roswell, GA (2018 rainfall 15 inches above average, i.e. 70 inches in Atlanta, mountains get 5-10 additional inches)

@danepacker a big thumbs up – DIY wind pants are a very easy project.

Idea from a different thread, I forget which.  For the PNT this summer, with potential for bushwhacking that might rip up Frogg Toggs pants.  I found some thin nylon dance pants on the web for $11.00.  Weight 3.1 oz.  They worked great over my long underwear/under the skirt, when it was cold and windy.  They have elastic at the ankles though which I am thinking  of trimming off and hemming so they will slip over my trail runners.

Dual puprose gets extra points, so using your DriDucks pants for wind pants makes sense. If you want fabric wind pants, dancer’s warm up pants are super cheap (~$20) and very light.