Waterproof Pants

slomatt

Adventurer
Next month I'm getting re-certified in wilderness and remote first aid, and since part of the class is outdoors (and assuming California gets some rain) I'm thinking it would be a good time to get a pair of waterproof pants. These pants would also be used for working around the house in the rain (ex, cleaning gutters), camping, possibly spring skiing, commuting on the bike, etc.

I've been looking at some of the options and have come up with the following "must haves"
- Cost ~$70 or less (somewhat flexible)
- Waterproof, not just water resistant
- Breathable
- Dark color (grey or black)

Nice to haves:
- Lightweight
- Easy to put on without removing boots
- Not ridiculous looking
- Lightweight


Here are the options I'm considering.

Marmot Precip Pant ~$55
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004K7L3ZU...UTF8&colid=35E2JVCKJKEAV&coliid=INBDGZU1CBIAM
These hit all the must haves and in addition have a nice set of pockets, zip down over boots, have a limited lifetime warranty, and are apparently pretty sturdy. I've had good luck with Marmot products in the past. For $5-10 more they have a full zip version which would be easier to put on, but has more opportunities for leaks.

Frogg Toggs ToadSkinz ~$40
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005KW558U...TF8&colid=35E2JVCKJKEAV&coliid=I2JVYJHLOZO5J1
These also hit all the must haves. Downsides are the lack of pockets and the odd looking material. Frogg Toggs also makes a very inexpensive pant for $20 called the Pro Action, but the reviews on these are hit and miss. Also I had never heard of this company before, they seem to be aimed at the motorcycle market.

Helly Hansen Voss Pant ~$35
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002N17PCA...TF8&colid=35E2JVCKJKEAV&coliid=I20YR5VHMOPHDI
These meet the must haves except for breathability, but they don't look great. I have a HH soft jacket that I've been very happy with so I have confidence in the company.

Columbia Regen Pant ~$35
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058YHXS0...TF8&colid=35E2JVCKJKEAV&coliid=I2YMBXCF1EZ1QQ
Columbia makes good gear and these seem to be a solid option. Negatives are that they have no pockets and some people report the drawstring waist starts to low-ride after a while.

At this point I'm leaning towards the Marmot or Columbia pants, but I'm very interested in your opinions on these and any other products you would suggest.

And, while we talking rain if anybody has a recommendation for a water proof baseball hat I'd love to hear it. I wear glasses and it is nice to have a hat brim stuck out from under my jackets hood to keep the rain out of my face.

Thanks.

- Matt
 

waterboy222

Adventurer
http://www.511tactical.com/taclite-pro-pants.html

These aren't advertised as being waterproof. But they are teflon coated and mine bead everything off.. Though Sitting in a wet cloth seat for an hour will soak through the material. But they are the TOUGHEST pants I've ever used and designed so much better than anything else I've tried. I have the marmots and I'm not a fan of them at all. And the frog togs are hopeless around any thorns or brush..
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
I was a member of the Iron Butt Association and rode motorcycles all across North America in every foul weather situation that you can dream of...
Frogg Togg is a nice product. For your mom. Or uncle that likes to fly fish. They don't hold up to any abuse.
Helly Hanson is slightly more durable.

I tried all the cheap crap and threw it all away. I wound up with serious purpose-built rain gear. I still have it, still use it when appropriate.

I used dedicated motorcycle gear but there are goretex line work pants: http://reviews.cabelas.com/8815/922...ed-roughneck-canvas-pants-reviews/reviews.htm
Cabela stuff: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Clot...tegory/Mens-Rainwear-Bibs-Pants/104090580.uts
And there's always LLBean: http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/6841...ain-pants&attrValue_0=Black&productId=1120925
 
I have tried a lot of different pants looking for the "best"...the list contains:

Rivers West: They are camo, which is lame but oh well. If they made them in black I would be happy, but everybody always asks "Going Hunting?". They are very good at keeping moisture out, but as such are very good at keeping moisture in as well. The model I have incorperate a side zipper near the knees to let out moisture, they have mesh inside the sipper to keep crap out. They are pretty durable as I have used them while playing diesel mechanic on heavy equipment (usually kneeling on expanded metal surfaces) they are thinning in the knees and are almost fully black stained. But if you are static for a long period they are very dry and warm...sort of like a fleece feeling. They do however catch every sharp sticker in the outdoors, I have had a 1" diameter blackberry vine go up the inside of the pants and was less than fun to remove.

Filson Shelter Cloth: These pants were moderate at keeping water out, but without vents you soon sweat the inner layer wet. I never did rip the material but I sold them off before I did...I felt like I was going to tear it. My shelter cloth coat never feels that way though. I would be surprised if the shelter cloth ever did fail. They were used with suspenders as they didn't have much retention to your waist and would often sag below your but if not suspended. They did not add any wind/cold protection either.

Filson Tin pants: I have these in the work truck always. They will get better with use and I don't think you can find a more durable product. They add little weight, are grease-able, and will repel fluids better than any other pants. I bought these because I needed protection from physical elements like sticks, thorns and chainsaw teeth! They will save you from a running chainsaw if you are lucky enough to hit double tin cloth while the chain is rotating. I have seen it happen on Axemen TV show and seen three places on friends tin pants that were all bunched up and almost torn....upon inquire they told of how the chain stopped right here! I would never depend on them to save your legs but they help and add little in weight or negatives.

I would buy single tin pants and never worry again, just layer underneath for warmth. They can be had for under $150 usually and I found mine with older tags than the others on the same rack (older model???) for $110. Filson products are almost never on sale, dealer mandated but when they were less cost than $160 I knew I had to buy them. By once and cry once...or not at all!
 

slomatt

Adventurer
Thanks for all the suggestions. I have several pairs of "water repellant" pants that will keep dry for a bit, but in this case I'm really looking for something almost 100% waterproof that I can wear in a downpour for several hours and not have them soak through.

The Cabela's pants seem like a strong contender.

waterboy222, would you mind providing some more details on what you don't like about the Marmot Precip pants? I'm very interested to hear your first-hand experience.

- Matt
 

SARguru

Observer
The Helly Hanson pants you list are PU = Polyurathane coating = ZERO breathability but WATERPROOF.. Anything that is PU coated will not breath, this is how manufacturers achieve getting a waterproof tent floor. To get "waterproof"/breathable you can get a garment which has a membrane laminated to a face fabric such as Gore-Tex or what is referred to as "entrant" which is the way a waterproofing spray is applied to the inside of the fabric, such as the omnitech or hyvent..

Just remember that any waterproof/breathable material has its limitations. You need almost perfect conditions for the garment to breath and stop water. If it rains to hard the breathability will be affected. If you run a marathon in pouring rain the garment will not breath as you will produce to much moisture on the inside and because the rain on the outside, the exchange will not occur. It will keep you dry from the rain but not from the sweat. And just because the outside nylon is wet doesnt mean the garment is leaking. many users mistake the condensation from the garments inability to breath for a leak. Limited warranty simply means, they will warranty for manufacturing but not wear and tear and abuse. If the stitching comes apart, they will fix or replace, if you burn a whole due to a spark from a fire, they wont.

Although you mention you have plenty of water resistant pants, I would have to strongly disagree with waterboy222 511 suggetion. I got my 1st pair of 511 pants in 2007, they weren't too bad, since then their growth is ridiculous to a point where a number of retailers I have spoken to are discontinuing the line because getting product is difficult and never on time. I currently own about 12 shirts and 20 pairs of pants, I was wearing 511 daily for about 4-5 years. 511 has ZERO quality control and their clothing is junk, sure its pretty resistant to wear and tear because of the weight of the fabric they use, but because they are made in Asia they have no control on quality. I have shirts and pants purchased from the same order on the same day, and the dye is not the same colour between the tops and bottoms and even between 2 shirt and 2 pants. The size is not the same for different colours, I wear a medium in blue, black and green yet need a large for khaki (my retailer at the time had the same issue). I favour their TDU over the tactical pants due to what i find is more practical side pockets, they cost twice as much as a BDU pants which they are based on, yet the quality is no better. There is no reason I can buy BDU pants for $20-30 and have to pay $60-70 for TDU pants. If i lined up the 20 pairs of 511 pants and took a picture of them you would see that not a single pair is made the same, the pockets arent located at the same place, there is up to a 3 inch difference in the placement of the pocket, the reinforced knee also suffers from the same problem of being at different levels. This all sounds like nit-picking, however when you kneel down an your knee is on the seam of the knee patch, this is no good. No point of having a knee pad on my shin when I want to pad my knees. anyways i'll stop my rant, this is my opinion from wearing their stuff for years, I will never buy a piece of 511 clothing again and had my employer purchase me different manufacturers garment for my uniform.

Both the marmot and columbia options look very decent, I would nail it down by fit if you are able to try them on.

Nic
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
My experience is that only stuff like polyurethane coated will fit your requirement of truly waterproof for hours. Looks at what pros wear, like commercial fishermen or hunter and guides.

I have a set of Columbia rain pants that fit this bill and they do work like crazy but don't breath worth a darn. Well, by worth a darn I mean like not at all. But in a constant rain the humidity is 100% anyway, so breathability is relative and if I'm not sweating I do stay dry. I keep them around to take on trips where I might be standing around not doing anything in the rain and they have been invaluable around camp on long backpack trips more than a couple of times.

For any thing that is even slightly active I go with Gore-Tex or other kinda waterproof, kinda breathable fabric. For cycling in the rain and the like I don't really even concern myself with anything beyond water repellent just to keep from getting too soggy and focus on keeping warm (e.g. good wet insulators).
 

slomatt

Adventurer
My top 3 are now the Marmot Precip, the Columbia Regen, and the North Face Venture (see below).

Today I was able to try on the Precip (both full zip and no zip) and the Venture. All fit well and seemed to be well made, in fact the only concern I had is that the pants make a lot of noise when walking but that's not a huge deal. There are a lot of similarities between these two options: made from almost the same fabric (nylon ripstop), elastic waist with draw string, sealed seams, similar weight, price, etc. The TNF HyVent offers possibly slightly better waterproofness, and I think the Marmot's pockets are sealed a bit better, but really they are pretty comparable and either is a good option. I have a Venture jacket which I've been very happy with and the TNF pants would match, so I'm leaning toward the Venture. I would still like to see the Columbia Regen in person, but not sure if any local stores carry them, and my wife is starting to think I'm crazy for driving around looking at rain pants. :)

North Face Venture Pant $56 (Altrec)
http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/mens-venture-pant_2.html

I also tried on the Marmot Minimalist pant. These are very well built and have a normal zipped fly which is a nice feature. Unfortunately at $125 they are more expensive than I'm looking to spend. I also couldn't find a size that fit well, a L was too small and a XL was way too big.

- Matt
 

drm

Member
I have the stitch darien light jacket and pants and can vouch for the durability and waterproofness while on my klx.
 

the kid

Juke Box Hero
i know your in a budget here with this, but trust me when i say you get what you pay for.... this is coming from years of experience in the outdoors from, outdoor sports such as snow skiing/boarding to packpack trips to search and rescue. and quality is typically dictated by price... if you are under id say $120 dont expect much. i would recommend buying what ever you get from REI as they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

im not sure how tall you are but if a 30" inseam would work for you give these a shot, yeah they are $14 over your limit, but well worth it. i have these pants and use them in SAR, and for winter snow sports, and they are also nice enough you can wear them casually if you want. i love these pants and swear by them
http://www.rei.com/product/786841/rei-taku-pants-mens-30-inseam

-edit, now i see that they are a 38" waist.... that may or may not be a little big. but id still be tempted to pic them up and try and exchange them for the right size... i have done that before and REI has never said anything about it, as long as you have the tags still and the receipt
 

RangeBrover

Explorer
I've got the marmot precip pants and they have done well while backpacking but I wouldn't consider them water proof. They will keep you dry in the rain but if you're kneeling in puddles or sitting in wet seats for extended periods they will soak through.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,535
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top