I'm looking for a good, do it all cool to cold weather softshell pant. Since this segment of the outdoor industry seems to change every year, many of the reviews available for such items are no longer useful, so I'm hoping some folks around here can help me out.

I'm currently considering the Montbell Stretch Light Shell pant, made of a very lightweight stretchwoven face fabric with a knit polyester wicking liner. They are a bit like a stretchy DriClime pant.

One thing the Stretch Light Shell pant has in its favor, for me, is that the fabric is soft and quiet - it doesn't make much of a swish-swish whilst walking, which I loath.

Does anyone have experience with this pant, and if so, how does it rate in terms of durability and wind resistance. Ideally I would like something in the range of 5 CFM, about the wind resistance of a Patagonia Houdini.

I would also consider something more wind resistant and less breathable, such as an Epic by Nextec pant, but Epic is quite noisy stuff.

My priorities (in order) for this pant are: quiet, highly wind resistant, durable, warm (unlined softshell/stretchwoven also of interest).

Anybody have a softshell or windpant you're high on?

Edited by Stumphges on 10/22/2009 18:37:37 MDT.

I haven't used the montbell light shell pants but I have used the light shell jacket since it was first released. It might be the jacket I use teh most around town and on dayhikes. I sometimes have used it as a winter action shirt. The wicking liner is quite thin. I don't know for certain how they will compare to driclime pants.. but based on my experience with the jackets I would guess the montbell will be less warm.

Until last year my goto softshell pants were the original Marmot ATV pants made from scholler extreme dryskin. They were a bit heavy, but wear durable and very comfortable in a wide range of conditions. They were reasonably quiet... but aren't CFM 5... more like 15.

Last year I experimented with a mid-weight base + the BPL Thorfare pants on several snow outings. I found that I liked the combination a lot. Not quite as wind resistant as the houdini... but it was enough for me.

If you are considering something you might look at the rab vapour rise... I think pertex would be a good material for you when combined with some sort of liner or warm base.

--Mark

I love my Rab Bergen pants. eVent, very comfortable over a range of temps (full side zips allow lots of breathability options). Hike with them last weekend in very wet, snowy conditions, with only a pair of BPL UL merino long johns underneath, and stayed exceptionally comfortable.

FWIW.

My wife loves her Ibex soft shell pants. Wool/nylon blend, comfortable in a wide range of temperatures, quiet, and well worth the rather high price tag.

I can second the RAB Vapour-rise pant. I wore a pair on the 2008 WT3 trip and that was the only thing on my legs the entire time through a variety of weather and temps.

With that said, they don't work as well for me in the humid SE so I won't put them on until it's below 40 consistently during the day. I'm presently looking for something more suited for SE winters now. Before the RABs I used the REI Mistral which was great but REI changed them to some blend and got rid of the Schoeller Dynamic they used to be made of.

nm

Edited by sandalot on 04/24/2010 11:44:18 MDT.

Thanks for the recommendations and insight Mark. Regarding the Montbell Stretch Wind stuff, where do you put it in terms of wind-resistance compared to schoeller dryskin and dynamic and Houdini, could you guestimate a CFM? And of course it won't be as durable as the Schoeller fabrics, but do you think it's appropriate material for pants (it's pretty thin)?

Regarding Vapour Rise, have you used the newer Pertex Equilibrium vapour rise stuff? If so, is it as quiet as the older pertex varieties?

On that note I did notice that Rab has an interesting pant with a newer heavyweight Pertex Stretch Equilibrium (4.6 CFM) paired with eVent in the knees and seat. Those sound sweet, if heavy, but are pretty pricey.

I tried on a pair of the new REI Mistrals, noting that the new fabric they're using is quieter than dynamic, and rated the same in terms of wind resistance, but I suspect they ditched dynamic for price reasons rather than performance and will hold off for some more consumer feedback before I look seriously at them.

Douglas, I avoid hardshell as much as possible, partly because I'm sweaty and partly because I detest the stiff, crinkly nature of the stuff. I've pretty much gone all soft/windshell and pack DriDucks if rain threatens. DriDucks is very fragile, especially on the legs, but it is soft, quiet, cheap, super-breathable and never needs a DWR-refresh. Now, if they could figure out how to make eVent softer and quieter I would be all over it, but I guess they need the PTEFE membrane to be pretty thick, and thus crinkly.

Ken, thanks for the recommendation of Ibex. I had an Icefall softshell jacket a while back and loved the fabric, although it was a bit too permeable for my present needs. My knees are sensitive to cold winds these days and I will put up with being a bit hot and sweaty if it means I can keep my joints warm.

Edited by Stumphges on 10/22/2009 20:31:58 MDT.

"I will put up with being a bit hot and sweaty if it means I can keep my joints warm."

It's important to keep your joint warm! ;)

My current favorite stretch softshell pant is the Patagonia Simple Guide. Really comfortable, reasonably durable, slim fit, light weight, perfect alone to temperatures down 25 degrees athnd wi a base layer to lower temperatures.

> Montbell Stretch Wind stuff

Montbell would be more wind resistant than dryskin. I am sure someone around here has real data (Richard?)... but I would guess CFM ~4 (a bit more than the Houdini) rather than the 15 of dryskin. My memory is dynamic is a little more wind resistant that dryskin... but I don't own any thing in dynamic these days. As to if the material is durable enough for pants. I guess the answer would be "It depends". I think they would be fine for me, but I wouldn't take them to Australia.

> have you used the newer Pertex Equilibrium vapour rise stuff?

Yes. I have the vapour rising jacket. Love it. I didn't have the pre-equilibrium pertex so I can't compare... but one of the reasons I like it is the quiet.

> new REI Mistrals...

I haven't used them. If they are like dynamic they won't be much warmer than a supplex hikimg pants so you would want a warmer base.

> Icefall softshell jacket... a bit too permeable for my present needs

scratch dryskin then.

--Mark

Edited by verber on 10/22/2009 21:27:24 MDT.

Try Paramo Nikwax Analogy clothing, especially the new Velez Adventure Lite models. Paramo is very soft, waterproof, and more breathable than any other waterproof clothing around. I've tried (as have so many others) many many times to recommend them and explain what they are about, but skepticism rules supreme still. All I can say is give them a try; there's nothing else like them. I'd say, if you want to compare them to something, think of "waterproof Vapour Rise". You don't need to wear any other outer layer (or mid-layer in many instances) when you use them.

Edited by butuki on 10/22/2009 22:12:39 MDT.

If you're a large and interested in these I have some I was planning to list on the swap. Just let me know.

Thanks for all the input everyone.

Miguel, I'm very tempted to go for some Paramo trousers - seems like the perfect item to try out Paramo - but the cost paired with shipping to US is a bit prohibitive. I think I could get the Vapour Rise and the Montbell both for the same price. If I faced cold rain more often I think I would go Paramo anyway, however.

Chris, thanks for the offer, but I'm a medium/small guy.

Arcteryx does a lot of soft shell pants in various weights/textures. Tend to be cut smaller (at least the ladies stuff).

Hi Hartley,

I really like Arcteryx stuff, their pants especially seem well-cut, but their softshell pants all seem to be on the noisy side. I think it's a trade-off: the burlier stretch-wovens use larger denier nylon which sounds like sandpaper when rubbed together, while the quiet stuff tends to be less durable.

I think I'm going to try the Rab vapour rise - the Pertex equilibrium is supposed to be quiet and yet quite tough. I am a bit nervous about the cut/style - hard to tell by pictures - but we'll see.