Does anyone have any thoughts on lightweight rain pants? I am currently looking at:

Marmot Prcip (7oz) The Precip series seems to be well liked among regular backpackers, and the price is right, but are they really 7 ounces?

Montbell Versatile (7oz) I just stumbled across these, but have never heard of them before. Does anyone have any experience?

GoLite Reed (5oz) These seem to be the favorite of the UL community and they can be had at great prices right now, but I don't know how well I would like a pant with no ankle zips. I would hate to have to take my boots off to put on my raingear.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with any of these? How well do they breathe? Do they live up to their weight claims?

Are there any others that I should look at? I would like to stay around 7 ounces or below.

And here is a further question: does anybody hike in any of these rain pants directly over a base layer (or nothing), and how comfortable are they? I am thinking of replacing my hiking shorts with chopped rain pants in wet weather.

Edited by Otter on 12/29/2006 16:38:29 MST.

Don't have the Versalite pants, but do have the Versalite Jacket - both are made from DryLightTec. Fortunately, the jacket has pitzips as i don't find the fabric that breathable when used in a jacket. The DLT fabric would prob. be more acceptable in pants as most people state that their lower body (crotch area excepting) perspires less than their upper body when they are exerting themselves.

The Versalite jacket made from the same DLT fabric that's used in the pants is quite waterproof, IMHO. The jacket is constructed very well as are all of MB's products that i own. I would imagine that the pants are of a similar high quality.

The GoLite Reed pants being a bit lighter seem to be the choice of many experienced L/ULers. I have no experience with them either, or the Precip pants for that matter.

Personally, i often rely on Epic by Nextec treated pants worn with a rain poncho or cape. While only highly water resistant, Epic pants seem to function fine for me as the water doesn't pool on the lower legs and runs off. I don't recall ever wetting them through. My pants are 3+ yrs old, and i'm not sure who makes pants using Epic treated fabric nowadays.

I've also used the Micropore rain pants sold by Gossamer Gear (only 3.7oz in size M, but not too robust, so, keep them away from brush). These breathe real well, IMHO, and are quite waterproof.

You may want to check out the ULA Rain Wrap when it becomes available. I know I will be. Its basically a long silnylon skirt, so it will breathe better than pants and be easy to pull on and off. Its stated weight is only 2.5 oz too, half the weight of the lightest pants you have listed. It is definitely something to look at if you aren't absolutely set on pants.

Adam

If you can wait another month or two the Golite Reed pants for 2007 are supposed to have ankle zippers. Don't know if they will stay the same weight or not though.

I have had Marmot Precip pants for many years and recently bought the 2006 Golite Reed on clearance. Comparing the fabrics they seem absolutely identical. Both are nylon with a polyurethane/silk protein coating.

The weight savings on the 2006 Reed appears to be strictly due to feature minimalism: simpler waistband, no pockets, no ankle zippers. The lack of ankle zippers is the big compromise that has been remedied in 2007.

BTW the Reed sizing seems to be generous and not matching the official Golite sizing page at all! I usually need a size Large for my long legs (34" jeans inseam) but the Golite sizing page says Large has just a 32" inseam. I took a chance anyway and it turns out that the Reed pair is about 1.5 inches longer than I need! No problem but I could probably have gotten away with a Medium. Why don't they list outseam measurements?

I have the MontBell Versalite pants, and would highly recommend them. They are breathable, sturdy, and IMO, the ankle zips and crotch zip are well worth the additional 2 ounces. YMMV.

Edited by ben2world on 12/30/2006 00:38:20 MST.

Does anyone know what the weight is supposed to be on the new Reeds with the ankle zips? The BPL staff usually has the entire scoop on new UL gear. Thank you all for your help thus far.

I am currently using a pair of modified sterns wp/b pants that I bought for a last minute deep sea fishing trip in Florida a few years back. I have modified them to around seven ounces, but the fit is awful, they breathe like a garbage bag, and they wet out in a long steady rain (probably could be fixed with a new DWR)

I like the Reeds as is. The new and improved version will no doubt weigh more. My small size weighs 3.45 oz. and I would rather take off my muddy shoes to put them on. I may need to buy another "old" pair while I still can.

How do the Reeds fit? Is the sizing right on?

Brad, I'm with you on this one. It's a bummer to have to take off your muddy shoes and put them back on just to wear your rain pants. So far, I've passed on the Reeds and am still using my ancient Lowe Adrenaline pants which, at 7.5 oz., are a little on the heavy side. I'm keeping a close eye on the new Reeds, though. Even a savings of a couple of ounces may be worth it.

But what about the Gossamer Gear Spinn Chaps 2oz I think?

>>But what about the Gossamer Gear Spinn Chaps 2oz I think?

Ken, they look like a great UL solution but my experience with chaps suggests that they work better with ponchos and capes than they do with jackets.

I'm another Reed fan. My smalls weigh in at 3.8 oz on my scale and have served me very well for 5 years now. They are not Pac Lite or Event when it comes to breathability, but they do well enough, especially on the legs. Wouldn't want to use the same WPB technology for a jacket, though. I use them with a pair of Patagonia silkweight(pre-Capilene 1 era) pants which will be damp but not soaked at the end of the day. They also make a great addition to a layering system over my Ibex Woolies pants around camp at night and in my WM Highlite bag when the temperature dips down into the low 20's. As for ankle zips, I consider them to be useless extra weight because I would never try and slide my muddy boots down the legs of my Reeds in any case. It's a quick way to trash the linings. It only takes about 3-4 minutes to get the boots off, pants on, and boots back on. Don't know as I've ever been in such a rush that I couldn't spare that kind of time. Gettin' old, I guess.

The size small is right on, so I should think so.

I have the Marmot Precip in XL -- they weigh 8.40 oz per my Sunbeam digital scale.

Zack, my Reed pants are XL and I have felt that the size is right on.

I have the Reeds, and don't like them because of the lack of zipper. I tend to delay putting on rain pants until it is really necessary, by which time it is a major inconvience to find someplace dry to sit, remove shoes, put on pants, put shoes on again. Often can't find a good place, end up putting on the rainpants over soaked pantlegs. Have tried putting them on balancing on one leg at a time. Doesn't work, not without removing the pack. I had, way back when, some Sierra Designs rainpants that were made the same way, only with a less slim cut to the bottoms of the legs, and you could whip them right on over boots. So, my advice would be, don't buy any closeout or holdover Reed pants without the zipper....wait for the new ones, or go for one of the other options. I personally think the Montbell drytech fabric is better all around...the inner lining of the Reeds seems sort of soft and sticky. Just my two cents worth.

I have a realy old pair of Marmots that still wear pretty well. A while ago I saw a hiker wearing a piece of thin foam rubber hanging down from his waist to cover his butt.
He said try it, you'll like. So I did.
When trying to get the rain gear on or just when you need to sit and take a rest ....say on a wet stump or stone.... no wet pants. If your in areas that are wet or muddy or mossy it's a great addition.

Edited by jbaird on 02/17/2007 17:25:16 MST.

Anybody tried these ULA rain wraps?

http://ula-equipment.com/rain_wrap.htm