My girlfriend is in need of shell pants and she wears a women's s/m or a men's xs/s. There are several good options for relatively lightweight, breathatble shell pants with eVent or eVent-like fabrics, including the Rab Drillium and Montbell Rain trekker, but almost none of these are available in women's sizes or in a men's size small. It annoys me a bit, frankly, that technologies like eVent are less accessible to women than to men. Why do Rab and Montbell not make pants analogous to the Drillium and Rain Trekker for women (or at least in an xs men's size)?

The Westcomb Cruiser LT women's pants are the only option I know of, and they are not light compared to the Rab Drillium, and they cost $250.

Is anyone aware of eVent or eVent-like (air-permeable) shell pants for small women? Thanks.

Perhaps the montane Venture ?

David, thanks for the suggestion. The Montane Venture pant does seem closer than anything else I've seen to what we are looking for. It isn't in stock anywhere in the US, and the smallest size in stock at any UK vendor (a UK 8) would be a bit big on her. This might be the best we can do, but I am hesitant to pay $240 for ill-fitting pants.

If only Montane would offer a full-zip (tornado-free) Spektr jacket and matching pants in a wide range of sizes...

Bear in mind that a UK size 8 is about a US size 6.

Yes, a US size 6 would probably still be a bit big on her. Rain pants tend to have a baggy cut anyway, and she usually wears a US size 2-4. I think we might just stick to DriDucks for now. Maybe lightweight 3-layer eVent will be available for MYOG projects someday.

I don't know if these are of interest to you,they are women's and come in extra small on sale(not eVent)
http://www.golite.com/Tumalo-Pertex-25-Layer-Storm-Pant-P799.aspx

Edited by annapurna on 01/17/2012 10:43:30 MST.

Anna, thanks for the suggestion. I did look at the Golite Tumalo, and a handful of other urethane laminate pants. She has an old pair of goretex snowboarding pants that are about 14 ounces, and, for us, I think purchasing a new pair of pants is only justifiable if it is something more similar to the Montbell Rain Trekker or the Rab Drillium: air permeable (eVent-like), 3-layer, lightweight (< 10 oz in her size), and a good fit. It seems like a tall order, I know, but the Montbell and Rab pants I mentioned would satisfy all of those criteria if only they were available in a smaller size. Thanks for the input, though.

Well these are women's 3-layer eVent pants that come in small sizes(10.5 oz in med.)

http://www.rei.com/product/826027/rei-kimtah-rain-pants-womens

Edited by annapurna on 01/17/2012 12:45:09 MST.

Not sure if it helps at all but Montbell obviously have the japanese stuff - saw "rain trekker W'm sizes down to small and uses their breeze tec fabric...


maybe you can pull some strings and get it over here

Michael, you saw women's Rain Trekker pants advertised on a Japanese web page? I checked Montbell's North American (.com), Swiss (.ch), and Japanese (.jp) web pages and I did not see women's rain trekker pants. I did a lot of digging and found no indication that the Rain Trekker pants were ever produced for women.

I had a funny experience with the Montbell rain trekker pants, actually. I wear a size large Montbell Outpace Parka, and I ordered a size medium in the RT pants. They were gigantic. I'm a hair under 6' tall, and about 155 lbs (slender build), and the size medium pants were clownishly enormous on me (too long and too voluminous). I exchanged them for a small, which fits about right (slightly baggy). People joke about the Driducks pants being grossly oversized. The Rain Trekker pants are bigger. My girlfriend, who is 5'2" and 115 lbs, would almost completely fit inside one of the legs of the size medium Rain Trekker pants, and would still look ridiculous in the small.

Please let me know if you have seen a women's version somewhere. Thanks.

Edited by ckrusor on 01/17/2012 13:08:57 MST.

The women's eVent ones from REI I posted won't work?

Edited by annapurna on 01/17/2012 13:11:59 MST.

http://www.prolitegear.com/patagonia-rain-shadow-pants-womens-closeout.html (women's small available)

http://www.prolitegear.com/outdoor-research-womens-aspire-pants.html (women's small and XS available. Goretex Paclite)

well...
look at http://en.montbell.jp/products/goods/list.php?category=1000 (scroll down to article No. #1128269)

better yet go to the japanese site http://webshop.montbell.jp/goods/disp.php?product_id=1128269 and use ggl translate

M

Anna, that's brilliant! Thanks for the suggestion. The Women's REI Kimtah pants are exactly what we had in mind. The weight is acceptable and they even appear to come in a wide variety of sizes.

To be honest, I usually don't even bother checking REI because the items they stock are typically too heavy. Thanks for your help.

Michael, thanks for that link. I see that the Montbell Rain Trekker pants are made for women (in eleven different sizes!) in Japan, and they are available to Japanese customers for about US $85 (less than half the price of the REI Kimtah pants). Montbell will not ship them to the US, though. I called Montbell to ask about that and they said unequivocally that it is impossible.

I spent about a month in Gunma last year, but my Japanese is not good enough to correspond with retailers in Japan that might be willing to ship the pants to the US. I don't have any acquaintances in Japan that could ship it here, either. This really seems to be a better garment (lighter) at a better price than the REI Kimtah, but I don't know how to get it.

Colin
Dunno how adamant you are about this...but i would try some of the following:
1) snoop around BPL and find a member in japan and get him to buy and send you
2) google a bit and reach out to people (can try here:http://japanhike.wordpress.com
3) email a local shop in japan using google translate - it will work just fine
4) go to your Facebook wall and post that you need help with getting a parcel from japan and once you have a local address (can be hotel is someone is travelling) just order via the japanese site

MC

arcteryx alpha sl pants
westcomb crusier lt pant
montbell thunderhead pants

all come in womens and all under 12oz(i know heavyish)

Robert. I appreciate your suggestions. Two of the pants you identified are gore-tex, though, and I already explained my reluctance to invest in the Westcomb Cruiser Lt pants. I am being picky, I realize, but my criteria are not unrealistic (they are met by the MB RTs and the REI Kimtahs).

Michael, I'll consider your suggestions. It does seem that it might be worth the effort to attempt some of the things you mentioned in light of the fact that the MB pants meet all of my criteria and are $90 cheaper and several ounces lighter than the REI Kimtahs.

The pants are actually meant to be a birthday gift and it would be satisfying to know that I found something that is a good fit in all respects. Thanks again for all of the suggestions.

Hi Colin,

I'm in Japan, as Michael said if you're adamant for montbell perhaps I can buy and ship one for you.

ps: I don't work for montbell, just want to help :p

Ismail, that is a very generous offer. I would be happy to make some arrangement that provides you a bit of compensation for your trouble, as well. I'll send you a PM so we can discuss the idea a bit.