I really want a pair of lovely fleece pants. They aren't the most common item in the UK outdoor market but I'm hoping somebody could point me in the direction of a nice, comfortable and light pair. I'm interested to hear about products whether they are available in the UK or not!

Thanks for reading,

Ben

But I bought a pair of Columbia microfleece pants for $10 at my local Ross store in Denver. They are very light, a nice thin layer.

Wow. That's certainly a nice price point. They sound like the sort of thing I'm after. I'm really fussy with pants for some reason. These fleecey things have been on my shopping list for a long time, right next to a pair of softshell pants with waterproof knee and seat but very breathable everywhere else.

Are your fleece pants something you backpack with or do you use it as a lounge/travel pant?

I have a pair of the heavier weight Columbia pants that I like quite a bit. I have mostly used them as an extra layer when lounging around camp in sub-freezing temps. I think they were $25 or so when I got them.

Looks like this, but the price is higher than I remember.
http://www.columbia.com/Men%E2%80%99s-Fast-Trek%E2%84%A2-II-Pant/AM8003,default,pd.html

Hi Ben, yes I hike in them. They are great to layer over a base layer. You could probably find some great deals online today on Columbia fleece pants. REI fleece pants are nice too.

I bought my pair of Patagonia Expedition Weight ones off of eBay years ago for a cheap price and I still wear them to this day. If they ever go out I can send them to Patagonia and get credit but I don't think that will ever happen as they are FLEECE. Power dry is the best stuff out there for them I have found and you can find a lot of deals right now on them and even more in February. REI has some for $34 that are heavyweight.

I bought a pair of fairly heavy full zip fleece pants which I use in the winter. I managed to find them on sale at a used outdoor clothing store. I love them. Because they are fleece, they breathe well. The full zip means that I can vent them whenever I feel like it. On the rare occasions when I feel like taking them completely off, I can do so without taking off my skis. It is nice to have pants that work really well for going uphill (when I am sweating) or downhill (when I don't exert myself much and things get breezy). This flexibility makes up for the weight and the snow I tend to collect on them. If you can find a pair with full zip (or a very long zipper) I recommend you grab them.

Three are many brands of fleece and finding the best ones takes some internet browsing. I think Polartec makes a HOLLOW fleece which is warmer than solid filament fleece. Deer, elk, and moose hairs are hollow for better insulation.

There is a term known as "boundary air" which is the one or two molecule layer or air that clings to a substance like say, fleece fibers or down plumule filaments. Boundary air is much more resistant to movement than surrounding air, probably due to electrostatic attraction. A hollow fiber has at least twice the boundary air layer of a solid fiber (fibre? ;o).

I think these are the mother of all fleece pants. Made by Mountain Hardware, the quality is superb. They're a bit heavy (1# 5.5 oz., size large), but they really block the wind and are quite warm. Great for snowshoe/ski trips, but if you do a lot of face plants, you'll want to wear a WP/B shell over them. They're also great for wearing to a December football game at Chicago's Soldier Field...

I don't know if MH is phasing them out, or if this site is just selling last year's model. But the price is pretty good.

http://www.travelcountry.com/shop/mountain-hardwear/windstopper-pant-mens.html

Rab makes power stretch pants. Different from the typical 100 or 200 weight Polartech fleece materials.

I haven't worn the Rab pants, but they are very dense. The outer side is tight and looks a like neoprene. They even developed a crease like a wetsuit might. The inner is dense fleecy stuff. They are less bulky than my 100 weight pants but weigh only a bit less.

Well, the Rab are tights... The only other fleece pants I have used were loose fitting. But neither had pockets or fly. You may want those for pants, I guess..

I thought you might be looking for trousers..?
I thought fleece pants were another garment for you lot?

for active use or not?

for active you can just buy those form fitting grid powerdry "fleece" pants ... the weight depends on what you do actively ...

for inactive use ... go buy any 200wt+ fleece pants at the department or outdoor store ... "lesser" brand names cost around $20-$50 here ... dont bother with those fancy brands for basic fleece pants

thanks for all the replies guys!

Yes, it is fibre, not fiber.
Yes, I call them trousers but every brand in the UK who should make fleece ones don't. Unless you're happy with a full zip or quarter zip fleece top, there isn't much choice over this side of the pond. I was even told that companies don't make hooded fleeces because they are "girly".
The cheap brand fleece trousers available here are more of a classic style looking jogging thing which weigh a ton and are either polycotton "fleece" or made of that nasty cheap fleece that isn't really worth buying.
That is why I'm calling them pants, my ooglegoogle searches for fleece pants bring me closer to what I'm looking for.

Sadly I'm not just a skier. When I snowshoe I usually have my board strapped on my back instead of ski's. That means I spend a fair bit of time rolling in the snow.

I think I'm looking for something I can use as a hillwalking/backpacking pant. I will have a search for all the products mentioned when I get some time!

As I say, I haven't yet worn my Rab Powerstretch pants/tights, but I expect them to be too warm for hard work hiking. Especially with any other pants over them. I chose them for walking/touring in cooler weather and for at rest times. Being a local manuf., perhaps you could see them in a store.. The new model does not have RAB embroidered all around the waist and that is a relief.

I don't understand the differences between PowerStretch and PowerDry.. PowerDry seems to be the replacement? At least, I found more garments made of PowerDry and it seems to be the topic of more recent threads here.

In cool weather, I am usually happy with poly/cotton blend pants (yeah, cotton blend.. I just like them and they dry okay) with gaiters. Warm enough for me while moving when doing things in winter. I do wish to have more on when I stop for long, though. Most of my winter experience has been dry cold of American west. Less experience in damp cold. However, enough to know I prefer dry cold..

I can snowshoe.
I can't ski or snowboard.

I like learning differences between here, America, and any other place. I just received a Rab jacket and the zipper pull is on the opposite side from our men's jacket. Here, ladies jackets typically have the zipper pull on the left and men's on the right. In your world, are zipper pulls on the same side regardless of sex?

Edited by Tan68 on 11/27/2012 05:02:16 MST.

You're not looking in the right places with the big manufacturers :)

http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/product_info.php?cat=29&products_id=109, http://hilltrek.co.uk/acatalog/Made_Fleece_Trousers.html.

With options in tight woven, wind resistant fleeces too which is probably a good idea in context. Norrona's trollveggen warm 2 tights are quite wind resistant for fleece too, but they are tights.

Hooded fleeces have actually got a lot more common recently. Whether you'll find them easily in shops I won't guarantee but there are tons of options by mountain equipment, Montane/RAB with some and Haglofs doing hooded options in almost of their styles. (And all the American imports.).

Power Stretch has a smooth/continuous surface and Power Dry has a gridded "sculpted" inner surface like the Patagonia R1 garments.

Either will make for good warmth and great for sleep or under rain pants. I would find them too warm for active use unless it was very cold. The bulk may be limiting under normal sized pants.

A good Power Dry option is the US military medium weight ECWCS long johns/drawers.