Reader Reviews

Rating: 3 / 5

Reasonably priced, waterproof and breathable, but flimsy.

The full length, double pull side zips allow for easy on and off and excellent ventilation, but add weight and bulk.

But the big minus: my second day out in these pants involved several hours scrambling on rough rock in the Karwendel Alps, from which the pants emerged with a 2-inch rip in one thigh and a couple of smaller holes. Admittedly this is not really what they are designed for: but my lighter Haglofs LIM Ultimate jacket - also not really designed as a climbing shell and marketed more towards mountain racers - survived the same usage completely unscathed.

Rating: 2 / 5

These pants have a full side zip with no storm flap. In the under the sink test water just flows right through the closed zipper into the pants. Also, I never liked full length side zips anyway as they create pressure points on my hips with a pack. I wore the pants snowboarding and after sliding down the snow a few times I had several holes in the seat. I bought these on sale, but I probably should have saved my money.

Rating: 3 / 5

I purchased these in early 2011 to replace old cheapo membrane pants that had lost their touch. These weigh 12 or 13 oz.

Sizing is small. The medium measurements agree exactly with my normal pant size, but the waist is quite tight (suck it in to get that velctro fastened) and the inseam seems short. (I have not actually measured them.)

The full-zip is a great feature, but as noted above, heavy rain could penetrate with relative ease do the permeable zipper and lack of outer flap. This has not been an issue in practice, but these have not seen extensive rain use. I have, however, struggled with operating the zippers. They tend to catch and the two-way zipper (with both parts together near the top) tends to get misaligned easily.

Durability is so-so, though I've arguably pushed the pants farther than intended. I put a couple crampon bites in them this summer, then added a couple more hole bushwhacking this fall. (To be fair, it was more like glissading on 3 inches of snow over bushes... a stick caught, grabbed, and ripped.) The membrane shows no signs of wear other than the tears I've added (which go through both membrane and outer fabric), but I have not put all that many miles on these pants yet. The pants do now wet out in moderate rain or extended light rain.

Breathability has never been great, but that was expected. Having the full-zip (modulo its problems) helps with this by allowing venting at the the hip/thigh.

Recommended for low exertion/low-impact activities if you can get them on sale, but consider something burlier if you plan to abuse them moderately.