Commuting - Need rain pants with vents for summer

When it rains, my clothes get pretty dirty from car side-spray. My Montain Featherlite's are pretty worn out and never were really waterpoof. The Shower's Pass rain pants are vented but are too hot for temps above 50F Does anyone know of a cooler lightweight waterproof rain pant with vents?

Ok, I hate to say the obvious... but rain pants with vents are only good if say, it's not raining. Same for most goretex jackets with underarm vents, you open them up in a downpour and you will get wet.

That being said, most mountaineering gore-tex waterproof breatheable pants have full side-zips with double zippers and a velcro buckle on each side of the pants at the top. So you can essentially put on the pants and open up the 2-way zippers so you can have say, a slit open along your thigh while the lower part of your leg is closed.

Ok, I hate to say the obvious... but rain pants with vents are only good if say, it's not raining. Same for most goretex jackets with underarm vents, you open them up in a downpour and you will get wet.

That being said, most mountaineering gore-tex waterproof breatheable pants have full side-zips with double zippers and a velcro buckle on each side of the pants at the top. So you can essentially put on the pants and open up the 2-way zippers so you can have say, a slit open along your thigh while the lower part of your leg is closed.

The vents would probably work OK. The Shower's Pass pants actually have a knee vent. And a vent over the hips. No water gets in because the vent is actually a flap. But they're still very warm and stinky.

I have never found any rain paints that work here. If the tempature is cooler I were regular tights if it i swarm just shorts.

Wear tights in the rain? How do you peel them off when they're soaking wet??? They get stuck on my ankles like suction cups!

Instead of pulling them off like pants, you unroll them off your legs so they turn inside out. Kind of like putting on a condom but backwards, heh.

I use Pertex rain pants. Its not as full-on waterproof as gortex, but its good enough even in heavy, cold rain. It is a whole lot more breathable , lighter and packs smaller. It also dries much more quickly, esp after a few months of heavy use.
At 1/4 the price of goretex, I can recomend them.

[QUOTE=slvoid]Same for most goretex jackets with underarm vents, you open them up in a downpour and you will get wet.

Nah, it's all how the jacket is designed. I have a pretty cheap Nainamo rainjacket with goodsized pit zips and I've stayed dry in downpours even with them open. They have flaps about 1-1/2" wide, that probably helps.

Well flaps help not only to block rain but redirect it when it's running down your jacket.

I have an arcteryx jacket with waterproof zips, when it's wet, all bets are off. The thing too is if you're in a normal rain that's fine but when the winds are blowing, if they're open, rain will find a way in. Bonus though, the hood's sized to fit a climbing helmet so it goes over my bike helmet easy.

For biking, 2 way's are the best, you can open them up till the pits, leaving the torsol portion closed, because you're hunched over slightly, the rain won't get in and it creates a nice breeze as you're riding.

I agree with ngateguy. Everytime I go out for a long ride in the rain, I think to myself that I should wear my rainpants. Half the time I actually manage to fool myself into thinking that this is a good idea. Almost everytime I regret the decision. The other half the time, I just wear tights. Rainpants do work well here if it's really cold since they'll block the wind and the lack of breathability is a bonus in such a case. In the summer, I never wear them.

>I use Pertex rain pants.
MichaelW which brand do you use?

I have a pair of Thinsulate rain pants..Supposed to breath. I find water gets in...Less rain tight than rain proof rain tights. Some water gets in through the seams..But far less than rain pants. Plus the tights are far better at breathing.
Unless there is a big step up to Gore Tex rain pants. I prefer water resistant rain tights...

I bought a pair of Red Ledge Thunderlight Full Zip pants from Campmor about 1 month ago and they've worked well the several times I've taken them out in rain. They keep the rain off, but I do end up sweating a little by the end of my 2 mi commute despite their reported breathability. The pants pack pretty small (like half a can of tennis balls) into my bag for the trip in on deceptively sunny mornings.

Overall I believe they are worth the $39.99 I paid for them.

Freestyle model 997
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/?Manu=Freestyle