Rain Gear: slim pants
 

Hi there,

I've been searching through some of the threads but as apparel seems to come and go fairly quickly, I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for a slim-fitting pair of waterproof pants, to either go over regular pants, or to replace (not sure if the latter even exist). I've tried out a pair made by MEC (Drencher) but they're far too baggy for the length I need and had to return them. I'm 6'3" and thin as a rail.

Any suggestions?? I'm located near Toronto.

Thanks!

Patrick

I bought some Castelli rain pants that are reasonably non-baggy. Think they are these:

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...-due-rain-pant

Kept me dry all winter. The legs didn't snag on the chain ring either.

Thanks for that, I'll keep them in mind. The reviews were not too glowing, though you found them ok? I'm not cycling super long distances, moreso the ~20 km I do each day for commuting. I should mention that I own a pair of MEC 3-ply goretex pants, but find them too heavy (and also baggy) to cycle in comfortably.

They have worked fine for me. Plenty of rain in Portland. There could be more reflective bits, and like all rain pants, they can turn into a sauna if you ride hard.

Now that I use a cape, there needs to be a stiff wind, before I need rain pants.. at all ..



NB, Re rainpants.. you can buy the material and hire the sewing, done .
it doesnt have to have a factory brand.

Interesting, never though about a cape, though wouldn't it cause a lot of wind resistance, even when there's not a heavy head-wind?

Jyl, how is the fit relative to the sizes? I never trust those sizing charts, plus with the leg bend they usually need to be longer than just your inseam. XL for 6'3"?

Hard to say w/ fit, leg lengths vary, I'm wearing L for 5'11" (normally wear 32" pants inseam) and length is right. But on rainy days, I wear ankle-height booties as well.

The reason rain pants are so baggy is so that you can put them on (or take them off) without removing your shoes. I'm 5'10" and wear a size 11 shoe... you are what... size 16? LOL. Seriously, you want those baggy pants, I know I appreciate not having to unlace and relace and hop around in the damp or whatever...OR you might try chaps. That's what I'm rocking now. RainLegs chaps. Not baggy. At all. And of course, no breathability issues, but the price of that is there will be some wetness getting through... but that was probably already the case even with the full coverage rain pants. FWIW.

H

Someone on this forum recommended rain legs a while back when I was planning a 200 km ride in Vancouver in the Wet Season. Biking buddy and I ordered them from England and they work like a charm.

If fit is your primary concern you can't do better than Foxwear. Everything is custom and you talk right to the guy doing the sewing - Lew. The products are outstanding

Luckily there's no shortage of wind where you live.

Even with fenders, my front tire sprays water up on my lower legs.

Cape? It doesnt make me any Wider , its the width / frontal area that will matter .

Now if theres a fairing in front of you .. the airflow is smoothed around your body.

Got the heavy duty one Riv Bike got Grundens to make for them.

I have a pair of pants from REI that work really well when it gets wet. Pretty sure there these ones. Sometimes I'll tie a bandana around my leg to keep the pants out of the way, but I don't think they really need it.

Check out Sugoi's "Majik" pants, I think they might meet your needs. They are very light, waterproof and fit fairly slim - a lot slimmer than any MEC waterproof I've seen - but not so slim you can't wear them over regular pants. I've done three Vancouver winters in mine so far, they are starting to show some wear and tear but nothing that can't be patched up.

I use rain shorts by Endura and Seal Skin waterproof socks. The shorts have the option of a snap-in liner or wear over whatever you want under them. They hit my knee when standing and just above the knee when riding allowing air flow up the legs. Half the size of long pants when packed in a bag and much more comfortable than full length legs when wearing them.

These Endura shorts are waterproof-breathable, cut specifically for cycling, have two zippered pockets, and have a non-blousy tailored fit. You might never wear full length rain pants again.

I like Montane Atomic DT. I'm very slim and they fit well. They have a long lower leg zipper, elasticated ankles and a velcro tab to take up slack material.

those Endura shorts sound cool - do you have a link? I'm not finding them

http://www.endurasport.com/Product.a...33&prod_id=114

Linkage to Endura Superlite waterproof shorts.

I'm wary about using rain cape: sometimes it can get entangled with passing vehicles. I know of at least one real fatal bike accident that resulted from the victim's raincoat getting entangled with a vehicle.

I think a lot of rain gears are way overpriced. They are such simple products but many are priced over $50 and some over $100. The rainlegs linked above could be easily replaced by something home-made.

With rain pants and jacket., you can count on having extremely wet shoes, as the rain simply drip down the pants and into your shoes. There's also no protection for hands.

A cape helps both. Unless it's very windy, you'll arrive with a small bit of dampness on the toes, but other the inside of your shoes should be dry. The cape can also cover your hands, keeping you warmer and dryer.

Of course, this varies a lot by climate. Where it's windy, capes are a bit of a struggle and in climates where there's a lot of light, misty rain, a good set of pants, shoes and gloves and boots may be needed.

Where I live, I travel with the cape in my pannier. It weighs 8 oz and I can put it on quickly if needed.

Thanks much! Endura has some really interesting stuff, glad to discover them. While I like those ultralite shorts some of their other offerings look like a great 3/4 year solution