tks nun, those are interesting looking. Tis a shame I cant pop into a REI and try a pair on, I'm a bit concerned that the 30" inseam may be a bit short for me when riding (ie, bottom of pants riding up a bit too much and going over the tops of my rain booties).

my wife often wants to procure my rain pants, so have been on the lookout for a replacement for me, as she could take mine.

as you say, what is interesting with these is basically you could use them as long pants on a trip, cool mornings, evenings, on summer trips and have no need to have a pair of long pants with you. Interesting.
Just wish I could try some on in person. I should also measure the inseam of my present North Face rain pants to compare, although perhaps inseam measurements can vary from pant to pant--is it generally accepted that this measure is from the lowest part of the crotch section of a pant? Will have to look that up.

Lots of good info here.

My two coppers:

I've travelled to two places in the world where I would recommend true rain pants, Iceland and TDF.

Yes to booties or bring a bunch of wool socks and have a "drying plan"

A real hard shell is a nice security blanket. Do you want to be able to fit a helmet underneath? If you are rolling with four bags I'd bring two jackets. One J&G weight and one for cold weather.

I think inseam data is usually pretty accurate, but I do not trust waist data. I have some size 32 jeans that are bigger than some of my size 34 jeans from a different company due to vanity sizing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_sizing

The nice thing about REI is they do a range of inseam lengths so you'll be able to find something that fits.

On another note I always pack a small travel umbrella. It has kept me dry on many occasions.

Rode to the Arcteryx store today to check out the Atom LT. Looks nice but the store doesn't even stock all the colors. TravelCountry.com has the "Golden Palm" yellow for $149 which is a big savings over std list of $229--yellow is pretty unhip though, I'm leaning to spend extra for the "Rusted Copper". As nun notes, mid-layer insulation is not for rain protection but OTOH with a lightweight shell one will need more insulation beneath. There are so many "waterproof/breathable" shells available I think it's wise to rely on posters w/personal experience. Seems that the lighter one goes the more need there is to have a quality garment. Entry-level models may or may not work well for a while.

Rain pants can be handy sometimes. Not as aero as tights but easy to put on/take off for rainy periods. Have a pair of REI (IIRC) rain pants that work nice even for skiing. In cold weather most riders use tights w/racing-type bike shorts, I was never fond of that setup: if the day warms up you're still stuck being somewhat overheated unless you find a random bathroom to change tights out. Rain pants can go over other shorts, tights etc.

I'm a bit surprised no one has spoken up for cheapo plastic jackets or foul-weather gear. Pro racers used to use thin clear waterproof/non-breathable plastic jackets for rainier conditions. Undoubtedly it gets clammy underneath but one's still protected from chilly rain. Knew an old courier that toted yellow foul-weather jacket/pants & would put them on with first drop of rain. Stuff was heavy but gave 100% guarantee of keeping rain off.

I really like to see stuff in person, and getting to a REI in person would be a real trek for me, they dont even have one in Vermont, which would be the closest to me.
Oh well, perhaps one day I'll visit Boston again.
Those rain pants do look interesting though.

Thanks. I was looking at the Alpha AR jacket, but the SL might be better for me-- and a lot less expensive!!!

Update - not sure what happened, but after a ride home last week in a 30 minute medium rain both the jacket and pants were soaked through. I am sending them back. They worked great for the first few showers then soaked through. I treated them with new DWR and they worked great for a few more showers, and now...:(

I don't have this problem with the Marmot Essence as it has some velcro at the back of the hood allowing to limit the impact of the hood on peripheral vision.

Went to the local REI to look at casual (not rain) pants & was surprised how little of the online items were on display. OTOH with the reviews one can often get a good idea about an item w/o seeing in person.

One would think Marmot would work well, kinda surprising. I've had mixed experience with DWR stuff, sometimes the bargain stuff works OK, sometimes not.

Mine was the Acytryx (spelling?), but I had a Marmot that did not work at all, even after contacting Marmot and following their instructions to the T. I am close to trying the Showers Pass Refuge. Cool thing is the Acytryx was purchased in 2014 and the retailers are taking both the top and bottom and giving a refund!

Pretty impressive the stores backing up their stuff like that. Bought an Arcteryx Atom mid-layer jacket last month, was worried buying fancy-brand stuff was a waste of money but it's amazingly comfortable. Hadn't heard of the Refuge, apparently it's a sturdier version of the Elite.

Their Elite 2.1 is about the same weight if you take the hood off the Refuge. The Refuge has the hood and has nice zippers down the front (towards the sides) that allow cooling somewhat like a pit zip, which I have not noticed worked well for me (only allowing water to run down my stomach when I had them open too much). Also, the Refuge has heavier duty shoulders to keep my backpack from wearing that area out.

The Refuge pants have the same reinforcement in the seat.

Anything to say about Frogg Toggs. fairly light, cheap, easy to tear, easy to tape up, easy to replace.

I would use a frogg togg top but not the bottom for biking.

Many years ago a mtn/rock-climber friend was talking about Gore-Tex & noted that shoulder area was 1st spot for membrane layer to get worn out. Seat reinforcement an obvious plus too. BTW this weekend will be extra cold, local newscaster said ~"folks will want to put their Gore-Tex on"...?? OTOH I remember when Gore-Tex first came out, for many years it wasn't acceptable for business-types to wear practical rain jackets/parkas--now when tv reporters broadcast about winter storms they all have nice parkas on. So I guess the aforementioned newscaster equated Gore-Tex w/warmth.

Hello all,

My 2 bits on it all. Fogg Toggs are really popular in the motorcycling community but I can't speak to their cycling potential. In any good rain gear comparison my thoughts always come to moisture management. I sweat a lot and, in my experience, rain gear is useless if you can't breath and stay as dry inside as out. So personally I have never been able to be a cheapo plastic pancho fan but it works for some people.

I used to bike commute in central Canada where you could leave at -40C in the morning and bike home in -15C(which would feel balmy) Now, though "rain" management isn't a concern at those temps I can speak to a bit of the gear mentioned in above post and its internal moisture management. On such a day I would be warm and dry with a combo of Icebreakers merino wool Merino Wool Base Layer & Men's Base Layer | Icebreaker base layer, Atom LT mid-layer Atom LT Hoody / Men's / Mid Layer and Fleece / Arc'teryx, and a Beta LT Beta LT Jacket / Men's / Shell Jackets / Hardshell (Waterproof) / Arc'teryx

I mention this all because at those extreme temps you have to become an expert in moisture management or risk hurting yourself. So, in the end, I say invest in getting moisture off your body, quickly, and you will always feel dryer, no matter the outside conditions.

PS I've never used them, but in terms of feet, many tourers swear by these Thermal & Waterproof Socks : SealSkinz Breathable, Close Fitting Socks

I had an Anorak i Got from LL Bean , had to pull it over my head , but had the kangaroo pockt in Front

and the hand warmer pocket Behind it so I didn't Lose My Gloves..

they use the breathable stuff in helmet covers,

Anorak Had a Hood I Just pull it over My Head with a Hat on It.

MEC has one with a Flap in the back

you can cut a hole in it so as to strap your helmet light through it.

Interesting to read how folks handle some real cold...makes sense to buy best quality stuff. OTOH when it's well below freezing one doesn't need to worry so much about rain getting thru the DWR shell. BTW on another thread I learned about Vapor Barrier Liner style--I think that's mostly for folks doing multi-day activities in deep cold where sleeping bags/shoes/clothes get heavy with sweat vapor. Probably not esp practical for commuting but I feel it's an interesting concept. Perhaps it works something like a wetsuit.

Thanks. Yea, I have never heard of Vapor Barrier liners but in extreme cold everything is based off how long you intend to be in the elements. You can get by on surprisingly little in extreme cold given your amount of movement and prospects of warming up in the foreseeable future. People that do expeditions in those elements have to over dress to the extreme because they may not see a heated structure for weeks.