liamj

Hi all,

My partner and I are looking at touring for a couple of months through Japan next year. Until then, we would like to do some short tours in BC, Canada (day to long weekend), and more often, riding round town, to/from work etc.

I am a climber, relatively new to the world of cycle touring.

I am looking for a pair of waterproof pants that I can use to cycle around town when wet, that I can pack to Japan for use when it's wet, but that I can also use when hiking or mountaineering when conditions deterioate. My thoughts/options seem to be:

- Superlight '2 layer' pants. Pertex is a typical fabric technology. Supler light, still waterproof, but not very durable, and with extended use I imagine the waterproof lining would wear off in high wear areas.

- Gore tex 'paclite'. This is still a 2 layer technology, really. Not sure if they attract a higher price because it is a more durable waterproof lining, or because of the name.

Can anyone with experience of extended cycle touring comment on this? Will the lighter weight waterproof pants wear through after a relatively short time of cycling only? Are there waterproof pants out there with, for example, reinforced knees to reduce wear?

Your comments and advice are much appreciated, thanks!


Liam

staehpj1

It certainly depends on your individual use and locale, but for me I found that rain/wind pants were not worn all that much, were not used that hard when they were, and as a result last for a very long time. They just are not exposed to a lot of abrasion and wear and are not worn all that much.

I have found that for on the bike I don't wear them to keep dry, only to keep warm. As a result I wear them when on the road and riding only when it is cold and wet or else just very cold. I do slip them on to keep my off bike clothes dry when in camp.

I find coated nylon works as well as anything or better at keeping me warm. I have not found that breathable fabrics pass enough moisture to keep me dry at the rate I sweat, so I just resign myself to being wet from either rain or sweat. I have used some inexpensive coated nylon rain pants (Sierra Designs I think) and they worked fine at keeping me warm while riding in wet conditions and at keeping me warm when not exercising. More recently in the interest of going lighter I used some very inexpensive ripstop pants from a dance supply company. They weren't waterproof and I sprayed them with a DWR treatment. They have worked out OK for me for backpacking and touring, but are less protection and much lighter duty.

MichaelW

I use my w/p pants a lot, for cold, wet riding, commuting and touring.
I found that expensive Gortex ones were overkill for the task, nice but cheaper ones can work just as well. My choice is Pertex Shield, in Montane DT Atomic pants. The material is durable enough to last a couple of years of heavy use.

Windproof pertex is much lighter than waterproof versions but anything more than light rain will get through.

Rowan

Check to see if MEC still offer their cycling rainpants. The pair I have, bought about five years ago, have waterproof zippers down the outside of each leg, all the way from the hip to the ankle to ease getting them on and off, and to help control to some extent sweat build-up. They are robust, and certainly waterproof.

For mine, waterproof cycling pants are more for protection from the wind and subsequent issues with evaporation causing cold legs. They are, however, great value in wet camping conditions.

Tourist in MSN

I prefer the lightest weight camping rain pants labeled as waterproof and breathable. I have no clue what the fabric is. I do not over think it.

If it is warmer than about 60 degrees F (roughly 15 C), I am more likely to not wear any rain pants, they are too warm so I just wear my bike shorts and get wet.

I think the ones I currently am using are a few year old Marmot Precip pants.

I roll them up and use a leg strap to keep them in a roll. That way I make sure that the strap that keeps them out of my chainring are still with the pants when I put them on.

A nice feature to look for are short zippers at the bottom to allow you to slip them on without having to take your shoes off.

I usually preach high visibility color for touring clothing but for rain pants, color black to hide any grease stains.

andrewclaus

The best rain pants I've found for cycling are a pair a friend made for me out of silnylon. They cost a few dollars, weigh a few ounces and will pack into your pocket. I agree that breathable are not needed--too much money, too much bulk. I also use them only for warmth, sometimes over a pair of long tights. I pack a pair of light nylon trousers to change into if I'd like to walk around town on a rainy day and not look like a visitor from another planet.