I got these
pants to use for a backpacking trip in Kananaskis this past weekend as the forecast threatened a decent amount of rain and potential thunderstorms, so I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to upgrade from my GTX Gaiters.
Overall I was quite pleased with the comfort that these
pants provided while doing basic camp chores in the rain. (Setting up the tent, Cooking dinner, hanging a bear bag etc.) I also found these
pants to be perfect for the trek back to the car as the rain had stopped but the brush along the single track trail was soaking wet. My partner who was wearing the gamma LT soft shell pant ended up getting soaked in the legs from this brush while I was nice and dry. I found the GTX C-knit backer to be perfect for this pant as they did not feel clammy even after 5 hrs of constant elevation gain. When I have used GTX
pants in the past the clammy effect has always been present and I find that quite annoying .
These
pants are packable enough that I can comfortably fit them into the rolled up hood of my Beta LT Hadron Jacket, which makes the pack organization freak in me super stoked.
I have two gripes with this pant hence the 3 star rating, they are the following;
1. The
pants do not feature a lace hook that could attach to my boot. My Beta SV Bib
pants feature this lace hook and it does an excellent job at sealing out snow, water, dirt and other debris one might come across while frolicking in the backcountry.
2. For some reason the top zipper is very difficult to unzip, it definitely does not come down on its own which is nice but it seems to be extra challenging to work with.
At the end of the day if you are looking for a fairly lightweight, fairly durable and fairly breathable waterproof, wind proof pant this is a pretty good option. I would personally recommend this pant to any friend who intended to use it for hiking, biking, and maybe even some climbing too. If a future model solved the two problems I have above this pant would hands be a 5 star piece of kit. Happy Trails
