I am after some waterproof trousers for yearround light mountaineering for a budget of 150 quid.
The ones which have stood out so far are ME's Karakorums, the only reservation i have about them is the fabirc - ME's "DriLite Extreme" i don't know anyone who's had experience of it.
i like the spec of the Karakorums (Artic. reinforced knees, anti-crampon strips and braces etc)

full spec on http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/waterproofs/drilite-extreme.html

anyone got a pair?
any other suggestions?

i have considered the new berghaus paclites purely from a weight and breathability (and price) point of veiw but is durability questionable?

I have a mate who used his up mont blanc last summer and throught the winter in wales while at uni and he's had no problems. Saw them slightly reduced in Ultimate outdoors in betws-y-coed a week ago along with some similar styled hagaofs that were down to £100. I have lowe alpine expedition bid which has not features other than braces and zips and a small crampon patch but there is a weight saving due to this, these were also reduced to just £80 in snowdon ranger in betws-y-coed. Trouble is knowing what these shops have in and when.

take a peek at teh Berghaus big wall XCR. ive got the last seasons modle which are really good n they aint changed that m,uch. bout £150

I really like the mountain hardwear ultra pant - good fit and VERY durable fabric
not sure if you can find it on sale for 150, but maybe you can online

also, the pant accepts suspenders

Excellent, black lace ones?

Have a pair of the Karakorum pants, and think they are excellent.

The material isnt as breathable as Gore-tex, but not that you'd notice unless you were working really hard.

The material itself is pretty durable, my poor footwork, and crawling up rock havent managed to do significant damage yet.

The older version was quite heavy, but having looked at the new type (with water resistant zips) they seem to have lost a fair bit of weight.

magic mountain did have the ME pants in at £90 a couple of weeks ago.

Got the Lowe Alpine Apex pants and they are to die for. Great fit and pretty light weight and all the technical features you'd want like baces, full length zips, stretch knee panels etc. Problem is they are £180 RRP and you don't often see them reduced. Bargains are out there mind, I managed to pick up a pair for £120 so its worth the effort in hunting around

ME Karakorums, good but not that light. As far as Paclite goes, first, the Berghaus Pants have only a partial zip, which makes them less versatile with crampons, harness etc. Also while the fabric's okay, it's not designed for maximum durability.

My fave pants at the moment are Lowe's eVENT pre-production ones, which will be available as a production garment this autumn, though I think out of your price budget. Nicely specced, good cut, very breathable, high-waisted rather than salopettes.

Right now I might consider some sort of soft shell pant - maybe ME's G2 once they've added braces later this year - combined with a cheap, light, waterproof pant for when it rains,

Generally also, I wouldn't use the Berghaus pants for technical mountaineering, reckon that the lack of reinforcement, no fly zip, no full length leg zips, no braces etc plus the thin fabric makes them a bit of a non starter unless you're prepared to destroy them quick then buy another pair...

Check out CMM Online they have the ME pants for £79.99

For autumn , winter and early spring I use Buffalo specail six trousers and for summer golite's silicone encapsulated soft shells.
The buffalo pants are warm and full side zips offer great venting plus they are so easy to care for no proofing or worrying about rips etc, just bang them in the wash.
The Golite soft shell pants are so light and very breathable. These pants arn't tape sealed but I havn't got wet in mine in the past 12 months again so easy to care for.
I'm not trying to rubbish your kit choice but there is great kit out there that works a whole lot better, for me anyway, than standard waterproof shells. why not give it a go.
cheers Pete.

I can highly recommend the buffalo teclite bottoms they are warm,windproof,highly water resistant and best of all cheap for what you get!