Currently in the market for a new pair of waterproof trousers, i walk in ireland so it rains every day, currently have a fairly battered pair of columbia gore tex paclite trousers which are ok but got very sweaty and after a long day i would be just as wet from sweat as i would have been from the rain! I have my eye on the Rab latok pants, i like the 3/4 length zip for putting on over my boots, but im not sure about event fabric, dont want to start a whole argument on event vs pro shell but... i own a mountain equipment pro shell jacket and i have to say i am most impressed but cant find many pro shell rain pants? Anyone any thoughts?
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 "dont want to start a whole argument on event vs pro shell" well Don't then, get Paramo insread, far better.
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I've some RAB Bergen event pants which work well in Scottish rain, which I believe is closely related to Irish rain. They're a bit lighter and less tough than the Latok ones, nice soft fabric and easy to wear - the knee isn't restrictive. The DWR on them seemed to give out quite soon. I renewed it with Grangers stuff and they're fine now. The payoff is breathability, but the downside is perhaps trickier maintenance, and I doubt they'll last anywhere near as long as a Goretex product. If you want to stick with pro-shell, what about these Sprayway ones - they seem good value and a good weight, and have less zip to leak than the RAB ones.
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 Try them on. Different trews have different fit, and ones closer to right to you will make walking easier and comfier. More important than the fabric as both are reasonable. Pete.
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I've looked around for Proshell OTs with full or 3/4 length side zips and haven't found any decent ones yet. There are a few salopettes around in Proshell, but they're too fancy and too expensive.
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I've also got the Rab Bergen pants and they are a nice light weight trouser. The only time I've used them I was already wet and they were employed as a windbreak but I was head to toe in eVent (Rab Super Dru on top) and I was perfectly comfortable. As mentioned by ALoveSupreme they might not be as durable as you want so the Latok may be a better option?
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 Guy, you might have seen them already but as well as the Sprayway ones ALS mentions, Mountain Equipment now has a Kongur Pant, which is Pro Shell with a 3/4 length zip, articulated knees and removable braces. Not cheap at £180. Paramo's legwear is superb for Scottish winter climbing use ime, but also a tad warm for less extreme conditions, for me anyway.
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Kongur pant: £180 for those! I hate wearing braces and these pants have no drawcord at the waste, which is a failing of most (all?) ME OTs. ME design excellent jackets, but I think they ought to aim a bit lower.
Had a look at the Sprayway OTs and they look pretty good, apart from the fact they only have half length zips. That's fine for those with average size feet, but I wear 11.5s and find putting on OTs with that design a real battle.
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| Edited: 08/10/08 16:26 |
 I'd say there's little to choose between the fabrics, although ProShell's microgrid backer does seem to run more smoothly over things. Get whichever pair has the features, fit and price you're looking for.
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ps ProShell is more likely to be used in 'more serious' legwear than 'rain pants'; e.g. winter salopettes (such as Berghaus Elysian pant; check your local TK Maxx). Probably due to the expense of the fabric. Finding simple rain pants may be tricky.
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 Not a huge fan of Berghaus or Paclite but the Berghaus Paclite OTs are actually very good. Weigh next to nothing and you can pick them up for about 80 squid.
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 Yup they're great - until you take them near anything sharp that is  The caveat is that their tear resistance somewhat resembles tissue paper. Me I've got two pairs with patches - one after sliding down some scree and another gained climbing over a barbed wire fence. It's the second which worries me more - I do a fair of open access walking and in the UK that can often mean fences. Of course this won't be a problem for a lot of people. Me I'm planning to try the new pertex shield ones from Rab. Should have good tear resistance at least. However the breathability shouldn't be ground breaking so likely not much help for the original poster.
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| Edited: 08/10/08 20:23 |
Ha! To be fair Martin there's not much that's going to barbed wire resistant. Try lifting your legs higher 
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 only old gear is barbed wire proof. any new gear will find the nearest piece of barbed wire to self test the manufacturers claims.
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 Pertex Quantum disintegrates within 10 feet of barbed wire. The only waterproof pants I've worn in the last couple of years have been OMM Kamleikas, Haglofs LIM Ultimate Paclite pants and old, much duct-taped Karrimor Phantom Paclite pants (Paclite 1, you can see the white membrane and it's got the dots on it), they've got the best articlulation of any waterproof pants I've tried.
I like Paclite on my legs, you maybe get a bit more condensation around your arse, but they're so light to wear and carry I'll endure it. The longs zips on those Haglofs ones help a lot.
Be prepared to repair Paclite pants a lot though, especially if you're out in winter 
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A shame that since they've probably used quantum as the face fabric for shield. At least they'll be light and cheap The comparison which struck me was my lightspeed (microlight) getting caught and not showing any damage afterwards whereas the paclites really did have no tear resistance at all. They still work well enough with tape on of course....
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FYI even goretex pro shell will need to have the dwr finish reapplied to the exterior. It wears off and then the clothing "wets out" from the outside. I spent about 1,000. on premium Arcteryx shell and saloppette. I was ok in the jacket, I was able to reapply DWR at home. One cold day. But the pants got progressivly worse on a trip. That sucked. hot and wet on the insde and cold feeling and wet on the outside. SO far, I haven't found anything perfect. But now I am seriously looking for a better understanding of what I am buying. To spend that kind of money and find out about required maintinance after the fact? Especailly not knowing when the DWR will wear off. and if Arcteryx has this problem I know everyone else will. I am very interested in this new event fabric.
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FYI even goretex pro shell will need to have the dwr finish reapplied to the exterior. A lot will depend on what DWR finish has been applied to start with. The better silicone encapsulations are getting on for lasting as long as the rest of the garment as long as you periodically "reactivate" them with a bit of heat. Not all DWRs are created equal, but the good ones are getting better all the time. DWRs can effectively be negated (though not removed) bydetergent washing, as detergent residue has an opposite effect. But if you rinse the garmenst thoroughly and/or wash in pure soap that shouldn't be an issue. But the DWR still often benefits from a bit of heat (cool iron or tumble dry, but see the garment care label). I am very interested in this new event fabric. It's not new, and it has exactly the same issues of DWR not being especially durable as Goretex. Pete.
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.jpg) I did Langdale NT campsite to Scafell pike summit and back last november with a Om friend and he had eVent troos and jacket and i had new proshell jacket and barghaus alpine waterproof troos on and in 30mph driving winds/rain he was totally soaked by the time we got back to camp and me i was totally dry if a little warm in my Goretex/proshell stuff . I rest my case Opt for some pants that have two storm flaps over the zips, i think the rab only have one internal one!!
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| Edited: 28/11/08 23:30 |
 another vote for the rab bergens- tough as old boots but without the weight when i eventually managed to hole them this summer (after several years of abuse) rab repaired them for a very reasonable price and made a lovely job of it. oh they're very breathable (more than anything else i've ever used- converted me to eVent in fact) and the zips can be used to vent (they're two way) as well as being just the right length to actually be able to get your boots on
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| Edited: 29/11/08 13:03 |
