Soft shell trousers

Just acquired pair of Striders, which seem good.  But as with my TNF Apex trousers, the material is very thin and my knees suffer badly from the cold.  The thinness of the fabric gives precious little insulation under overtrousers, and this, while wearing the Apex on a cold October trip to the Gorms was, I think, the cause of quite bad knee ache.  I usually wear Ultrafleece trousers in winter, or more recently, Cascadas, both of which are much warmer, with longjohns as necessary.

So, has anyone here tried to add something like a panel of microfleece or similar to the inside of softshell knees?  Any tips?  Does anyone else suffer the same?

The old Rohan Superstriders had double thickness of what was already thick material on knees and bum - heaven!  But it seems that very few have this now, I guess in the interest of cost, weight and drying times.

Thanks.

i'm glad you raised thi srob as have been thinking along the same lines since not being able to wear my cascadas - rather too rotund at the moment!

i have been eyeing up cycle knee warmers simply because i think they may be the ones that will stay where they are when rubbing against the inside of a trouser (they'll also come in handy for skiing)

The only thing with Cycling knee warmers is that if you catch sight of yourself in a mirror, you will look disturbingly like an extra from the Rocky Horror Show!

The 'holdup' bit at the top does work to some extent but is not perfect, in which case you end up looking like Nora Batty.  When I use these on my bike I tuck them under my cycle shorts, which makes them a bit more secure.

Steve D

Helly Hansen do 3/4 length LIFA (and I think their LIFA/Wool mix) underwear.

I suppose you could try using a slightly-too-large neoprene knee support. One that wasn't actually making much difference from a mechanical point of view but added warmth and wind resistance? Shops like Aldi and Lidl often have these in for not much cash...

John

Interesting replies - thanks all. One of the outdoor materials suppliers is sending me samples, so may go that route - a patch  on the inside.  Didn't know about cycle knee warmers - thanks. Wary of appearance tho!  Could be useful.

I wasn't aware, either, that Striders are not as windproof as they look - but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  I do use long johns with other trousers, but still feel something extra is required for thin soft shell as my knees seem to have precious little circulation going their way. 

Since really freezing my knees while snow-holing a few years ago, I now kneel on a sit mat where possible when digging and it really helps.

Keep the replies coming!

Rhodo wrote (see)

Have you tried those cheap elasticated knee supports you get from Boots?  They don't seem to provide much support but they do keep my knees warm.

Sports Direct(soccer sports)do some neoprene ones,

Think there were about 2.99 each. Use them when  my knees are dodgy, but also keep them warm. Just dont tighten them up to much.

Also mean that should you use your knees when scrambling  (tut tut) etc, it softens it.

Apologies for delay in answering your question.  Did not get the usual alert email until just now.

Yes it is the thick cotton-ish fabric I was talking about.  When I used them I did find them comfortable.  I would guess you would not want them too tight though.

Hi Rob,

I have the same problem with cold knees and whilst I just wear thicker trousers now, in the past I tried thermal kneewarmers etc and they just kept slipping down; so I ordered some stretchable thick meraklon/polypro used for thermal sleeping bag liners and I then stitched this to the inside of my Ron Hills. This worked a treat and kept the knee joints warm whilst not restricting movement.

Ian 

Ian, thanks for this.  It's rubbish having cold knees - and feet!  Did you ever regret the patches, or find they made your knees sweaty?

Point North kindly sent me 6 swatches of possible material and I've ordered two types.  Will decided which to use once they arrive.  Striders are very stretchy so I don't want to compromise that.  Will try to report back, tho won't really know til it gets colder.

Hi Rob,

Re your question about the handmade kneewarmers. No I never regretted them and they only got overwarm when it was hot weather; so for me they worked really well. Yes, as others say, Haglofs do very good 3/4 leggings, but outside very cold weather they are too warm and I take it, like me, you want something to keep warm in autumn / coolish weather when full length leggings are not really needed. Mine didn't look too bad either - certainly no worse than bought kneewarmers. So I say go for it.

Two more tricks for you Rob. If your endeavours are not too successful then Montane pertex trousers carried in the sack can be slipped on to help keep the insulation in without overheating problems. Also if you get sore knees at the end of a walk then I had thick thermal kneewarmers which I then slept in and this took away all the aches by next morning- I carried them for backpacking as well

Good luck

Much appreciated, as ever.  I think that the 3/4 length leggings would be too warm at times, and it's really just the knees I want to warm up - but thanks.  They would be ideal in conditions before longjohns are needed, I'm sure. Had wondered about Pertex O/Ts - can't tell from Montane's site but would I get them on over size 47s?  Would be useful at times - will think further...

Rob