It's a truth universally acknowledged that any climber or walker
is faced with the terrible problem of which trousers to wear in
winter. For years it was a dilemma that baffled some of the world's
greatest minds and before long, was regarded as the last great
problem of mountaineering.
Fortunately things are looking up - better fabrics and more
thoughtful designs have upped the ante and at last things are
improving for legs. Our man Richard Gear tells you what to look for
and outlines the pros and cons of different fabrics.
Pants or
Salopettes?
Climbers are generally better off either with full salopettes -
'bibs' if you're an American or looking at a US brand - or
high-waisted trousers with braces. Normal trousers have a tendency to
work their way downwards while you're climbing leaving a cold spot at
the base of the spine and the extra fabric in salopettes also ups the
insulation value.
More conventional pants are fine for walkers, who'll find it
easier to hitch things up than harnessed climbers, but equally braces
and be worth their weight in gold, particularly if the fit on the
waist is a tad loose.
Other Features...
For winter mountaineering use my checklist would include a set of
zip flies for men for ease of access, an articulated or stretch knee,
particularly if you're going to be mountaineering and may need to
make high steps and, for use with crampons, a reinforced patch on the
inside of the ankle made from something tough like Cordura.
I also like
an adjustable ankle cuff, so you can snug the bottom of the trouser
leg down around the top of the boot, less important if you're going
to wear gaiters, but a really useful feature if you don't. Internal
ankle gaiters and arguably better for skiing that walking or
climbing, but some mountaineers like them and it gives you the option
of doing without separate snow gaiters.
For sitting down during rests or for belays on snowy stances, a
reinforced seat is a nice touch too.
Layering or Single Layer?
The traditional layering system works well in some situations, but
it adds bulk and, if you run hot and are moving fast - even in cool
conditions - you can often overwhelm the breathability of a
waterproof shell pant leading to unpleasant hot dampness.
On top of that two layers always seem to restrict movement more
than one, so in an ideal world I'd prefer towear a single layer pant
or salopette that's protective enough to manage without shell pants
for 90 per-cent of the time and carry ultra-lightweight shell
trousers for when things get seriously wet.
The Fabric Choices
These are the most common winter legwear fabrics. None of them is
totally perfect, but some are getting close. I've tried to outline
the pluses and minuses of each one to help you make your own
decision.
Fleece
|
Warm, snug and comfortable.
Can be too warm, lacks stretch so mobility not always good,
low wind and water resistance.
|
Conventional fleece has always been a classic winter standby and
on the face of 
it
seems like a good option. Unfortunately it's not very wind resistant,
has no water resistance to speak of and unless its carefully cut, the
lack of stretch can hinder free movement.
It's also quite warm, which is fine when you're stationary, but
less welcome if you're working hard and particularly if the lack of
water and wind resistance means you've resorted to shell trousers to
protect yourself. Fantastic for sitting around in the pub or
bunkhouse at the end of the day, but less practical on the hill
itself.
If you like fleece, we'd look at Ultafleece or K2 Karisma, which
is a densely woven fleece used notably by Mountain Equipment. The
dense weave means it's significantly more wind resistant than normal
fleece and because it's thinner, it's not as warm, making it better
for active use. Look for stretch panels at the knee to ease mobility.
Powerstretch
|
Close fitting, stretchy, great mobiliy, snug, warm with
reasonably wind resistance
Not great in rain, though it holds less water than normal
fleece. Not cheap.
|
Powerstretch is reasonably warm, similar to microfleece, but not
so hot that it precludes active use. A big plus though is that it
incorporates elastane, which means it's close-fitting but also great
for mobility. The elastance content marginally reduces breathability
and wicking, but not so you'd actually notice, and it seems to help
with water resistance.
Wind resistance is reasonable because of the densely-knitted outer
and it's not as poor in rain as conventional fleeces. Great for cold
weather, fast-moving activities and the brushed inner makes it snug
and comfortable. We'd take Powerstretch over normal fleece every
time. One thing to bear in mind though is that while the close fit is
great for insulation, it's not particularly flattering, so you may
want to check the mirror before heading into the pub...
Schoeller-Type Fabrics
|
Reasonable wind and water resistance, great breathability
and built-in stretch
DWR needs periodic restoration and it's not particularly
warm. Genuine Schoeller is pricy as well.
|
Swiss Schoeller fabrics have been around for ages, but the recent
move towards 'soft shell' has given them a bit of a leg up in the UK
market and 
emphasised
their positive qualities. The fabric is a tightly knit/polyester
nylon fabric that incorporates Lycra for stretch and is available
with added bits for enhanced performance, like added Cordura for
toughness or added wicking components for better moisture
transfer.
It's stretchy and great for mobility, but its big strength is a
combination of good breathability with medium wind and water
resistance in a form that's not overly warm and makes it great for
active winter use. You'll need shell pants when things get really
wet, but the rest of the time, it's ideal - you do sacrifice some
windproofing for breathability, but it's a good trade off and
Schoeller is my winter legwear fabric of choice, particularly for
fast, alpine-type use when you don't want to overheat. Teamed with a
baselayer tight, it's also effective in cooler conditions.
Schoeller itself is expensive - think 120 quid for a basic pant -
but there's more and more Schoeller-like fabric around with companies
like Berghaus and HH producing garments with similar qualities at
more affordable prices.
Windproof Soft Shell Fabrics
|
Windproof or near windproof, very high water resistance.
Expensive and less breathable than more conventional
fabrics,
|
Two
of the giant of outdoor clothing are duking it out in the soft shell
ring. Gore's Windstopper is a 100 per-cent windproof membrane that
can be given different qualities by using different face and lining
fabrics. It also has the advantage that, apart from the seams, the
membrane is effectively waterproof, which makes it a good fit and
forget fabric.
The downside to Windstopper is that its levels of breathability,
while okay in the cold, dry conditions of the Alps, find it harder to
cope with warmer, damper Britain and hot British walkers and
climbers. Polartec's Powershield fabric takes a slightly different
approach. Rather than being 100 per-cent windproof, it's 98 per-cent
windproof with the extra air movement claimed to up breathability
considerably, but still providing protection against wind and
rain.
We've been very impressed with Powershield and would recommend it
to anyone who is more concerned with dissipating heat than conserving
it and we'd say that the enhanced breathability makes it a better
option for the UK than Windstopper. It's still not as breathable as
Schoeller, but then it's far more protective in really harsh
conditions. We like it a lot.
Trackie Bottoms
|
Cheap, fast-drying, readily available, not over warm, good
mobility...
Very imited wind and water resistance, not very warm, tend
to fall down
|
Tracksters and similar trews are all very well and often offer
good mobility, but thermal values and wind and water resistance are
very limited, even when it comes to the thicker Trackster Trek-type
models. We're not saying they're useless and the price is often very
attractive, but Schoeller and Powerstretch-type fabrics are light
years ahead and, if you can afford them, we'd give them a try. We
don't think you'll look back.
The End
For general UK winter use we like the Schoeller and Schoeller-type
fabrics and, if you want a more protective garment that you can wear
without a shell pant 95 per-cent of the time, then we'd give
Polartec's Powershield the nod over Windstopper. The good news
though, is that at last, the answer is out there...
Yours below the waist
Richard G
Richard Martin
