Richard Gear Talks Pants

By Jon

Gear news in association with

It's Tuesday again and our man Gear, Richard Gear, has been hard at work answering your questions and racking his brain over the meaning of breathability, the tao of lateral rigidity and other matters of gear philosophy.

So far Richard has answered over 500 of your questions and you can find all his past answers together with a shonky search mechanism at the Ask Richard Gear section of the site.

Browse through his past answers or ask a question of your own...

This week Richard talks pants, literally, as he answers questions on how to repair tears in a pair of Gore-Tex overtrousers, recommends some legwear for backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering and ponders why outdoors trousers always seem to be high waisted?

Q: 'My husband fell and damaged his brand new expensive Goretex overtrousers on their first wearing ... Can they be mended, and in time before we go to Patagonia on 30th Oct?'

A: 'The good news is that Gore produces Gore-Tex repair kits consisting of four press-on adhesive patches which are pre-cut to standard shapes. They're intended for temporary repairs and should last for up to four or five washes before giving up the ghost...'
Full answer

Q: 'What overtrousers would you recommend for backcountry skiing/ski touring/ski mountaineering?'

A: 'Both the Lowe Alpine pants you mention will do the job, and have most of the features I'd be looking for in a straight-up overtrouser - full-length zips, articulated knees and crotch, braces (possibly), a zipped fly for easier use with a harness (ideally I like a two-way zip for minimal fiddling) and internal gaiters, in the case of the Ice Light GTX. removable ones... There are plenty of other options out there as well...'
Full answer

Q: 'Rich, this question is borne of frustration: why oh why do all walking trousers come up so high on the waist? What are they thinking?'

A: 'I'm theorising here, but I think the theory is that they'll sit under rather than below a pack belt or harness, but I'd agree that often they simply slide down until the waist band is resting on your hips and then they tend to ruck up under the belt, allow your shirt to escape and so on. There are exceptions to the rule...'
Full answer

Check out the full Ask Richard Gear section of the site for a searchable archive of all Richard's past answers, some of which make sense, or ask a question of your own...

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