Winter Pants-- advice

[HAMTERO]

hiking pants "system"

I have some Arc'terex Gamma MX pants that are made from Polartec Powershield. They block about 95% of the wind and I have been wearing them by themselves so far this year down to about 15 degrees. I think they are great-my legs don't get hot in them till about 40 degrees. If it is too cold for them I have some Integral Designs Denali pants (primaloft,sidezip) that I can pull over them. The softshell pants were about $200 and the Primaloft ones were $130.
Lloyd

 

[Dugan]

Brent: instead of elastics, what about sewing on some bits of velcro onto the top edge of the cut off legs and the bottom edge of the cut off shorts? Or you could use small sew-on snaps. Either way, pull the legs up, stick 'em to the shorts, no worry about broken elastics.

 

[Stan]

The reasons I don't wear bib pants are 1) difficult to manage heat in your upper torso, 2) pits stops are more complicated, 3) overkill for the types of hikes Orphic Seth describes which are not unlike my typical winter hikes.

Depending upon the weather outlook and where I'm hiking, I'm comfortable in nylon pants over long johns with gaiters (OR Crocs) keeping my lower legs dry. If the hike offers liklihood of precipitation, extreme cold or significant exposure above tree line, I'll wear my Moonstone Goretex pants directly over long johns. If it is really really cold I'll wear long fleece pants in lieu of the long johns. Anyone experienced with wool pants for this kind of hiking?

I speculate that OS' girlfriend really cares about his safety and comfort. My approach to determining the proper gear, and it is very much a matter of personal preference and metabolism etc., was by trial and error, carefully working my way up in exposure and harshness of conditions and determining from that what gear I should invest in next.

 

[Orphic Seth]

Lots of really great advice. Thanks. For starters, I'm going hunt around for a lighter hard-type pant shell, with full zips, but drop the bibs-- then I'll tweak it from there.

Anyone experienced with wool pants for this kind of hiking?

This is another great question. I always have used some sort of wool as a top layer, and I've never regretted it. A polypro base and a light fitted wool sweater have always made for a fantastic layering foundation (at least for me). I've never used wool pants, any thoughts? Personally, I think the wool won't shed the snow, and it will get wet which means it'll get heavy. However, I have a few woodsmen/hunter friends who swear by theirs, but they're not peakpagging in all sorts of strange weather.

 

[Oldsmores]

...I've never used wool pants, any thoughts?....

I hiked in the winter for years in a pair of Woolrich Malone pants with a lightweight polypro baselayer to keep them from itching. They were excellent in really cold weather - warm and breathable - and generally didn't get wet. The problem you point out is real. In warmer weather they get wet (wet snow sticks to them), heavy, and they smell like a wet sheep. All in all they're not as versatile as the new "wonder fabrics". I can't force myself to throw them out, but they don't come out of the closet very often anymore...

 

[spider solo]

Yes, I also have a pair of wool pants that I use on the really cold days.
Usually below zero to the minus digits. They breathe well and I just bring a light weight pair of wind pants of most any brand that I can slide over them if I need even more warmth.
Other than that I have a pair of Lowe Alpine Triple Point Ceramic Pants with built in gators and full side zips and suspenders that I've found to be indestructible and cover a wide range of temps and conditions. I really like the built in gator feature and they are also waterproof.
(My wife surprised me with them a few years back, I about fell over when I found out how pricey they were).
I have found that I never stop to add another layer of long johns when I hike and the wool pants keep me the warmest of all but as I mentioned I keep them for the coldest of days.

 

[shadowcat]

Winter pants

a girls advice: in the winter i have a couple of combos i wear:

depending on how cold it is i may wear a pr of silk liners, a mid-layer in either mid-weight or expedition weight breathable lg underwear & top layer of fleece pants. this is great in really cold weather w/ lots of snow (not really wet out)

another choice is the silk base, expedition weights and gortex/waterproof outer layer. i wear this if it's snowing out or at all wet & not too cold. add the fleece layer under the gortex if it's really cold but wet.

and lastly i have some nice body snug nils ski pants that are lightly insulated, waterproof and stretcy. this is my favorite cuz it's the lightest of all combos and great for pretty cold weather but not frigid sub zero, they keep me warm and i like the stretchiness and i luv not having to wear a bunch of bulky clothes!

all items i got heavy discounted - as i say all the time. i got my waterproof gortex from sierra for $60 (cloudveil snaz pants really nice). cabela's has 300 weight fleece pants that are very nice for $50 or less, and many sites have all kinds of great base layers for cheap.

snowboard or ski pants also work well and are often insulated and waterproof.

i always try to get an idea of what i want or need then search and search until i find the best darn deals out there. hey, i'm a good shopper - give me your sizes and i'll find you what i can!

here's a few things:
waterproof pants:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq/asp/base_no.46384/dept_id.L2~380/qx/product.htm
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq/asp/base_no.46418/dept_id.L2~380/qx/product.htm
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq/asp/base_no.38160/dept_id.L2~195/qx/product.htm (they also have the regular pants , these are "liners" but i'm not sure what the difference is.
here's some diff long underwear in lite-mid& expedition wght. if you can find terramar silk underwear it is really nice and comfy as a base layer:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/xq/asp/dept_id.L2~163/qx/prod_list_display.htm
these are just a few from sierra but all the sites have great sales now. ck out northern mountain killer deals, cabelas, mountain gear, campmor, etc

 

[ocr3]

In my winter experience, I find the bigger amd bulkier the clothes, the colder they seem to be. Big air pockets in the gear does not keep you warm. Scholler fabrics answer this by fitting snug but not restricting movement(Depending on the manufacturer cut) also polertech power shield/stretch.
Lycra + Fleece = happy in my books. I often find that I get wetter from sweat than from snow with goretex, and again Scholler and Polertech power sheild answer this, shead the snow so it doesnt melt, but still lets you breathe.heck out a canadian company online for some decent price on Scholler stuff/softshells, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Ferrata Ultra (Loose)and Ferrata Simplex (Snug).

 

[skidoc22]

Scholler

I was just up on the ADK range trail during our (so far) biggest, baddest storm tof the year with howling 50+mph winds sporting my recently purchased Mammut Scholler 3x dry pants. They're thin, stretchy loose fitting and supremely soft and comfortable. It was the driest I've evr been hiking - used silk underwear as base layer and these on top with only gaiters. I have not been out in the rain with them but I do carry a Gore-tex paclite full zip outer layer for that eventuality.