MontBell Thunderhead Pants - Men's - 2008 BCS

This is a technical jacket designed to be waterproof, light weight, and highly functional. For this reason Mont Bell has used a combination of waterproof and tear resistant fabrics. No, it's not as rugged as many cheaper products, but those products aren't competing for the same customers.

Their web site states:

Ballistic nylon is one and a half times more abrasion resistant than other similar weight fabrics and boasts three times the tear strength of nylons that are almost 20% heavier. Because of this, Ballistic nylons have allowed us to reduce the weight of many of our products by more than 50% without sacrificing the durability. We create Ballistic nylons by heating and stretching nylon fibers. Much like Tensiled steel, this process aligns the nylon molecules in each fiber, dramatically improving the strength and stamina of the fabric.

Stretch Ballistic

Stretch Ballistic is a 1-way mechanical stretch fabric, offering high wind resistance while maintaining excellent breathability. Mechanical stretch offers exceptional freedom of movement and abrasion resistance, making it perfect for high output activities.

If this specification doesn't meet your needs, it is not the failure of the product. This product is well designed for its niche market.

I can vouch for their integrity and customer service. After backpacking with a jacket and pants for several years, I washed them per instructions, to find that the taped seams unraveled. I called them and asked what could be done. Without prodding, they asked me to mail the items to them. The day they received the package, they called me and offered to replace jacket and pants without cost to me. I was stunned. A couple days later I received the Thunderhead Pants & jacket. I can't wait till it rains so I can try them out.

you're correct it is gore tex performance shell with pac lite material in the knees. this is meant to be a lightweight backpacking rain pant.