Great pants

By nwbackpacker Ranked #174 - Men's Pants February 18, 2008

One thing I've noticed about Mountain Hardwear is that it's designed for a certain body type: slim, athletic, skinny, whatever you want to call it. So keep that in mind as if you're bulkier then their stuff may be a little tight on you.

These pants are GREAT. They're not "hard shell" in the classic sense so while they're waterproof (in the laminate) they will get damp in prolonged storms, but you'll stay dry inside. The water repellent is really good though so this will rarely happen if you're using these in snow, or they're old and you need to reapply the DWR.

I've been snow shoeing in these with a medium weight baselayer in temperatures of 25-35F and they were perfect. The soft lining of the pant gives additional insulation so in slightly warmer temps I doubt you'd need any baselayer at all. You don't need gaiters and you can sit right on the snow. Perfect for this activity.

If I wasn't out in the snow I'm not sure I'd take them unless I knew it was going to be below 35 degrees and raining a lot. For non-snow and generally cool temperatures (35-50F) I'd probably wear a thin/medium base layer, some sturdy nylon pants, and take a light-weight hard shell in case it rains. There is a slight lack of mobility in these pants that might annoy on a rough trail with a backpack, and articulated pants would probably serve you a bit better. But these pants would suffice for this activity too - they're good all-rounders.

Breathability is excellent, but these are waterproof pants and so you have to expect certain limitations. However, the pants have a soft fleecy lining inside and it's pretty darn hard to feel clammy inside that. And if you're wearing a baselayer then the pants will probably draw the moisture from them. All in all, I think you're likely to be too hot rather than clammy. The side zips are awesome for cool down - I love the low profile zippers.

All in all, I absolutely love these pants. While others consider whether conditions will require their noisy hard shells, I just put these pants on and don't worry about it.

Mountain Hardwear, thank you.

View Details: Mountain Hardwear Synchro Softshell Pant - Men's

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes | 0 No