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I am looking for a new pair of hiking pants. I have a pair of Railriders Extreme Adventure Pants http://www.railriders.com/store/RailRid ... XTP2?Args=
but the crotch is way too baggy and it inhibits my movement. Does anyone know of some great overbuilt nylon hiking pants that do not restrict movement? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I got some Mamot driclime pants. Tear resistant, waterproof, and it has the odor control. I really like them, breathe real well and dont limit my movement at all.

I had the same problem with that "model", which have now become an expensive pair of utility\rappelling pants. The final straw was limited leg motion on a "hairy" vertical boulder scramble. Since then I've been using the RailRiders Weather Pant, it doesn't seem to have the same "crotch droop" that the adventure pants do. The first time out I intentionally took huge uphill\up-rock steps to test the range of motion and immediately noticed a huge difference. Last weekend I had to do a lot of boulder skipping and rock hopping (after the rains) and they didn't hang me up once. The Weather pant seems to have the same reinforcement as the Xtreme, sans the side pockets...

One thing about RailRiders apparel for those not familiar: They are pretty literal with their sizing (Which is why the crotch thing was such a let-down). I would definitely recommend re-measuring oneself to anyone who isn't familiar with how they cut their garments and consulting *their* chart with your measurements. They sure have stood up to a lot of abuse, though...

Excellent!

When funds become available, I will purchase some Railriders Weather Pants. I thought the only difference was the side pockets (which I don't even use) and the extra $20. Their pants sure are bomber though.

Been wearin' some Mountain Hardwear Canyon pants for a few years, and I dont know what my life would be like without 'em. Love those things

Hoffmaster wrote:Excellent!

When funds become available, I will purchase some Railriders Weather Pants. I thought the only difference was the side pockets (which I don't even use) and the extra $20. Their pants sure are bomber though.

I just got back from taking them through a few hours in 40-degree sleet and then snow. They stood up pretty well, and eventually got saturated wet, of course. I was surprised how well they shed snow (even wet) and stood up to being doused. They didn't grab or stick, either. As soon as I found shelter under a tree for a minute (Also after I got back into the truck) they immediately started drying out. I was surprised how well they did. Has anyone tried their hiking shorts? I like the idea that they added those zippers to allow better range of movement, but they look like they're cut "gym teacher length"...

Jeff

Pah! Hiking in pants is for those who can't handle the feel of acacia on skin!

Wait, wasn't there a thread about this...?

PageRob wrote:Pah! Hiking in pants is for those who can't handle the feel of acacia on skin!

Wait, wasn't there a thread about this...?

Speaking of that, I saw a guy in a Mountain Kilt the other weekend, it looked pretty comfortable...

Jeff MacE wrote:

Hoffmaster wrote:Excellent!

When funds become available, I will purchase some Railriders Weather Pants. I thought the only difference was the side pockets (which I don't even use) and the extra $20. Their pants sure are bomber though.

I just got back from taking them through a few hours in 40-degree sleet and then snow. They stood up pretty well, and eventually got saturated wet, of course. I was surprised how well they shed snow (even wet) and stood up to being doused. They didn't grab or stick, either. As soon as I found shelter under a tree for a minute (Also after I got back into the truck) they immediately started drying out. I was surprised how well they did. Has anyone tried their hiking shorts? I like the idea that they added those zippers to allow better range of movement, but they look like they're cut "gym teacher length"...

Jeff

Alright, so I broke down and got a pair of the shorts a couple of weeks back after talking about them on here. They went out with me last Friday to Pontatoc and performed quite well. The zip-open leg is nice, it gives a lot of range for motion when stepping up and over obstacles. The reinforcement on the seat is similar to the Weatherpant and just as tough. The pockets are deep, but kind of pointless unless you're just out for a stroll. The length was my first concern, even when I got them out of the plastic, but it turned out to be similar to how Royal Robbins cut their shorts. They sit just above the knee when standing. When I saw them online I was sure they were going to be, well...less appropriate - let's just leave it there ;-)

Jeff

I've been considering some hikes in areas that have snow this time of year. My only pants are my summer pants. They're very thin and not at all waterproof. I want something that won't leave me soaking wet at the end of the day and a little thicker for warmth, but not to the point that my legs melt when I'm going uphill. Any suggestions/opinions?

Patrick L wrote:I've been considering some hikes in areas that have snow this time of year. My only pants are my summer pants. They're very thin and not at all waterproof. I want something that won't leave me soaking wet at the end of the day and a little thicker for warmth, but not to the point that my legs melt when I'm going uphill. Any suggestions/opinions?

Snowshoeing or just hiking in an inch or two of snow? If just hiking in an inch or tow, you might be able to get by with your hiking pants and putting something like Marmot Precip rain pants as an outer layer. The real secret is layers, And good boots & gaiters might be more important than the pants. Look at the REI Windbrake Thermal Pants http://www.rei.com/product/817199/rei-w ... -30-inseam or something similar. You don't want to get too bulky like the snowboarder pants.

Maybe snowshoeing in the distant future, likely just a few inches of snow for now. I was considering rain pants before the thought of snow came about, but warmth is my concern when it comes to the colder conditions. Just wasn't sure if there was anything more versatile out there, like REI Endeavors, but waterproof.

Since we don't get a lot of cold temps around here, I don't have a special pair of winter pants.
When I've gone cross-country skiing, simple rain pants over my long underwear worked great.
If I'm hiking in snow, where you don't stay as warm, I wear my warmest bike tights, with or without long underwear, under my rain pants.
This strategy seems more versatile than a pair of heavy pants, since you can unzip the rain pants as much as needed if you get too hot.

I generally still wear my regular hiking pants in winter, although I add a base layer underneath. If it's not going to get above 15F or so, I might switch to something heavier, like my wool whipcord pants.

Ihave recently switched to wearing my work pants (cotton/ polyester blend) when hiking in cold weather. They are free and have cargo pockets. If its really cold I will put long underwear on. Then I have a pair of rain pants to put on over those if I need to. But mostly I wear shorts.

I have used Marine Corps issue BDU's for cross country skiing quite a bit, and also cold weather hiking, but not for serious snow hikes, (which I haven't done in years, anyway, since I switched to XC skiing). The BDUs are heavy cotton, and therefore are not supposed to be used in snow, but in the very dry conditions in the White Mtns. I have found them to be very comfortable, and if I need long underwear it fits underneath quite comfortably.

Another advantage of these pants is that you can get them for FREE if you know anyone in the service, or very cheap at thrift stores. And they wear and wear forever. I'm thinking of making shorts out of one pair, in fact.

I also love to p*ss off my yuppie hiking pals by showing up in camis.

Another advantage of these pants is that you can get them for FREE if you know anyone in the service, or very cheap at thrift stores. And they wear and wear forever. I'm thinking of making shorts out of one pair, in fact.

I also love to p*ss off my yuppie hiking pals by showing up in camis.

Nice :GB:

azbackpackr wrote:I also love to p*ss off my yuppie hiking pals by showing up in camis.

Camouflage, camouflage Oh you're my favorite color camouflage - Brad Paisley.

azbackpackr wrote:I have used Marine Corps issue BDU's for cross country skiing quite a bit, and also cold weather hiking

No wonder I've never seen you on the trail...
;)

http://www.camoclothingonline.com/site/ ... t/322-8875