Touring pants

[PNWbrit]

First Ascent Grand Tour - kind of mid weight. Fylow style inner and outer thigh vents. Nice big internal gaiter with zip up cuff. good sized cargo pockets. Not cut too tight like Marmot pants. Not available in "cook your legs on sunny spring days" black.

[DoubleA]

I picked up a pair of Patagucci BC Guide pants on-sale and used them for the first time last week on a hut trip in the Selkirks. I was generally pleased with them. I get very hot when skinning and these worked well for me although temps were admittedly quite cool most of the week. In the past I've alternated between their Guide and Alpine Guide pants. The BC Guide fabric seems about the same weight as the Guide fabric, but I appreciated having thigh vents at times and the BC's better cuff fit around my ski boots compared to the Guide. BC Guide has hand pockets on both sides and an additional pocket on the right but not the left, which I would have liked.

[Lindahl]

+1 on the Ferrosis for Sierra/Rockies in spring/summer. Slim fitting, extremely light, thin and breathable. Add a light baselayer for colder days. Great for hiking out on warm days, since ankle drawcords will keep them rolled up as shorts. Better fit and breathability than Patagonia Simple Guides.

Here's some photos of em in their element:
http://makingturns.com/?p=1579

I had one size too small (exhanged em), so they fit a bit looser than in the photos. Great high alpine climbing and backpacking pant also.

The ferrosi hoody jacket kicks ass too - very packable for a softshell - into it's own pocket to be clipped on with a caribiner for easy access. Nylon windshirts work great too, but they're not as durable and annoyingly flappy and loud when skiing, in my opinion. They also don't breath as well - by about half.

[djrez4]

Here's some photos of em in their element:
http://makingturns.com/?p=1579

Nice Pitons on Fritz!

[mtbcat]

I have the Arc'teryx Men's Beta AR Pant. There light and fit me well.
Problem is i now have new touring boots Mercury's and can't get the bottom cuffs to close in touring mode due to the width of the Mercury top buckles open for touring.
Anybody else have this problem with other touring pants. ?
Don't want to spend a ton of money on new pants. What works well that fits the wider profile of the Mercury in hiking mode ?

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

I love Patagonia BC Guide Pants. Have used the same pair exclusively for touring in the Sierra for 5+ years. Have held up tremendously, breath great and get the job done. Although it may finally be time for a new pair on account of the smell...

While I climb in the Alpine Guide Pants, I find them too narrow for ski touring.

[mtbcat]

I love Patagonia BC Guide Pants. Have used the same pair exclusively for touring in the Sierra for 5+ years. Have held up tremendously, breath great and get the job done. Although it may finally be time for a new pair on account of the smell...

While I climb in the Alpine Guide Pants, I find them too narrow for ski touring.

UCL as in the cuffs are to narrow to accommodate the wide footprint of Mercury's in climbing mode ?

[jumpturn]

I have been using the patgonia bc guide pants for 3+ seasons, and they work fine even if they only last 1 season.

The material wears from heavy use, and then, the crampon punctures and ski cuts just add up by late season. Too much duct tape = done.

Anyone used the scott aztec pants?

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

UCL as in the cuffs are to narrow to accommodate the wide footprint of Mercury's in climbing mode ?

Yes - exactly. The cuff on the Alpine Guide Pants is pretty narrow even when opened. I just found they are generally a tighter cut all around than the BC Guide Pants. Alpine Guide Pant is an awesome ice climbing or alpine rock climbing pant, though.

[PNWbrit]

Don't want to spend a ton of money on new pants. What works well that fits the wider profile of the Mercury in hiking mode ?

The FA pants I mention above work with Mercurys just fine.

[Scotsman50]

The FA pants I mention above work with Mercurys just fine.

But will the FA pants be able to adapt to the changing color of the Mercury's??

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

Patagonia BC Guide Pants work fine with the Mercurys - that is my setup.

[PNWbrit]

But will the FA pants be able to adapt to the changing color of the Mercury's??

Shit I hadn't though of that.

Can you paint grimalid (sp) plastics. They might look nice in a pale blue or HiViz yellow?

[volklpowdermaniac]

No need to start a new thread I suppose, just seeing what's out there in last year or so...
Looking to find a pant that has the feel and movement of a soft-shell...with some of the features of hardshell pants (some water/wind resistance), that fits a little on the euro size (less baggy/ boxy) without being skinny jean, goober alpinist tight..

Does something like that exist, some sort of hybrid soft/hard shell...
5'9 190 (currently, I can swing up to 200, and down to 165-- i know I'm super healthy right!!?) with a waist that swings between 32-34 and short (er) legs....

[Lindahl]

Unless you're talking about something like the Patagonia Mixed Guide suit, Polartec Poweshield is probably the closest material to what you want. There's nothing else out there that sits between a softshell and a hardshell. Its essentially a membrane softshell, but with perforations in the membrane to allow it to truly breath. Still, not quite at the stretch-woven softshell level.

That said... are you sure a softshell won't work for you?

[oldirty]

+1 for flylow chemicals. The massive vents are a game changer. I've toured in them from 0 to 50 deg and loved them every step of the way. Just need to adjust base layers accordingly.

[davieboot]

Another vote for the Patagonia BC Guide. They've treated me very well. I wish there was other, lighter color options since they can get warm in the sun during spring touring. (I know that is what vents are for).

[Lindahl]

Try another brand if you want light colors

[Bruce Springskiin]

+1 on Flylow. On my third pair of chemicals, and I use them everywhere all winter. My old ones get used in the woods or around the farm. I have yet to try out their softshell pants but am tempted to pick some up. The chemical is comfortably loose for me but never feels baggy.

[bean]

The Arc' Gamma SK is one of my favorite pieces, if they made a bib version it would've been Greatest of All Time material. Psiphon AR and Procline FL look like decent replacements, I'd like to get my hands on them though. Plenty of weather resistance if you're actually moving and putting out some heat.

[XXX-er]

As a result of being incredibly hung after 5 yrs my Fury's delamed at the crotch so Arcterxy gave me a credit which I put on a pair of pro-cline AR which are new this year but i am expecting good things just like the Fury pant, IME the windstopper is somewhere between hard & soft shell

I got one season on the Patagonnia guide pant and my impressions are: I'm skinny so the lack of suspenders sucks I had my seamstress sew in some tabs to allow use of my arcterxy suspenders, the crotch zip doesn't open big enough other wise they are OK but
they are not as warm as the arcterxy pants made of windstopper

[ulty_guy]

Any arcteryx sawatch experiences?

[volklpowdermaniac]

Unless you're talking about something like the Patagonia Mixed Guide suit, Polartec Poweshield is probably the closest material to what you want. There's nothing else out there that sits between a softshell and a hardshell. Its essentially a membrane softshell, but with perforations in the membrane to allow it to truly breath. Still, not quite at the stretch-woven softshell level.

That said... are you sure a softshell won't work for you?

No I'm not sure at all that a soft-shell wouldn't work, I guess what I described above was my ideal pant in my head, but realizing a soft shell might work..

I guess this is sort of my deal when it comes to touring
I'm not a go at any cost, have to be out there, I love the bc, but i don't live to be out there, I can find plenty of fun at the resort with that in mind I guess I broke it down like this;
I'm not going to go out when the midday highs are going to be below 10-15, but i might start on a cold day (like today for example) I'm probably not going to go out if its likely to be storming (although I appreciate a front can move in at any time)
if it's +40 degrees in the mountains in the spring, I'm likely already on my bike on the western slope or front range,
With that said, i would like a pair that you can pop a squat in the snow when your chilling and eating some lunch or just relaxing and not immediately be soaked, and something for the occasional snow that I might encounter, maybe a touch on the warmer side, if they had really good vents, because opening vents in the spring is my solution to cooling down, a little wind protection wouldn't be bad I don't need to have a pant for each different occasion...

so yes a soft shell could work... slightly narrower fit, without being euro skinny

does that help clarify?

[LightRanger]

^^^ Aren't you still in CO? Drier climate, fair weather touring = true softshell. Sit on your pack or your skis for lunch. Sitting in the snow isn't a good reason to sacrifice that breathability.

[volklpowdermaniac]

^^^ Aren't you still in CO? Drier climate, fair weather touring = true softshell. Sit on your pack or your skis for lunch. Sitting in the snow isn't a good reason to sacrifice that breathability.

Yes, CO, drier climate, truth

i'm just going to jong the shit out of myself here, but do you lose a ton of wind protection with a soft-shell, or are there pants out there that block the wind

Sit on my pack brah!? I need to be one with the snow

/puts down the sixth beer.