By Greg Mionske From Boulder, CO Aug 4, 2008
| Looking for a pair of Alpine Rock Climbing Pants for use during the Spring/Summer/Fall Season that aren't so expensive that I have to break my little sisters piggy bank. |  |
By Nate Oakes Aug 4, 2008
| These Tremor pants from Outdoor Research kick truckloads of ass. Very versatile and durable, I don't have a single complaint yet. I've used them for long alpine hikes, backcountry skiing, and alpine climbs. |  |
By Tony Bubb From Boulder, CO Aug 5, 2008
| Gotta say, I am still climbing alpine in a pair of Outdoor Research stretch pants I got 12 years ago. Very comfy, stay dry, etc... I recently blew a zipper at the calf, but that can be fixed. Save for that, they may last me to 50 years old, and I am HARD on my equipment. Refer to pants in this picture. |  |
By Spiro Aug 5, 2008
| Mountain hardware talus pack pants. love them. |  |
By seth0687 From Summit County Aug 5, 2008
| anyone use arc teryx???
and when you are talking about alpine pants are we talking soft shell or bombproof?? |  |
By Dane Peterson Aug 5, 2008
| Get yourself a pair of Patagouchi Simple Guides. I just put these through the ringer in the Bugs. After 12 days of heavy use they are still in near perfect shape. I thought i would blow through them in a week. Wrong! Very breathable, hella durable and relatively inexpensive. |  |
By darin Aug 5, 2008
| http://beyondclothing.com/products/pants/soft-shell/
I could not be more satisfied with my beyondfleece softshell pants. They are custom fitted for my stubby legs and didnt break the bank. One of my favorite things about these pants is that they can be order with as many or little features as you want. Personally, i dont need cargo pockets, anything extra so I ordered my cheap and simple. Kudos to Beyondfleece for their customer service too. |  |
By Doug Shepherd From Fort Collins, CO Aug 5, 2008
| I agree with Dane. Wait until the Patagonia sale in a month or so and try and pick up a pair of the simple guides for cheap. Awesome pants. |  |
By Danno From Lyons, CO Aug 5, 2008
| I always rock my gore tex thong in the mountains |  |
By brenta From Boulder, CO Aug 5, 2008
| Another vote for the Patagonia Guides. I have the Super Guides. They are not very warm, but they are right for when you'd be using them. Very durable. Four zippered pockets, good built-in gaiters. Reasonably light-weight. Not too expensive.
I also have a pair of Arc'teryx Gamma MX pants. While they are much warmer and more comfortable than the Super Guides, they are not nearly as durable. They may be too warm for summer use. |  |
By Clyde Aug 5, 2008
| If you want the best, next year's Mammut Champ Pants will take the prize if you can wait. They are switching to Schoeller ColdBlack fabric treatment so they do not get hot in the sun. Cool.
The OR pants are a good value, though not as comfortable as Mammut (available in different inseams) or Patagonia. |  |
By jack roberts Aug 5, 2008
| I've been using a pair of Arcteryx Gamma MX pants for years and while they are too warm for anything outside of winter or fall season climbing they have proved to be durable, very water-resistant and good companions.
My next choice are the Mammut Champ pants. I have an older pair that have seen many days and nights in the mountains and have endured much abuse. They aren't as warm as the Gamma pants so I layer with them in winter and use them as is in the summer. The new material will improve the pants alot as will the new tailoring. Wait until they come out in October.
Jack |  |
By Dave-o From Boulder,CO Aug 5, 2008
| Another vote for the gore tex thong. |  |
By Jed Pointer From Boulder, CO Aug 5, 2008
| I have the Patagucci Simple Guide pants and like them, but I actually prefer my Patagucci GI 2 pants. They are a lot lighter and more comfortable for summer alpine stuff. You can get them with zip off legs, they fit loose for climbing and you can wear various weights of long underwear underneath easily w/o things getting too bunched up. The Simple Guide pants are cut lean, and I'm pretty lean, but these things are synthetic, a little heavier, and sometimes feel like I've wrapped a garbage bag around my legs - which is what I'd say about most of the climbing pants out there. Still, if there is significant snow climbing to be done, the GI 2's will eventually get wet and the Simple Guide pants become the better choice. |  |
By Jim Matt From Fishers, IN Aug 5, 2008
| I have some Patagucci origianl Guide pants...probably 8 years old and barely a scratch or snag on them. Perfect for high alpine climbing in the summer, Lumpy Days in the spring/fall. Not so comfy in temps above 75 degrees, although they do breathe well. |  |
By Shane Zentner From Colorado Aug 5, 2008
| Go to Goodwill, I typically shop there on sale days for climbing clothing(everything with an orange tag is %50 reduced). Look for a pair of Addidas nylon warm-up pants, specifically with a side zipper. Purchase those(or something similar) and call it good. I suppose you could coat them with a waterproof coating.
I own a pair of Mountain Hardware Epic pants, and, the waterproof coating is starting to delaminate after 2 years of use. The same thing happened to my Marmot jacket. Not only did water seep in through the seams, it penetrated the fabric itself(on both pieces of clothing).
Your pants will suffer the most abuse if used for climbing in the mountains. I have heard good things about the Black Diamond Alpine Pant, though I don't know if they are still being produced.
|  |
By Deaun Schovajsa From Arvada, CO Aug 5, 2008
| Dave-o wrote: Another vote for the gore tex thong.
I prefer a lycra thong. It shrinks and expands with your package depending on the weather. |  |
By Mike From Phoenix Aug 5, 2008
|
YMMV.
|  |
By Danno From Lyons, CO Aug 5, 2008
| Deaun Schovajsa wrote: I prefer a lycra thong. It shrinks and expands with your package depending on the weather.
Yeah, but it's easier to clean poo-poo stains off of gore-tex. |  |
By Deaun Schovajsa From Arvada, CO Aug 5, 2008
| Danno wrote: Yeah, but it's easier to clean poo-poo stains off of gore-tex.
I'll give you that one. Been there, done that. |  |
By Pete Elliott From Co Spgs CO Aug 10, 2008
| Alpine bod - no pants. Ziiiiing! |  |
|