Patagonia Guide Pants?

Has anyone used the Guide Pants or the simple guide pants for climbing. They have the guide pants listed as climbing/ski mountaineering and i was wondering if anyone had actually climbed in these pants. Are they comfortable? Do they have a powder cuff? Or is the simple guide pant the better option for pure climbing pursuits?

I own a pair of last years guides pant without the internal gaiter. I think that is the difference between the two now. Like the super guide has gaitors, and the guide does not.

It is a little heavy of a fabric, but durable and nice for cooler weather and alpine stuff. If it does turn nasty your covered pretty well.

Usually you can't go wrong with Patagonia, I just returned a pair of the White Smoke ski pants that were a year old. Basically I didn't like the fit, and they set me up with a brand new pair of this years model.

I just got a pair of this year's guide pants. I have used them in cold and windy weather in Red Rock Canyon and have done a little bit of ice climbing in them.

I bought them to replace my Mammut shcholer pants. I can say this about the guide pants, they are significantly better than the Mammut model. I like them a lot!

Jason

I have an older pair of the super guide and new pair of the simple guide. Both are very comfortable as I use them in cool and cold times of the year (Fall/Winter/Spring). I’ve used them for skiing, climbing, mountaineering, and just hiking.

I'm hot blooded. I generate a lot of heat when I do anything. That’s one big reason I love the breathability of the paints. So for aerobic activities I’ll just use a lightweight base layer. For alpine skiing, I’ll use a midweight or heavyweight base layer. Today I did a 5 mile easy hike with no base layer at all, just the super guides and was very comfortable temperature wise. I love soft shells!!

I have a windstopper fleece and a water proof hardshell paints that I don’t use any more because of these pants.

The only bad things I can say about them is the powder cuffs are a tight fit on my ski boots. The paints are a little heavy but since they are so durable, I’ll put up with it. Plus they replace the fleece and hardshell paints so they are saving me some weight.

Wind and water resistance, breathability, comfortable all in one package.

Jim, How is your experience with taking Patagonia stuff back? Do they have the same sort of guarantee that REI has for returning things that you arent really psyched on?

They are super nice, I had a great experience.

Yea as good or better than REI..

I cannot say enough good things about the Patagonia Guide Pants. They are super versatile, will keep you covered from 70 degrees to 20 degrees (or even lower with a layer beneath). Ice climbing, alpine rock, cragging, whatever. I have owned mine for 4+ years now, and they have one abrasion on them. No, I do not work for Patagonia. There was a time that they temporarily discontinued the Guide Pant, in favor of the "Super Guide". Now they have both.

Also, I purchased one of their Super Pluma (waterproof breathable) Jackets back in 2001. I wore it on a long snowy/slushy hike, and the thing wet out terribly. They took it back, no questions asked, so their return policy is top notch.

Most of my base layers and all of my mid-layers are Patagonia, and I couldn't be more pleased.

You should also take a look at Ibex. I have a pair of their backcountry pants and they are amazing. They work great for rock climbing, ice climbing, skiing, and whatever else you might be in to. They are a little pricey but if you look around you can find a good deal.

I own this years guide pant and my feelings are mixed probably because I have been using them in pretty cold weather and they haven't kept me that warm. They are comfortable and they are stretchy enough that they work really well for climbing but the warmth factor for me hasn't been as good as I'd like even with under layers and they aren't quite as waterproof as I'd like. They also don't have the ventilation I would like for approach purposes and over heating. The pockets are great, I wear gaiters over them but without they do a pretty good job of keeping snow and dirt out especially if you use the loops to fix a string or cord to keep them down on your boot. Also like most pants my crampons went right through them when I went on my first adventure of the season and was rusty on my crampon walking.

I recently bought the Super Guides. I also feel that they aren't very warm. I cannot comment on whether they breathe well and whether they are durable yet, but they are definitely comfortable.

I am sorry to hear than anybody has had less than stellar experience with the Guide Pants. I live in a cold, snowy place and, and have found tons of uses for them, and swear by these pants. In fact, I hope that Santa brings me the Super Guides!

Summer: I have alpine camped, climbed, and hiked in these with either a light weight base layer or by themselves. I have found them to be terrific and usually the only pant that I will wear. I even took a lead fall on some sharp limestone, which cut my shin up, but the pants did not even rip.

Winter: I have ice climbed and skied both in bounds and out of bounds in these pants. In these situations, I usually will wear a mid weight or expedition weight base layer and have had no problems. If it is a wet day or if you are tromping around in snow pits, they can get a little damp and chilly. But, 1. they dry rapidly, and 2. I am not so certain that all pants would encounter this issue under these conditions as well. I have also had the "crampon puncture" in my tibia, with no ripping or difference in the fabric of the pant.

Extra: I walked the dogs the other morning when it was 20 below and snowing - with an expedition layer - and they worked great!

Breathability: I have had no problems at all with this feature. The pockets - like a lot of Patagonia's clothing - have the mesh pockets inside that will act like a "pit zip". So, if I am skinning up and warming up, I will unzip the pockets for venting. Of course, a good wicking base layer also helps this problem a little too.

I suppose you should find what works best for you, though. Good luck!

I don't know about all these fancy smancy clothing items; a pair of long johns & a water proof layer is all that has kept me warm -- along with some wool socks, I'm as snug as a bug.

Long live the clearance rack!!!