Hard shell pant suggestions

I have the RAB Latok Alpine jacket and it has held up for three years of heavy use. It's my go to shell all year long. The eVent fabric is great. I'm happy enough that I just ordered the Latok pants as well.

whatever you get, look for suspenders, I got a pair that didn't have them from Eddie Bauer First Ascent, love the pants, but not until I sewed my own set of suspenders.

willeslinger wrote:whatever you get, look for suspenders, I got a pair that didn't have them from Eddie Bauer First Ascent, love the pants, but not until I sewed my own set of suspenders.

+1

Josh Wood wrote:Here's another question for you guys. Would you still wear only soft shells on big routes in the Alaska range or similar? It seems safer to have hard shells to me, although maybe I'm off on this one.

If there's one place where I'd take hard shells it would be a big route in Alaska.

Depending on your budget you could also consider the Arcteryx Alpha SV bib pants. That's what I took to Denali. They'd be overkill at lower elevations but up at 20,000' with the wind howling they were sure nice to have.

Another vote for eVent. Excellent breathability - easily outperforms anything that Gore makes. I can't comment on any specific pants but I can't imagine doing any sort of strenuous activity in anything that Gore makes, much less a cheap PU coating like the Marmot Precips. They are great as a cheap emergency waterproof, but they are not in the same league as any pants or jackets w/ PTFE. And they won't hold up in seriously wet conditions. My Precip jacket is a joke after an hour or two of heavy rain.

I'm assuming MH makes pants with their Dry Q Elite, which is the same thing as eVent. Probably worth a look.

FWIW I have an eVent shell and it breathes like a soft shell. I wear it everyday on the bike for at least 5 months of the year. No durability problems yet but it's just a year old and I don't climb in it.

I think I'm sold on Rab Latoks. If I have to make suspenders, ill do it. Thanks for all the input guys.

Josh Wood wrote:I think I'm sold on Rab Latoks. If I have to make suspenders, ill do it. Thanks for all the input guys.

Latok bibs, no chance for plumber's crack jacket rise either

I got to check out some La Sportiva Stormfighter Pants and they were really nice. Fits great, sounds like what your looking for.

Yeah, I've never used or needed suspenders either.

Ben B. wrote:Try them un-suspended first... I've personally never used, nor had the urge to use, suspenders... maybe there's something I'm missing?

After a long day I find that my pack pushes down my pants. I haven't worn suspenders in a while but they do help. The down side is taking off or putting on layers is harder, especially if I'm tucking them into the pants.

I find suspenders much more comfortable in winter, a belt doesn't ride as well under my hip strap and also causes more bunching. I solve the layering problem by wearing the suspenders over the base layer and then continuing the layering over the top of the suspenders. Its a personal fit thing, depends on how you like your pants to ride / how well they sit naturally.