Pants in the rain

[mdfanatic]

So I have some super lightweight, packable rain pants, and jacket for that matter. Light shower comes in, you bust out the rain gear and slip it over everything and you're good to go. But what I'm looking for though is, what if you get continued off and on rain, for a couple days to 3 days, maybe some snow. It'd be nice to just have a rain pant to wear and not have to slip them over everything. My camo rain gear is too thin to wear alone. What pant would you recommend? I'm looking at the Cabela's rain suede, but I'd bet there is something better...

 

[EsteemGrinders]

Personally, if I have rain like that I pack it in!!! I hate hunting day after day in the rain. That and I just don't see the animal activity during days of rain. Before and after the rain I see lots. For the odd shower if its warm I will strip down to the base layer or put the packable gear on if needed.

With the above said I mostly hunt Elk and only during late Aug- Sept.

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

Something like the Kuiu Yukon pant would work.

Yukon Rain Pant - Waterproof Hunting Pants | KUIU

 

[Dameon]

My FL North Branch pants are pretty darn water resistant. I don't know how waterproof they are, but they are my go to pant for rifle elk or mid to late season deer with any kind of inclement weather. They held up really well for me last year and I stayed warm and dry while still hunting whitetails in the rain last December.

 

[stevevan]

Hunting in the rain is too often overlooked. I like to take advantage of rainy weather as it quiets the woods, keeps your scent down, and lessens the hunting pressure as the fair weather crowd stays indoors. Personally, I'm using FL Stormtight and it works great for me.

 

[mdfanatic]

I agree. Right after a rain or snow is prime. If you're on a back country hunt, horseback, and it's raining and / or snowing, you don't pack it up and come home. And I could so easily see it hanging around for a few days, off and on rain or a snow shower, drizzle type conditions, etc where a regular water proof pant would be beneficial.

 

[tttoadman]

I have OR Foray pants. They are super light and have 3/4 zips. I will wear these all day with gators on with no issues. If the sun comes out, zip the sides down to breath and keep on going. I bought these for about $120.

If you don't like the rain, you can't much in western OR.

 

[acmckeage03]

I have not had good luck with the Cabela's rain suede... It's heavy and the outer material does not bead water real well, so it wets out quickly. I am heading to Alaska this fall so I purchased the FL Stormtight Pant and the SEAK Jacket, hopefully they work as well as people claim on this forum.

 

[Kotaman]

The Rain Suede will eventually "wet out" like anything with a soft exterior. The FL North Branch will REALLY wet out in "all day wet conditions"... In the KUIU line the Yukon is durable enough for everyday use. I wore the Yukon almost exclusively on a couple Mountain Goat hunts in BC and they performed as expected. The FL Stormtight is one of my favorite sets of rain gear, but I will shred them with everyday use in rough country. Same goes for the KUIU Chugach.

My new favorite "wear every day all day" rain pants are the Sitka Storm Front and the Sitka Cold Front pants. The Storm Fronts are similar to the Yukons, but I like the fit better. The Cold Fronts have a low knapp fleece lining for when the temps are cooler.

 

[Akicita]

On extended expeditions in very wet weather I have found that any Gore Tex Pro product shells are the only thing that keep me dry without building excess condensation on the inside. My personal favorites are the Arcteryx Alpha SL and Beta AR with the Beta being my "go to" extreme weather shell. I wear my shells alone with merino wool boxers in warm weather, merino wool 150 weight 3/4 base layer in cooler weather and merino wool 200 weight 3/4 base and Schoeller soft shell pants mid layer in cold weather.

Alpha's weigh about 13 oz the Beta's weigh about 19 oz. Both have full zipper sides for donning / doffing over any gear and boots as well as full venting.

 

[Brian Fahs]

FL stormtight

 

[Muttly]

Another guy running the Arcteryx Beta AR pants. Had em a couple years, full side zips, usually in the pack, they seem to be a fair bit tougher than they look. So far, been tramping around in some pretty good down pours, have,nt gotten wet legs. Have,nt given them the 100% monsoon test yet, live in SE, usually I,m at work when those hit, then I go straight to Grundens. Fairly comfortable, legs don,t get hot in em, only real down side is they are pretty loud.
Got a Mtn Hardware jacket, whenever that wears out, hafta decide betweeen a First Lite SEAK, or the Beta AR jacket. The Mtn Hardware e-vent did great for a while, think long term the gore tex Arcteryx is doing a better job of keeping me dry.