Tough waterproof overpants recommendations?

[ollik]

Heya,

I'm in the market for a hard-wearing pair of waterproof overpants.
I would like them to be extremely durable as I almost wear them daily throughout winter and we have lots of blackberry etc.
Relatively low weight and good breathability or venting are a must have too (I might be chasing unicorns, but maybe someone has a good idea).

The WE Raindance overpants look super tough, however their breathability is not great with 5000g/24hrs. They also don't tell you how heavy they are.

The One Planet Overpants look great in terms of breathability, unsure about durability (never had any OP products before). Weight is ok.

The Mont Austral looks awesome but is a bit more expensive (is it worth it?).

Those are the candidates I found for now, would be super grateful for any field experience with those and, of course, any other recommendations.

Thank you!

[Son of a Beach]

About 30 years ago, a wise bushwalker once told me that when buying waterproof overpants, just buy something cheap, because no matter how much you spend, they will always get destroyed anyhow, and need replacing soon enough.

So I bought the cheapest pair I could find at a mere $10. Plain woven nylon with some sort of waterproof sealing on the inside, I think. No-name brand, not-at-all breathable. Very tough fabric that looks a feels a bit like canvas, but more plastic-y.

30 years later they are still going strong! Best $10 I ever spent!

Although the zips at the ends of the legs (to allow taking on/off over boots/shoes could do with replacing). I'm not sure how they'd cope with daily blackberries, but I suspect they'd last a lot longer than some of the breathable fabrics.

Sorry, this probably doesn't answer your query terribly well, but hopefully it adds another perspective.

[ollik]

I'm sure fabric technology has somewhat advanced during the last 30 years.

[Son of a Beach]

I'm sure fabric technology has somewhat advanced during the last 30 years.

I'm sure it has. But I've been completely unable to find anything anywhere near as good for my wife or for my kids. It's all fancy expensive fabrics, that don't appear to be as durable, nor as waterproof (as far as I can tell). But they are breathable. And expensive.

Last edited by Son of a Beach on Tue 11 May, 2021 3:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Moondog55]

You won't find durable without them also being very heavy. Blackberry is really hard on pants.
What size waist? I do have a spare pair of EMS overpants in bright H--Vis yellow and reasonably HD.
Try surplus Dutch army Goretex, around $80- if you can find any

[crollsurf]

My goto are STS Quagmire gaiters and a rain skirt. The skirt/kilt gets brushed aside in scrub, so your knees do get wet but overall I'm comfortable.

The problem you got is DWR gets brushed off in the scrub and loses its waterproofing. Non breathable material, you sweat and get wet.

Leather boots and gaiters, properly paired, means you can walk through a foot of water and still have dry feet. I like going UL but dry feet is a thing with me, many others will disagree.

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[ollik]

You won't find durable without them also being very heavy. Blackberry is really hard on pants.
What size waist? I do have a spare pair of EMS overpants in bright H--Vis yellow and reasonably HD.
Try surplus Dutch army Goretex, around $80- if you can find any

Thank you for the offer, I'm involved with wildlife services though, hi-vis is a no-go unfortunately.

My goto are STS Quagmire gaiters and a rain skirt. The skirt/kilt gets brushed aside in scrub, so your knees do get wet but overall I'm comfortable.

The problem you got is DWR gets brushed off in the scrub and loses its waterproofing. Non breathable material, you sweat and get wet.

Leather boots and gaiters, properly paired, means you can walk through a foot of water and still have dry feet. I like going UL but dry feet is a thing with me, many others will disagree.

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Interesting! Although I think a kilt is not as durable as I'd like things to be. I'd probably throw them out weekly (and I don't like creating rubbish).
Got good footwear and gaiters, but they leave the upper legs cold & damp. I'm on the skinny side so getting cold easily.

[Moondog55]

Camouflage? I do have a pair of the Dutch pants and I don't hunt much any more, they are on the larger size tho so probably not right.
Have you thought about rain chaps?
Good ventilation with those.

[crollsurf]

A ripstop kilt you won't be throwing out weekly, even with a few holes, it will still provide wind protection. A $10 plastic eBay special won't last 10 mins.

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[Eremophila]

These may be worth a try for the price:
https://www.aussiedisposals.com.au/aqua ... -pant.html

I reckon our local Aussie Disposals used to stock a couple of other different brands, that I hadn’t seen or heard of elsewhere. Unlikely to be lightweight but I doubt you’ll get robust and lightweight.

Carhartt (USA) have a couple of good-looking options:
https://www.carhartt.com/products/carha ... -Pant-B216
Not sure whether they ship overseas, or whether they are stocked anywhere in Australia. Great quality workwear.

[ollik]

Cheers!

Decided in favour of the Wilderness Equipment pants for my daily business.
Will get an additional light one for backpacking.