Critique of MD mountain Alppettes

[Moondog55]

Here is a copy of the letter I will be mailing to MD.
it outlines my main concerns with the design and construction faults in the pair I received as a Gore warranty replacement.

The short zipper length is probably because they used the same zipper for the front fly in all sizes.

Critique of MD Mountain Alppettes

To whom it may concern:
I recently received from the Geelong store a pair of Mountain Design Alppettes in size XXL as a Gore warranty replacement. My original pants were a Wilderness Equipment bib and brace, which were functional in the extreme. As these were no longer available, I was offered the Alppettes in lieu. I was never completely satisfied with the fact that these were not bib and brace, but as it was the only style available I accepted them in good faith.
Please review my comments as I intend to return them for a credit as the product does not meet the criteria of “Fit for purpose”.
I was after a garment for long term use ski-touring and for occasional general mountaineering. The manager of the Geelong shop assured me that these were perfect for that purpose and had been designed for winter mountaineering.
• Designed for resort skiing not alpine touring and/or mountaineering
• The pockets are too small to be useful for holding gloves, mittens or a beanie etc and there are not enough pockets. The pocket on the left thigh is just big enough to hold a wallet or ski pass but nothing useful.
• The side zippers cannot be opened for ventilation to avoid sweating without the drop seat falling down as the short strip of Velcro used will not support the weight of the trousers. There should be a snap fastener or side release buckle instead.
• Issues with the zippered fly:
o Zippered fly cover is not long enough (it needs to reach much further into the crutch region) and uses a very harsh Velcro which is extremely painful to sensitive skin in cold weather.
o Zipper flap is sealed at the bottom in the horizontal direction which traps wind-blown snow and ice when the flap is open which then melts and has nowhere to escape and filters through the zipper itself wetting the layers underneath.
 Zipper is far too short which makes urination very difficult when wearing more than one layer of clothing; the zip is approximately 75mm short of the end of the zipper flap and 150mm shorter than it needs to be to allow the average male to urinate with comfort and safety when the air temperature in well below freezing.
• Inadvertently urinating inside the garment could be ultimately fatal, as the liquid cools and subsequently freezes, robbing body heat and leading to acute hypothermia.
• There is no allowance built into the garment to allow for multiple layers of clothing. Sizing is far too skimpy around the waist to allow sufficient insulation for cold weather; it does not have the room built in that should be normal for the amount of insulation needed in sub-minus 20C temperatures
• Issue with trouser ankles
o The trousers are resort skiing oriented and useless if you use mountaineering boots with Supergaiters (which I do). The excess fabric and fasteners at the ankle are too full to allow the use of insulated bivouac style over trousers such as the Patagonia Micropuff pants.
o The need to fasten the extra layer of sealing at the ankle adds to dressing time which is in itself hazardous at low temperatures. Additional body movement required to do this is limited in the confines of a small tent.
• On top of all these faults the Alppettes are simply too heavy (in excess of 1kg) for general mountaineering and ski touring when minimising the amount of weight you need to carry is a serious safety factor.