Rain Pants for the OLT

[Stibb]

Well thats brilliant if it worked for you! I liked the idea. I ended up miserably wet and very cold (didn't help that my rain jacket failed completely too) hence the resent upgrade

[Obelix]

Am I crazy tackling the Overland & South Coast Track in March without rain pants?

I will rely on my quick drying Kathmandu Kanching Zip Off Trousers & Golite GoLite Malpais Trinity 3-Layer Liteshell Jacket.

I do have as back up my Outback Loaders Manufacturers & Traders Nylon Poncho (145x224cm) with press studs which covers me down to my knees from memory.

I am from WA & forget what rain is like let alone wind driven Tasmanian rain!

[Tortoise]

Am I crazy tackling the Overland & South Coast Track in March without rain pants?

Yes, IMO. I tried it once (one January). Never again. Horizontal rain, sleet and snow, gale force+ winds. They don't have to be posh goretex ones to keep the wind chill down. Rainbird works for me on-track and OLT side trips.

I do have as back up my Outback Loaders Manufacturers & Traders Nylon Poncho (145x224cm) with press studs which covers me down to my knees from memory.

Not sure re the brand, but one of my friends tried a poncho (Main Range, NSW) once. Poncho + strong wind = 'Parachute'

I am from WA & forget what rain is like let alone wind driven Tasmanian rain!

My memory is reasonably fresh

[wayno]

i was up there last week, sun blazing away but it was still a cold wind, take away the sun and or add rain, it would have been freezing, you're totally exposed to the elements a lot of the way, theres nothing to interupt the wind in a lot of places, if you get too cold you could be in big trouble.
i remember one trip i did, it was midday, i was 1500m up, the sun was out, it was swelteringly hot, we were all sunbathing at lunchtime... shirts off.... a tiny little cloud came and parked itself in front of the sun,
we instantly scrambled to grab our jackets, the drop in temperature was that great.
the higher you go the more heat is tied up to direct sunlight and less to air temperature..
get into high altitude walking or climbing and you'll experience this, you can sometimes bake during the day and freeze at night,
on everest temperatures can vary by up to seventy degrees in twelve hours....
if it rains when you're at altitude in a place like the overland track, you're going to be pretty cold.... no waterproof trousers, you're going to be fighting off the cold

[hicliff]

Just a quick tip re rain pants and muddy (olt=frequent) boots, take two supermarket singlet bags , put over boots prior to doning /removing rain pants this will decrease mud being spread all over anything that goes inside the rain pants

[Hallu]

Just got my Marmot Precip. In terms of construction, the Montane pants look better. I didn't take the full zip version because a lot of reviews say the flies aren't waterproof at all. Will post a first opinion as soon as it rains in Victoria, which is not any time soon it seems...

[cams]

I just got a pair of RAB Drillium pants from campsaver. 3 Layer Event with half length zips. Elastic draw cords on the waist and ankles. $120 plus about $10 delivery & processing (via shipping forwarder) I think is a pretty good deal. Just watch the sizing. I'm normally a 34 which is usually a medium. It was a large in these and they fit quite well. Waist is just big enough but the fairly straight cut I think will allow other pants and insulation underneath.

I'll be using them for two weeks in Tas next week so will report back.

[wayno]

rab drilliums, great lightweight pants as long as you don't need to scrub bash in them.

[Obelix]

Thanks for the advice folks - it looks like poncho for the OT & rain overpants for the South Coast Track. Why? Couldnt help myself phoned the US GoLite store & bought a pair of Tumalo Rain pants on sale! Only thing is it wont get to me in time for the OT. Will get the wife to forward onto my digs in Hobart!

[cams]

I just got a pair of RAB Drillium pants from campsaver. 3 Layer Event with half length zips. Elastic draw cords on the waist and ankles. $120 plus about $10 delivery & processing (via shipping forwarder) I think is a pretty good deal. Just watch the sizing. I'm normally a 34 which is usually a medium. It was a large in these and they fit quite well. Waist is just big enough but the fairly straight cut I think will allow other pants and insulation underneath.

I'll be using them for two weeks in Tas next week so will report back.

Got to use these for a few days at the start of the trip. Very happy with them. Zip comes up just high enough to get them on over boots. DWR was very good. They held up well to a fair amount of rock scrambling at Ben Lomond too as we got caught in the middle of the boulder field when the rain started one day.

[Obelix]

Thanks for the advice folks - it looks like poncho for the OT & rain overpants for the South Coast Track. Why? Couldnt help myself phoned the US GoLite store & bought a pair of Tumalo Rain pants on sale! Only thing is it wont get to me in time for the OT. Will get the wife to forward onto my digs in Hobart!

The combination of rain pants with hiking shorts (unzipped legs) worked really well on wet days on the South Coast Track - Poncho would have been a bad idea given the prime reason of wet undergrowth which the rain pants really helped with shielding from, negotiating mud, logs leaps\straddle & river\stream crossings encountered. So thanks again for your advice - gear evolution!

[Pongo]

In my quest for lighter gear I opted to go with the minimus pants for the OLT. At 165 grams, I'm happy I carried them. I counted three drops of rain the entire time... they never saw the light of day. Man I'm a curse, it never rains when I walk.

Will report back on them when I actually get a chance to use them.

[wayno]

no rain? that can be arranged, come to fiordland...

[Pongo]

no rain? that can be arranged, come to fiordland...

Sounds good. Does that mean I can crash on your couch between trails...?

[wayno]

the mrs says no.....

[Pongo]