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In search of the Holy Grail of waterproof pants ? Third attempt was with Madison DTEs unfortunately they still aren’t doing the trick . Not wanting to pay MT500 prices and certainly not 7 Mesh I wondered if Dirtlej would be up to the job ? I initially had a ceiling of £100 but am gradually creeping up over that 😞😞😞😞
What's your issue with the madison DTE's? I've just got some and they waterproof so far (2 wet rides), bit tight for bigger pad on the knees and could do with being longer, minor points really.. overall I'm pleased with them for the price
zippy yeah Madison are usually pretty good kit but twice now I’ve been caught for about 20 minutes or so in steady rain and ended up damp inside . Better when I wear tights underneath so potentially sweaty ? Perhaps I’m expecting too much ?
Looking at the spec of the 2 zippy the Dirtlej has a much lower breathability rating so probably means you’re likely to sweat even more 🙄
Way out of budget but I bought the Patagonia dirt roamer storm pants. They are amazing, they feel like a regular trouser (none of that sticky feeling you get with waterproof stuff) and they are proper waterproof.
I was looking for waterproofs in the £100 ish price bracket but I’ve often found they aren’t full waterproof and previous pairs have only last one winter.
Hoping the pricier ones will do several years so saving me money long run and less waste from buying and binning cheaper stuff. Only time will tell though
I have the Race Face agent trousers
About a year old so not as waterproof as they once were but at worse I’m damp unless it’s a constant piss down kinda day
fair enough @oldfart I'm e-biking nowadays so am less sweaty.. TBH I always went waterproof shorts and lycra longs on my manual bikes (as it was a sweat fest in some old Altura trousers), as at least with lycra, you stay warm when wet. The Dirtlej trousers do at least have vent if you feel your overheating? TBH if I'd known they existed I'd have probably gone for those over the madisons
Those Patagonia trousers had best be great, when you can buy a full Dirtjel suit cheaper
RF Agent aren't as waterproof as Madison 10K V 20K even if you could find any .zippy think I'm just going to stick thin tights on underneath probably as I said damp from sweat rather than letting water through .Expecting too much I guess .
Royal storm are good
Not tried these but came highly recommended by ukmtb chat on twitter. Possibly worth a look?
https://www.flowappareluk.co.uk/product/pro-pants
With that waist fastener, they look just like the Madison DTE's, but even cheaper.
Could be a bargain!
Every pair of cheap (£100-150 ish) waterproof trousers I have had have either let water in after a few hours or lasted one winter until letting water in. The Patagonia ones were £220 and so far even being out in heavy constant rain all day haven’t let a drop in.
Clearly I could fall and rip them but there is a repair service but hoping it doesn’t come to that.
My maths suggests if they don’t let water in for 2 winters they are the same price long term as a cheaper option.
It is a big outlay but depends if you want to be dry or not!
If you’re struggling to find cheap ones that keep you dry then it might be worth paying for the Patagonia or 7Mesh trousers as everyone I’ve spoke to has only ever had good things to say about their performance and durability.
martdg59 and zippy I notice those Flow trousers state highly water resistant rather than waterproof? 🤔
When I said the Holy Grail I guess the Thunderpants are but at £280 I would darn well hope so !
Way out of budget but I bought the Patagonia dirt roamer storm pants. They are amazing, they feel like a regular trouser (none of that sticky feeling you get with waterproof stuff) and they are proper waterproof.
Whilst they are waterproof, they are designed for people with midget legs. And they have literally fallen apart in less than 12 months. My other Royal pants have significantly outlasted them, for a third of the price.
Well I am pretty short to be fair so wouldn’t be able to vouch for a tall human size wise.
I have had the royal storm pants, Troy Lee resist and fox ranger waterproof pants. The Troy lee were the best of the 3, they all soaked through after 4 hours in heavy rain though. Granted those days are rare when it doesn’t stop but that’s my base judgment for proper waterproof or not.
So far the Patagonia pants have survived that test and been 100% dry all day in heavy rain.
Did you contact Patagonia about the pants falling apart @hobnob ? They have always been real good at fixing/replacing their product should it fail. I did hope that if they did fail I may be able to rely on that guarantee.
The 7mesh pants seem to be very well regarded