Not Yet Reviewed | Waterproofs | Live for the Outdoors

The presence of The North Face’s distinctive decal on these trousers (the lowest-priced here) certainly ups the cred – and the expectations. At 210g, the Venture trousers are certainly light: made of seam-sealed 2.5 layer HyVent DT fabric (the ‘point five’ refers to a microgrid print layer on the inner, which separates the fabric from the skin and increases airflow), ...

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Rohan Dry Ascent / Dry Roamers 2011

£100.00

The Rohan Dry Ascent / Dry Roamers trousers prefer their waterproofing to be a little more covert. Rohan amusingly describes the Dry Ascent as ‘waterproof trousers for people who hate wearing waterproof overtrousers’, and that’s about the size of it. The face fabric has one of those ‘it’s not really waterproof, is it?’ feels. The secret is Rohan’s Barricade, a ...

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Páramo Cascada Trousers 2011

£115.00

Páramo is unconventional in its approach to waterproofing. Shunning membranes, it utilises Nikwax Analogy fabric, which mimics the action of animal fur. The outer fabric is only water-resistant, but a unique ‘pump’ layer pushes water back out of the fabric, ditto condensation. Apart from this well-proven system, the Páramo Cascada Trousers have two boons: they’re soft, which makes them both ...

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Montane eVent Superfly Trousers 2011

£130.00

The mid-priced Montane eVent Superfly Trousers strike a fine balance between technicality and simplicity. They may lack features such as belt loops, pockets and a fly zip, but they do have reinforced ankles, backside and knees, a drawstring at the ankle for volume adjustment, and water-resistant zips. They feel like trousers that have had some serious thought over the essential ...

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Rab Mountain Dru Pants 2011

£180.00

Brand new, the Rab Mountain Dru Pants are designed for fairly serious abuse on alpine terrain, and their features reflect this. The waistline is very high, keeping draughts at bay even with the extreme action that climbing and scrambling require. The zip is a full-length affair, so they can be opened up completely from the waist to the ankle, which ...

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Berghaus Extrem Couloir Mountain Pants 2011

£200.00

The Berghaus Extrem Couloir Mountain Pants are serious mountain trouser suitable for the most testing environments. Made of Gore-Tex Pro Shell, they are a far cry from stiff, rustly overtrousers of old; the fabric is soft, supremely comfy and flexible, and Cordura patches on the inside ankle and knees offer good abrasion resistance. The full-length side zip aids taking the ...

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Finisterre Anabatic MkII 2010

The Finisterre Anabatic MkII is a new jacket that is extremely exciting for a number of reasons. Firstly this is a UK brand based in Cornwall that is clearly making good inroads into the outdoor market. Second the jacket is made from part recycled and 100 per cent recyclable material, unlike some other products. Thirdly this is a great design! ...

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Rab Stretch Neo

Rab’s first jacket to use Polartec’s all-new Neoshell membrane. It’s this element that is really key to the jacket’s uniqueness. It claims to be much more breathable than other membrane equivalents. In use that certainly seems to be the case, and even on hard ascents on cold days there was no trace of condensation. Aside from the stretch fabric, this ...