Not Yet Reviewed | Waterproofs | Live for the Outdoors

The Gelert Frontier is a relatively lightweight gaiter that is also very light on price. It is a classic design featuring a front zip with an external stormflap to protect the zip against mud and abrasion. There is a strip of elastic at the ankle to allow a close fit around the top of the boot so that water is ...

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Outdoor Designs Stretch Waterproof Gaiter (2012)

£23.00

The Outdoor Designs Stretch Waterproof Gaiter is close-fitting and yet stretchy enough to comfortably hug the calf muscles and to allow excellent freedom of movement without discomfort. This makes it ideal for scrambling and climbing as well as general walking when you just want a gaiter that sits neatly without being easily snagged and without being uncomfortable. It is unusual ...

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Trekmates Mountain XT Series Pioneer Gore-Tex Gaiter (2012)

£25.00

It’s said the best place to save weight is on your feet, so it is worth looking for minimal weight in gaiters too – and at just 83g the Trekmates Mountain XT Series Pioneer Gore-Tex Gaiter won’t use much of your energy! Gore-Tex Paclite fabric is extremely waterproof but it tends to display its condensation on the inside quite readily. ...

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Trailwise Snolock Gaiter (2012)

£27.00

If most of your walking is over heather or similar gear-trashing undergrowth, you need a gaiter that is extremely durable. The Trailwise Snolock Gaiter, a UK-made product, uses 12oz cotton duck canvas, a heavy woven fabric that is extremely durable. It is more than capable of withstanding abrasion from undergrowth, which is why it has become very popular with gamekeepers ...

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Regatta Byrne (2012)

£30.00

Regatta Byrne overtrousers can be yours for just £30, and for that you get a waterproof and breathable garment made from Isotex 5000. There is no mesh lining so these are a little clammier than higher-priced options, but who cares when they spend most of their life in your rucksack? The cut is more basic than higher-priced options too, though, ...

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Berghaus GTX Gaiter (2012)

£35.00

A winner of Trail’s ‘Best in Test’ award, the Berghaus GTX Gaiter is a great all-rounder for the hillwalker. It is made of Gore-Tex fabric so it is waterproof and breathable, but it also benefits from extra reinforcement around the ankle cuff to protect it against abrasion. It comes in two sizes and two leg lengths so it may fit ...

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Berghaus Deluge (2012)

£50.00

Well-proven and popular overtrousers, Berghaus Deluge pants are competitively priced but they also have a few more features to make them slightly better for the hillgoer than some similar designs. They are made from AQ2, a ripstop nylon with a polyurethane coating to make it waterproof and breathable. But you also get a loose mesh lining, which makes them a ...

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Páramo Long Gaiter (2012)

£52.00

Like Páramo clothing, the Long Gaiter benefits from the Nikwax Analogy Pump Liner to actively push water through the fabric from the inside to the outside. The fabric is also very durable and very easily repaired, so it’s a great choice for gaiters. However it tends to provide a degree of insulation, which means in colder weather it is a ...

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The North Face Venture 2011

£60.00

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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Montane Minimus (2012)

£100.00

‘The World’s lightest and most breathable waterproof mountain pants’ are how Montane describes Minimus overtrousers. They certainly are light at just 121g (men’s L) and as they pack down into their fist-sized stuffsack with ease you can also stash them in your rucksack and forget you are even carrying them. The fabric is extremely thin, meaning they are not restrictive; ...

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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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Rab Bergen/Vidda (2012)

£125.00

Like the Bergen jacket, Bergen/Vidda overtrousers have been very popular with hill and mountain walkers for many years. They are made from 3-layer eVent fabric, so they provide high levels of waterproofness and breathability. For added durability at the knees there is a heavier weight of fabric in this area as well as articulation to allow a little more freedom ...

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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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Páramo Quito (2012)

£145.00

Páramo gear uses a unique fabric that is incredibly breathable while being able to keep the rain out when hillwalking, and the Quito is one of the brand’s most versatile legwear options. The trouser has full-length side zips so you won’t struggle to put these on as they fit around your legs so easily. The waist has a webbing belt ...

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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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Mammut Albaron (2012)

£350.00

Mammut Albaron pants provide everything you could wish for in overtrousers that are required to keep you comfortable in the worst of conditions day after day when mountaineering or even winter hillwalking. So you get 3-layer Gore-Tex Pro Shell fabric, which has proven waterproof and breathability credentials. But you also get reinforcement at the ankle cuff to prevent crampon spikes ...

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Jack Wolfskin Accelerate XT (2012)

The Jack Wolfskin Accelerate XT is the heaviest jacket on test at exactly 400g, but don’t let that put you off. It’s loaded with all the necessary features including: extremely large pit zips with two separate zips and Velcro fasteners; dual hem adjusters; rear and neck-based hood adjusters; a semi-rigid hood peak; two large external pockets that will accommodate an ...

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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 ...