Finest Down Pants – BIKEPACKING.com

When you hate struggling within the chilly, love going outside within the colder months, and have a penchant for packing mild and tight, down pants ought to most likely be in your gear listing. Maybe among the finest makes use of for down pants is in a bikepacking equipment. Lael Wilcox has sung their praises for years, forgoing a sleeping bag in some instances in alternate for a modular down swimsuit with pants and a jacket. However there are extra causes to think about down pants than merely making an attempt to attenuate and modularize your equipment for ultra-endurance pursuits. Virginia and I’ve been utilizing them for the final yr and have develop into fervent converts.

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Much like jackets of the identical style, down pants are a worthy funding in our opinion. Most people already know all of the quite a few advantages of carrying a puffy jacket, and many individuals gained’t depart house with out one within the winter or shoulder season. The insulation proficiency by quantity of fabric is unmatched. So, why not lengthen that technique to the decrease half of your physique? Listed here are a few factors you may contemplate in the event you’re interested by including ultralight down pants to your bikepacking equipment.

We rounded up three of the most effective down pants we may discover which can be ultralight, pack small, and supply a superb warmth-to-weight ratio. Discover mini evaluations of every after we put them to the check, plus an inventory of a half-dozen extra ultralight down pants that we discovered throughout our analysis.

Timmermade Down Pants

Made in NY, USA / 158 grams / $250 at Timmermade

Impressed by the wants and needs of Appalachian Path thru-hikers, Dan Timmerman started crafting his personal gear to fill in a lacking puzzle piece he noticed within the out of doors attire trade. After making dozens of wool clothes, in addition to down sleeping baggage and jackets, Timmermade (the corporate) was organically born. Dan and firm have since developed a collection of SUL (tremendous ultralight) clothes which can be purpose-built to attenuate weight and pack dimension as a lot as attainable with out compromising operate. The SUL 1.1 Down Pants are one of many latest additions to this line.

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Just like the SUL knit sweater that we reviewed a few years in the past, the SUL 1.1 Down Pants don’t have pockets, zippers, or further options, they usually’re stripped down to supply essentially the most optimized weight-to-warmth ratio attainable. The SUL 1.1 Down Pants are fabricated from a light-weight ripstop nylon and insulated with Hyperdry 900 fill energy goose down. This can be a Accountable Down Normal (RDS) licensed down that’s handled with a fluorocarbon-free water-repellent coating to assist preserve you heat when it’s moist. The SUL 1.1 has 5″ vast baffle spacing and 1.1″ calculated loft, providing a singular Michelin Man design that minimizes chilly spots by growing the baffle dimension and decreasing the variety of sewn-through seams.

The inside and exterior shells are made out of Argon 67, a 10-denier ripstop nylon cloth. It’s specced as the identical thickness as many of the different choices reviewed right here, nevertheless it’s a really light-weight materials and feels somewhat lighter than others. Sadly, I managed to get a small burn gap in them on the primary evening I wore them whereas sitting close to a campfire. Irritating, however that’s the fact with ultralight down clothes.

All that stated, the SUL down pants are the warmest pants out of the three we reviewed, seemingly because of the greater fill depend and huge baffles. They’re additionally the lightest and pack the smallest out of the choices on this listing. They’re nice for sleeping in or hanging round camp, however I wouldn’t suggest carrying them whereas using by brushy areas, bushwhacking, or tending a hearth. All in all, the SUL down pants are an extremely good worth and supply a best-in-class warmth-to-weight ratio.

The SUL 1.1 Down Pants can be found in 10 colours, and you’ll specify customized sizing particulars to make sure an ideal match, a bespoke possibility that’s accessible for many of Timmermade’s merchandise for a $20 upcharge and one thing that units the small model aside.

Mountain {Hardware} Ghost Whisperer Down Pants

Made in China / 257 grams / $275 at REI Males’s Girls’s

Obtainable in each males’s and girls’s cuts, the Ghost Whisperer down pants by Mountain {Hardware} are essentially the most mainstream possibility of the group, coming from a comparatively recognizable and extensively accessible model. They’re additionally essentially the most streamlined and bedecked of the three, oddly sufficient. Whereas these two traits might sound in opposition, Mountain Hardwear did a very good job of marrying a pleasant function set with a smooth match and nonetheless maintained a comparatively light-weight and packable type issue.

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The Ghost Whisperers include 800 fill RDS-certified down insulation and have a number of options that the Montbell and Timmermade pants lack, together with a zippered fly, a button closure, hand pockets, and ankle zips with a snap closure. In addition they have a strengthened elastic waistband and a thicker exterior cloth. The opposite two choices use 10-denier shells, whereas the Ghost Whisperers have a 15D ripstop nylon shell and a 10D inside cloth. That’s a pleasant addition in the event you plan on doing something apart from sleeping or sitting round in your down pants at camp.

The ankle zips are one other good function as you may—a minimum of in concept—placed on and take off the pants with out eradicating your footwear. Word that this works with smaller footwear, nevertheless it’s a no-go with the massive 5 Ten winter boots proven in these images.

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All in all, the Ghost Whisperers are very comfy down pants that differ from the opposite two choices reviewed right here. They’re full-featured and nonetheless comparatively mild, however they’re additionally somewhat extra pant-like than the others and never fairly as heat because of this. A part of this might need to do with the elevated variety of baffles, making them somewhat extra trim feeling. They’re hands-down the best choice right here to be used in additional energetic pursuits as a consequence of their match, strengthened waist, and zippered ankles. That being stated, with the variety of baffles and what looks as if much less down fill, I believe they’re not fairly as heat as the opposite two for the extra sedentary camp life.

The Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer down pants can be found in males’s sizes (S-XXL) in black or Surplus Inexperienced (as proven). In addition they are available three inseam lengths (29.5, 31.5, and 33.5). The ladies’s can be found in Glacial or Black in sizes small-XL in Quick, Common, or Lengthy inseams.

Montbell Ultralight Down Pants

Made in Vietnam / 184 grams / $229 at Montbell Males’s ladies’s

By Virginia Krabill
Montbell’s down pants supply unbelievable heat in an amazingly light-weight and compact package deal. Diamond-shaped baffles preserve the 80 grams of 800 fill energy down in place, however apart from that refined aesthetic component, the pants are minimalist in design. They’ve a drawcord waist and skinny elastic cuffs on the ankles. They don’t have any pockets, however that’s an important alternative for my part. Their absence helps preserve the silhouette of the pants slim, versus the Michelin Man look that down clothes typically has. Wanting good is one factor, however the lack of bulk additionally makes the pants match very well. Whereas I typically really feel constricted when carrying a number of layers—or perhaps a singular cumbersome one—these pants don’t make me really feel that manner in any respect. I can bend, squat, and pedal freely in them.

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Whereas I gained’t be using by brambles or cactus fields in these vegetation, the 10-denier ripstop nylon cloth looks as if it presents somewhat little bit of safety from abrasion. In addition they have a DWR coating to assist shed precipitation. The pants include a small stuff sack for safekeeping. Their packed dimension is roughly the dimensions of a medium grapefruit, however they weigh subsequent to nothing. The truth is, their weight and dimension are smaller than that of the bottom layer I exploit in additional reasonable temperatures.

Montbell’s mild down pants aren’t low-cost, however I believe they’re definitely worth the funding for people like me who typically discover themselves heading off to the heat and luxury of their tent once they’d actually relatively be sitting across the campsite with mates. The Montbell Gentle Down Pants are available each males’s (S-XXL) and girls’s (S-XL) sizes and are solely accessible in black.

Extra Ultralight Down Pants

Listed here are a half-dozen extra ultralight down pants that we discovered throughout our analysis. Word that each one of those choices fell underneath 400 grams (14 ounces), and a few are extra ultralight than others. They’re listed so as of weight.

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  Goosefeet Gear Down Pants

  Georgia-based Goosefeet Gear is greatest identified for his or her Down Socks, however additionally they supply ultralight down pants. Goosefeet Down Pants aren’t solely one of many lightest choices accessible, they’re additionally totally customizable and are available quite a lot of colour mixtures. Maybe most fascinating, the Goosefeet Down Pants can be found with a thicker 20d exterior shell.

  Made in GA, USA / ~175 grams / $185 at Goosefeet Gear

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  Western Mountaineering Flash Pants

  Western Mountaineering’s tackle ultralight down pants are made within the USA utilizing light-weight ripstop nylon with water repellent end with 850+ fill energy goose down. They function strengthened cloth within the seat space, an adjustable waist belt, and elastic ankle cuffs. The Flash Pants are available sizes XS-XL in black.

  Made in CA, USA / 180 grams / $290 at Western Mountaineering

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  Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown Pants

  Mountain Hardwear has one other pair of comparatively ultralight down pants of their catalog. The Stretchdown Pants have many of the options as their Ghost Whisperer—save the ankle zips—however have a 88% nylon/12% elastane shell to permit higher motion, and are filled with a 700-fill-power RDS down.

  Made in Vietnam / 222 grams / $260 at REI Males’s Girls’s

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  Kuiu Tremendous Down ULTRA Pant

  Made with searching in thoughts, Kuiu’s ultralight down pants function a 12D TORAY Stunner Stretch shell, 850+ fill-power water-resistant down, 30D strengthened seat and knee panels, full-length aspect zips, and hook-and-loop adjustable waist tabs. Contemplating all that, we’re unsure how they preserve to their claimed weight. Tremendous Down ULTRA Pants are available a number of colours in sizes S-XXXL.

  Made in TBD / 227 grams / $260 at Kuiu

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  Patagonia Das Gentle Pants

  Patagonia’s DAS Gentle Pants are made out of PlumaFill, the one possibility on the listing made out of artificial insulation. They promise a packable, ultralight design that’s constructed to maneuver and stay heat even when moist. Das Gentle pants function a recycled nylon shell with a weatherproof PU coating and full aspect zips. Like different Patagonia clothes, they’re additionally Truthful Commerce Licensed sewn.

  Made in Vietnam / 312 grams / $299 at Patagonia Backcountry

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  RAB Argon Down Pants

  RAB’s tackle ultralight down pants, the Argon Down Pants, seem like somewhat extra sturdy than others. They function a waterproof 20D Pertex Microlight shell, RDS-certified 800 fill-power Fluorocarbon-free hydrophobic down, an elasticized hem with a detachable belt, zippered fly, and a stuff sack.

  Made in TBD / 375 grams / €200 at Backcountry

Likelihood is, we missed some good choices which can be accessible within the market. You probably have a pair of ultralight down pants that you simply’d suggest, please drop us a be aware within the dialog under. Likewise, you probably have expertise with any of those, please tell us the way you’re getting together with them.

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