Omg imagine wearing a bag with two straps. Like what are these people even thinking

anyone have experience with waterproof pants? been wanting a pair for my commute to work. I was looking at Mark's for some ideas, not too bad around $80.

do you walk to work or bike to work?
waterproof pants are not breathable, so if you sweat under there it will be like a plastic bag.
if you're just walking then it should be fine.

if you do ride in the rain then just save it for the really big rainfall days, maybe consider a pair of just water resistant pants for the other days.

http://preview.redd.it/daddy-these-r...=webp&94784dd5lol I assume he’s not talking about rubber pants, more like gore Tex which will not be like wearing garbage bags.

$80 marks waterproof pants... not the same as $400 goretex pants.

I do both depending on weather. The description says they're waterproof and breathable (probably impossible but that's what it says lol).

Anything thats waterproof and breathable are generally some compromise of the two.
Even the best stuff is not really both, its just waterproof for longer and slightly breathable.

The only thing thats truly waterproof are not breathable at all but if youre doing high exertion then you will trap your sweat moisture inside..

Its mostly just marketing to say waterproof and breathable. They never have to prove how waterproof and how breathable and for how long.

When I was a conductor, I tried everything. Nothing really worked.

After 8 hours in the piss, everything is soaked. People on the rails swore by that helly Hansen stuff (the light shell jackets) but they got all “wetted out” after a few hours and then it doesn’t breath anymore so it turns into a rubber suit and you just cook yourself.

None of those high tech materials work for long durations. Best was those retarded looking hat rain hats, and a poncho. Too bad you can’t wear that in the railyards as it would get caught on equipment.

well i'm in a position where basically none of my outer wear is even water resistant lol. i think almost anything will be an upgrade, especially in the pants department. i do at least own several pairs of Vessis so my feet stay dry.

You said you’re riding a bike to work right? Just use a bright yellow poncho. It’ll keep you dry, old school chinaman style.

i usually bike when there's no rain. on occasion, i'll bike in the rain if necessary though.

i'll walk if raining or feeling like i wanna get some steps in.

all scenarios could use some water resistant/proof gear

Well if you’re doing durations less than a few hours, just go grab an arctreyx jacket with goretex pro. You can get it down in the Seattle premium outlet for 200 usd (beta AR) while they are like 800 dollars Canadian here.

That’ll help with your walks and shit. As for pants, same, or Columbia / Kelly Hansen pro gear. That way you can save a bit of money, since the pants isn’t as important as the jacket.

My recommendation is gear w/ a membrane that's really breathable (like Gore Active) along with a wool baselayer.
Even if you soak through the pants, the baselayer should keep you warm.

No cheapo membranes with 10k mm waterproof and 4k breathability (A-1 test).
Gore Active or Performance 2L is 27k waterproof, 15k breathability.

Buying goretex also gets you lifetime warranty!

Only thing is Goretex Pro not very breathable.
Scores 4-8K on the A1 test, while Active/Performance 2L score 15k+.
That's like 2-4x more breathable.

How long is your walk to work? Breathability is less of an issue if it isn't very long.

Im an old man ! I don’t know jack shit. Just get an umbrella and a poncho

Are you looking for a waterproof 'working outdoors' setup or just something more water resistant for a short commute?

For the former, gortex and waterproof shells. For the later, nylon/polyester cotton blend with DWR finish might work ok. Nyco or poly cotton blended fabrics dry faster than 100% cotton, and don't stick to your skin when wet like 100% synthetics.

Hiking pant tech and fabrics have started to move down into day to day clothing wear. If you're just wearing them for commuting and are changing at work, hiking/trail pants could be an option. If you're wearing them all day there are some that don't look like you just came off of the Grouse Grind.

Good to know but I ain't going to the USA to give them any of my money lol. Not one cent so long as I can help it!

20mins walk, not too far. Just looking for something that can get me to work comfortably through rain and wind without getting absolutely soaked.

Yeah, just daily short commute stuff I'm in the market for. I don't do anything outdoorsy when it rains :lol

I thought gore-tex is under flak for having pfoas or whatever forever chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin. Stick with a poncho as hobz recommends lol

maybe i'll go airport outlet mall for the pants :considered:

Besides Vessi what are reasonably waterproof shoes - something suitable for a 30 min walk in the rain? I don't want to wear my boots when the walk is just to Skytrain or to my kids school.

Re: Goretex - it wasn't till about 3 years ago that I finally got an Arcteryx raincoat and, boy, that shit is great. Picked it up from their North Van outlet store for half price.

Get some Adidas or Nike trail runners with Goretex in it. I have Brooks runners with Goretex in it and they work great but the low cut means water can still splash over.

Breathability is even more of an issue in footwear. I have a pair of Nike Goretex trail runners. My feet tend to run hot and sweaty. They're fine for a single day's wear, but if you wear them for a few days in a row....

I took them on a three week vacation as my sole pair of runners, and a full day of walking (+25,000 steps) every day, they were starting to get funky. I ended up buying anti bacterial shoe spray halfway through the trip to take care of it.

Tbh for 20 minutes walk we are hella overthinking it

I went for hour long hike in lower Seymour when it was pissing rain Saturday
No rain jacket, just in wool pants and cashmere sweaters

Shit’s breathable, I stay warm, it didn’t soak thru
Fooot wear on the other hand… send reccs for trail runners that don’t look ugly lol

yeah 20 minutes anything can do. hell just spray anything with that water repellant spray (probably cancerous, like everything and anything nowadays) and you'll be okay for at least a few washes.