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We tested the latest version of our top pick, Marmot’s PreCip Eco Pant. It’s similar to the previous model but uses recycled nylon instead of “virgin” nylon. They feel, fit, and perform the same.
Although you probably won’t need rain pants during lighter showers or warmer weather, a good pair of rain pants will help you stay dry and comfortable when hiking in heavy rain or in colder climates. To find the best pair, we spent 35 hours conducting research, speaking to experts, simulating a killer wash test, and chasing rain through Portland, Oregon, and Washington State’s Hoh Rain Forest. Based on our latest testing, we think Marmot’s PreCip Eco Pant, which come in men’s and women’s sizes, are the best rain pants for most people. They are water-resistant yet breathable, come in multiple inseam lengths, have a tailored cut, offer such features as ankle zippers and side pockets, and are more affordable than many of the other pants we tested.
Best for the price, these are available in short and long versions as well. The men’s pants come in black or gray.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.
The same design as the men’s. These also come in three inseam lengths, but they’re available only in black.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.
Compared with the other rain pants we tested, Marmot’s 2.5-layer PreCip Eco Pant (in both men’s and women’s versions) will keep you dry for a lower price. The water-repellant coating on the PreCips held up well during rainstorms in Portland, Oregon, even after five hours of continuous washing. The fabric felt breathable during a steamy hike in the Hoh Rain Forest at Washington’s Olympic National Park. Although the PreCips are still roomy enough to move around in and pull over base layers, they have a narrower cut than any other pants we tested and a better range of inseam lengths to fit people of different heights and builds. Each inseam length is sold separately on the website. With ankle zippers at the cuffs, the pants are easy to get on and off while wearing boots. They’re also a few ounces lighter than most of the other pants we considered. They’re almost identical to Marmot’s previous version of these picks, apart from the fact that the Eco pant uses recycled nylon instead of “virgin” nylon.
These pants come in only one length, but they do have vented ankle zippers.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $140.
The same features as the men’s, but in a women’s version.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $90.
Patagonia’s Torrentshell Pants (in women’s and men’s versions) are similar to our top pick, but they offer only one inseam length, are an ounce heavier than our top pick, and were more expensive at the time of this writing. The 2.5-layer ripstop nylon fabric used in these pants looks and feels identical to the fabric on our top pick, and these pants were just as water-resistant and breathable when we wore them walking in the rain, too. The Torrentshells also have longer ankle zippers that cool your legs when they’re opened partially, which we loved. Patagonia doesn’t offer different inseam options for the Torrentshell pants, however, so they may be too long or short for many people—if you’re one of them, you may be tripping over your pants or showing some damp, chilly ankle.
Best for the price, these are available in short and long versions as well. The men’s pants come in black or gray.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.
The same design as the men’s. These also come in three inseam lengths, but they’re available only in black.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.
These pants come in only one length, but they do have vented ankle zippers.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $140.
The same features as the men’s, but in a women’s version.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $90.
To find the best rain pants, we spent 12 hours combing the Web for reviews of men’s and women’s rain pants, reading 11 other guides in all. We considered articles from OutdoorGearLab, The Adventure Junkies, Backpacker, and Outside Online, in addition to many other blog posts and forums. We read a few reviews for rain kilts, thinking that some people might be interested in lighter-weight rainwear options. We also consulted REI’s handy guide to rain gear throughout our research and writing process.
I also interviewed a few rain-gear experts, including Susan Sokolowski, an associate professor and the director of the sports product design program at the University of Oregon; Sean Michael, the program director for the Outdoor Product Design and Development program at Utah State University; and Stephen Regenold, the founder of Gear Junkie, who is well known for his outdoor-gear knowledge. I also spoke with Liz Thomas, a former staff writer on the outdoors team at Wirecutter.
As for me, I’m a Wirecutter staff writer who’s covered everything from sports bras to first aid kits for the outdoors to soda makers. I currently live in New York, but I used to spend my time hiking in rainy Portland, Oregon. I’ve also whipped out my trusty rain pants many times while working as an outdoor instructor in North Carolina, where thunderstorms happen like clockwork every afternoon in the summertime.
Rain pants are a just-in-case item that you’ll rarely need to take out of your bag…until you really, really do. If you’re hiking in a warmer climate, you probably don’t need rain pants. In fact, a pair of rain pants could actually make you too hot in places like these, or they could cause chafing and discomfort while you’re sweating. Most rain pants are meant to keep water out, which also means that they don’t let sweat out—so if you’re hiking only a short distance in warmer weather and you won’t be wet for long periods of time, you should probably leave your rain pants behind.
“Many hikers don’t need to bother with rain pants, especially if you hike when it’s warm,” said Stephen Regenold, founder of Gear Junkie. “They are among the least important pieces of outerwear… if your legs are wet, it’s rarely game over.”
However, if you’re planning to hike in colder climates or at higher elevations, or you’re traveling to a place that has frequent, heavy rainstorms that last for long periods of time, or if you’ll be trekking through wet, brushy areas, this guide is for you. Keeping your core warm is more important than keeping your extremities warm, but your chance of getting hypothermia increases when you’re both cold and wet. Rain pants can help solve this problem.
Rain pants are a just-in-case item that you’ll rarely need to take out of your bag … until you really, really do.
This guide isn’t for ultralight hikers, most of whom probably don’t want the added weight of a situational accessory. Former Wirecutter writer Liz Thomas held the women’s unassisted speed record on the Appalachian Trail between 2011 and 2015, and she said she hikes with an umbrella for maximum water protection with less weight.
The rain pants in this guide are for everyday hikers and backpackers—they’re not designed for full-submersion situations, like angler fishing or kayaking, or extreme cold weather situations, like alpine mountaineering. However, I will say that I’ve used my rain pants in non-hiking situations on occasion—I’ll layer them over long-johns to go out in the rare Portland snowstorm, don them while biking, or put them on for a messy garden job. There are bike-specific rain pants and snow pants, of course. But for a quick walk through the woods or a muddy outdoor chores, our picks will work just fine.
After reading many websites and reviews, we looked at the top-rated and best-selling rain pant models available on popular outdoor sites REI and Cabela’s. We also checked Amazon’s top-rated and best-selling pants, and I took a trip to REI to touch and feel some of the pants we were considering.
If you’re hiking in rain for extended periods of time, you’ll want completely waterproof pants.
We started this guide with a list of 39 top-rated models of both women’s and men’s rain pants, then narrowed that list based on the following criteria:
Price: According to the reviews we read, most rain pants that cost more than $150 didn’t add extra features or provide extended durability, so we eliminated those. In our research, we found that pants priced below $80 lacked preferred features like ankle zippers, which make pants easier to get on and off, and pants that cost more than $100 tended to be made of softer and yet more durable fabrics. However, we still tested a few cheap pairs to see what we’d get when we took them into the field.
Layers: Rain gear is categorized by how many layers it’s made from. The gear is generally broken down into 2-, 2.5-, or 3-layer categories:
Waterproof: A good pair of rain pants should keep water out. However, your required levels of waterproofing or water-resistance will depend on your planned activities. If you’ll be in a cold, very wet environment, or if you’re hiking in rain for extended periods of time, you’ll want completely waterproof pants. If you’ll be somewhere warmer or you’re in a place with intermittent rain, a breathable pair of water-resistant pants might be enough.
“[The term] waterproof [means it’s] a complete barrier to water, and water resistant means that some water will get through,” said Sokolowski. “Usually it’s a cost decision, so if you get pants that are fully waterproof, they’re more expensive. They’re also typically less breathable, so you have to consider your conditions.”
Though water-resistant pants are available, in this guide we reviewed only rain pants that were 100 percent waterproof.
Materials: Most of the pants in this guide are coated with a DWR film and are made from materials ranging from nylon to polyurethane to polyester. We didn’t test pants made with Gore-Tex, e-Vent, or other proprietary, breathable, element-blocking membranes because we found that a basic DWR coating did just as good of a job of keeping most people dry in normal hiking situations, for around half the price. “I think Gore-Tex is a great solution,” said Sokolowski. “[But] there are other membranes that are out there that do the same thing… It’s not the end all and be all.”
Mobility: You’ll probably be moving around a lot in your rain pants, so it’s important that the pants move with your body. Some rain pants are made from stretchy fabrics that allow for greater mobility; these may be more expensive, but spending more can be worth it for the comfort. Designers also add gussets—pieces of fabric shaped like a triangle or diamond— to the crotches of rain pants to reduce the stress on the seams. But our experts noted that some pants are stretchy enough not to need gussets.
“The fabrics have gotten [stretchy enough] that a gusset isn’t as imperative as in the past,” said Sean Michael. “With a quality cut and the relative stretch of the fabric, the gusset starts to become secondary unless someone is really doing bouldering or face climbing.”
Ease of use: Ankle zippers are important because they let you easily don and shed your rain pants as you hike. “Maybe you’re hot or it stops raining,” said Sokolowski. “You want to make sure the leg opening is easy for a shoe to get underneath and out so you don’t have to take your shoes off.”
Almost all of the pants we tested for this guide are half-zip, versus full-zip pants (we did include one full-zip pair of pants in our testing because of their unique, stretchy fabric). Half-zip pants have zippers running from about knee height to the pants’ cuffs and they allow you to pull your pants off over hiking boots more easily. Full-zip pants unzip from the ground all the way to the waistband. Full-zip pants are easier than half-zip pants to get on and off and they unzip to keep your legs cool, but our experts were concerned about the added weight of full zip pants and the risk of zipper failure. If your zippers break or get stuck on a pair of half-zip pants, you’re still mostly covered. But if zippers break on a pair of full-zip rain pants, your entire leg will be exposed, defeating the point of the rain pants altogether. You’re also likely to get water on your base layers when you remove full-zip rain pants. Plus, full-zip pants are often more expensive than half-zip options. Most of the half-zip pants we considered do come in full-zip options if you’re really set on needing extra venting.
Because rain pants often have ankle zippers or snap cuffs that would make alterations difficult, it’s important to find a pair with the right size and cut for you.
Fit: Most rain pants are made in both men’s and women’s versions; choosing the right one for your body will help with mobility. Excess, bunchy fabric can get in the way, and pants that are too big will be uncomfortable and noisy. “A woman [or any smaller person] should definitely be looking for a woman’s cut and companies that are serious about making those offerings,” said Michael. We looked at both men’s and women’s options for this guide.
We also looked for pants that offered petite, plus size, and other inseam length options. Because rain pants often have ankle zippers or snap cuffs that would make alterations difficult, it’s important to find a pair with the right size and cut for you. You’ll be able to get a more customized fit if you opt for pants with an adjustable waist, too, whether the pants use a drawstring, elastic cord, or belt.
Weight: Even if you consider yourself more of a weekend warrior than an ultralight hiker, rain pants shouldn’t take up a lot of weight in your pack, because they’ll probably be in there most of the time. For this reason, we eliminated any pants that weighed more than a pound. We also decided to look at a few highly reviewed rain kilts as ultralight options.
Features: We looked for pants with pockets, because they’ll be a top layer and you may want some items easily accessible. Good rain pants should have taped or sealed zippers and seams, too, to keep water out.
First we tried on all the rain pants to observe how easy they were to move around in, how comfortable they were, how loud and swishy the fabric was, how easy they were to get on and off, and how well they fit.
Then we tested for water-resistance. I live in Portland, Oregon, a city notorious for its rain. (In 2016, we got about 36 inches.) We planned to take each pair of rain pants out in the rain around town for an hour at a time—and that worked for the first seven pairs of pants (we even got some hail for a few of those walks, too!). But alas, during the next four weeks of testing, there was barely a drop of rain in Portland.
While we waited for the rain, we conducted an eye-dropper test (per Sokolowski’s advice) to see whether the water soaked through or beaded on pants. Water didn’t soak through any of the pants, meaning that they were all baseline waterproof. However, this test did illustrate that some pants were more effective at repelling water than others. Water droplets practically jumped off several pairs of pants, while it clung to the fabric of other pairs.
We also conducted a wash test to mimic long-term wear and tear on DWR coatings. While researching how outdoor clothing brands test their rain wear, we came across Patagonia’s Killer Wash tests and reached out to Matt Dwyer, Patagonia’s director of materials and development, to learn more. Matt told us that Patagonia’s initial wash tests involve running rain gear through continuous five-, 12-, or 24-hour cycles. We decided to run pants through five hours of continuous wash cycles at Portland’s Spin Laundry Lounge to simulate this test. After reading the labels on all pants and kilts to make sure we followed manufacturer’s instructions, we used powder detergent, washed the pants in cold water, and air-dried them. Then, we repeated the eye dropper test to observe any differences (there weren’t any).
With no rain in sight in Portland, Oregon, we chose finalists based on reviews, size options, price, fit, and features.
Then we had the brilliant idea to take our finalists to the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington’s Olympic National Park, which gets 12 to 14 feet of rain per year and is the one of the wettest places in the continental United States (PDF).
But as the fated weekend approached, there wasn’t much rain on the forecast—just our luck. Still, we decided to follow through with the trip. It would at least be rain-y, we reasoned. During every bathroom break during the five-hour drive to Olympic National Park, I refreshed and refreshed Weather Underground, my new favorite weather radar app, looking for the dark green mass that signaled rain. I kept glancing at the sky—it was slightly overcast. When we got to the park, I queried the cashier at a gas station, where Weather Underground’s forecast was projected onto a large TV screen behind the counter. She promised us there would be rain that night, gesturing to gray clouds in the distance. When we rolled up to the park gate, the ranger promised that the Hoh Rain Forest was the rainiest place we could be.
Empty promises, all. It did not rain during our trip to the rainiest part of the Pacific Northwest, except for a very brief drizzle on day two, which caused me to excitedly declare that this was our long-awaited downpour. It was not. Instead, we witnessed a rare and glorious weekend at the Hoh Rain Forest: all blue skies and sunshine. Perfect weather, said the ranger—except for those of us who wanted to test rain pants.
Despite the lack of rain, we still tested rain pants. We wore all of the finalist pants for at least an hour’s worth of hiking to test for mobility and breathability and to see how easy the pants were to get on and off. We lunged, jumped, rolled around in wet grass, splashed ourselves with river water, knelt in puddles, and rubbed our butts against mossy trees and gravel. A few weeks later, we did get rain in Portland (thank you, The Big Dark)—and I was able to wear our picks in the rain around town. I stayed very dry.
Ultimately, because all of our candidates proved to be waterproof, we made our picks based on sizing options, price, fit, and features. We combed through reviews on multiple retail sites to look for reports on long-term wear, too. To truly observe how well a pair of rain pants holds up, you need to wear and wash them repeatedly throughout the year—so we’ll continue to long-term test these picks and keep this guide updated throughout the season.
Best for the price, these are available in short and long versions as well. The men’s pants come in black or gray.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.
The same design as the men’s. These also come in three inseam lengths, but they’re available only in black.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $80.
Marmot’s PreCip Eco Pant (available in men’s and women’s versions) will keep you dry just as well as the competition, at a lower price, and they’re available in a wider array of inseam lengths. They’re 2.5-layer, ripstop nylon, half-zip pants with basic features like ankle zips to help you get the pants over your boots. They also have zippered side pockets. Where the PreCips stand out is their cut: They were among the best-fitting pants we tried, and come in short, regular, and long inseam lengths. Out of all the pants we tested, they’re the most likely to fit more people. The Precip Eco Pants are almost identical to Marmot’s previous version of these picks—named simply the PreCips—apart from the fact that the Eco pant uses recycled nylon instead of “virgin” nylon.
Marmot’s pants kept me dry while I walked for several miles in heavier-than-usual Portland rain and wind (rain was blowing at me horizontally). Examining the lining of the pants after my walk, I saw no signs of wetting through. These pants also repelled water well during our eye-dropper test before and after five hours of continuous washing. Water didn’t bead up and jump off the PreCips quite as well as it did off the Mountain Hardwear Stretch Ozonic pants, but neither did the water cling to fabric like it did on the Frogg Toggs.
On our Hoh Rain Forest hike and around town, the PreCips felt breathable. (The weather was around 48 °F in the rain forest and in the mid-50s in Portland.) I was noticeably sweaty and clammy after only an hour of hiking in the Columbia Storm Surge pants in the rain forest—but that wasn’t the case in the PreCips.
Tripping over pants isn’t fun and neither is feeling like you’re wearing two trash bags. We experienced this feeling while wearing many of the pants in our lineup—but not when we wore the PreCips. Instead, the PreCips fit well and were easy to move in. Their legs are roomy enough to pull on over layers and walk in. The PreCips still look and feel like rain pants, of course—which means they don’t get many style points. Their fabric isn’t as soft and stretchy as that on the sleeker REI Taluspheres or the Stretch Ozonic pants, either. However, these pants feel sturdier than the others we tested because of their gusseted crotch—which, according to our experts, can help reinforce an easy-to-rip area.
The PreCips come in three inseam lengths (short, regular, and long) in both men’s and women’s versions, and we found them to be some of the only pants in our pile that were actually true to size. I’m 5 feet tall and despite ordering shorter inseam lengths when available, I discovered that most of our test pants were too long for me. The PreCips come in gray and black in men’s, and black for women. Size-wise, the women’s pants come in XS to XL (24½- to 38½-inch waist, 35- to 39-inch hip, 30- to 33-inch inseam) and the men’s pants come in S to XL (30- to 42-inch waist, 34- to 48-inch hip, 30- to 35-inch inseam). The men’s regular inseam pants weigh 8.9 ounces and the women’s weigh 8.1 ounces—making these pants about an ounce lighter than our runner-up and several ounces lighter than most of the other pants we considered.
On our Hoh Rain Forest hike and around town, the PreCips felt breathable.
The PreCips’ two zippered mesh side pockets let you stash whatever you need to keep accessible. These pockets have a protective fabric shelf—but they aren’t taped, so we wouldn’t rely on them keeping a phone dry during a true downpour. Ankle zippers at the cuffs make pulling the pants over your boots easy. Unlike other pants, however, the PreCips have an effective ankle cinch to help taper and shorten pants after you put them on (the cinch on the Taluspheres, in contrast, barely made a difference in narrowing the wide boot-cut cuffs).
Price-wise, the PreCip pants are at the lower end of the high-end rain pants we tested, and at the higher end of the cheaper options. At the time of writing, they were $20 less than our runner-up, the almost identical Patagonia Torrentshell pants. For the cost, these pants offer the best value out of all the pants we tested.
Only time will prove the true worthiness of a pair of rain pants—if seams will bust, fabric will tear, or the DWR will wear out exceptionally quickly. You’ll need to wash the PreCips with powder detergent, not liquid, and you can dry them on low. If your pants do wear out, you can file a warranty claim with Marmot. Their site doesn’t provide a time frame for warranties, which suggests that you can swap the pants out at any time if something breaks down.
The PreCips are made from ripstop nylon so they still feel somewhat like trash bags. They weren’t the quietest pants, either. However, that complaint extended to most of the pants we tested.
Though there are fabric flaps over the PreCip’s zippers on the pockets and at the ankle to help shield you from water, the zippers aren’t taped like they are on the pricier Mountain Hardwear pants we tested. This means they could let in some extra water. And although the zippers are plenty long, they’re not as long as the zippers on the Torrentshells. The zippers don’t vent, either. Finally, we didn’t love the waistband on the PreCips. The drawstring is pretty flimsy, consisting of two wide strings that you tie together—we wish it was made of sturdier elastic that was easier to adjust.
These pants come in only one length, but they do have vented ankle zippers.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $140.
The same features as the men’s, but in a women’s version.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $90.
If the PreCips are unavailable, Patagonia’s Torrentshell pants (available in men’s and women’s versions) are nearly identical to our top pick. They’re basic, waterproof pants with a few standout features: They have long, venting ankle zippers that make the pants easier to get on and off and articulated knees, and they’re more breathable than many of the other options we tested. But the Torrentshells don’t offer any inseam length variations—so if you’re short or tall, these pants may not fit you quite as well as our top pick. They were also more expensive than our top pick at the time of this writing.
The fabric looks and feels identical to that of the PreCips. Both are made from 2.5-layer ripstop nylon. These pants are slightly heavier than the PreCips, with a pair of women’s regular pants weighing 9.3 ounces, and a pair of men’s regular pants weighing 10 ounces.
The Torrentshell pants did just as good a job as our top pick, the PreCips, when it came to keeping us dry in the Portland rain and staying breathable on a hike in the rain forest. The ankle zippers on the Torrentshell come up higher on the leg than on the other pants we tested, which makes getting the pants on and off over boots even easier than with our top pick. The Torrentshell pants’ ankle zippers also allow for venting, a feature the PreCips lack. The Torrentshells have two zippered side pockets covered with a fabric shelf, and the pants fold and zip into one of the mesh pockets once you’ve taken them off. Articulated knees on the pants help with mobility.
Our biggest drawback for these pants was fit: If you’re short or tall, you may be tripping over these pants. Size-wise, the men’s version comes in XS to XXL (26- to 44-inch waist, 31- to 33-inch inseam), and the women’s comes in XXS to XL (24½- to 35½-inch waist, 33½- to 44½-inch hip, 30- to 32-inch inseam). They come in black and gray in a men’s version, and navy and black in a women’s version.
The Torrentshell pants’ ankle zippers also allow for venting, a feature the PreCips lack.
We don’t think the Torrentshells are worth paying more for, but they’re a good option if our top pick is unavailable.
Mountain Hardwear Stretch Ozonic Pant (men’s and women’s): The fabric on the Stretch Ozonic pants is light, soft, and stretchy, and makes them feel and look more like hiking pants than a traditional rain layer. During our spray tests, water practically jumped off of this fabric. But when we took these out on a windy, rainy night, the pants started to wet through after just an hour. These are full-zip pants, which make them easy to get on and off. The Stretch Ozonics have a more tailored cut than many pants we tested; the men’s version has a cinching buckle, and the women’s has Velcro tabs at the sides.
Frogg Toggs Men’s Bull Frogg Pant: The DriPore fabric on these budget pants feels similar to a tarp. During testing, we found these pants to be stiff, uncomfortable, and difficult to move around in. Water clung to these, too, rather than beading off.
Columbia Men’s Rebel Roamer Rain Pant: Though these have two snaps at the ankles to help taper the pant legs, they lack ankle zippers, which makes them difficult to get on and off. We thought the comparable, cheaper Helly Hansen pants were a better budget option. The Rebel Roamers do come in 30- and 32-inch inseams.
Columbia Women’s Storm Surge Rain Pant: The Storm Surge pants come in plus sizes in the women’s version—the only pants in our test pool to come in these sizing options. But during testing, we found that these pants weren’t breathable (likely due to their shell and mesh lining). These pants also lack ankle zippers and are difficult to get on and off over shoes.
North Face Venture 2 Half Zip (men’s and women’s): Although the Venture 2 pants come in three inseam lengths for men’s and women’s versions, the long and short versions are harder to find in stores and not available on the North Face site. These pants are attractive but they have a wider boot cut, which makes them feel like snow pants.
REI Co-op Talusphere Pants (men’s and women’s): I wanted to love these pants, which are made from a soft and stretchy fabric similar to the Stretch Ozonics and are almost half the price. But the boot cut was too wide for both me and our male tester, and an ankle cinch didn’t do much to counter it. We couldn’t move freely. We were also concerned about the durability of the thinner, stretchier fabric of these pants. We didn’t experience any waterproofing problems with these pants, but we read a few reports online of the fabric wetting through. Some reviewers also mentioned that the waistband didn’t hold up the pants very well. The Taluspheres come in three inseam lengths in both the men’s and women’s version: a 30-, 32-, and 34-inch inseam for men, and regular, petite, and tall lengths for women.
Zpacks Rain Kilt: Rain kilts shed water off of your body—they’re like an umbrella, in skirt form—but they don’t offer as much coverage as rain pants because they don’t encapsulate your whole leg. Some ultralight hikers like kilts for their versatility (you can also use them as ground cloths, because they unfold into squares) and their lighter weights. If you’re traveling somewhere warm or going to a place with lighter rain, a kilt may work for you, but we don’t think a rain kilt is the best rainproofing option for most people.
If you do want to buy a kilt, we like the Zpacks rain kilt. Made of ultra-durable and lightweight Dyneem fabric, the kilt has a zipper to seal it and a cinch waist. In contrast, the other kilt we tested, the Üla, uses three pieces of Velcro as closures, which leave several slits where rain can get through. Though the Zpacks kilt is more rigid than the Üla, you can still move around in it.
Üla Rain Kilt: You close this rain kilt with three Velcro pieces, which creates gaps. It’s less structured than the Zpacks kilt, and it’s easier to move around in, but the fabric swishes around your legs—when I walked, the kilt kept getting stuck between my legs. Also, it’s loud.
Care and maintenance instructions depend on each pair of pants, according to our experts. We found this to be true during our testing. “Every product will have a sewn-on care label… the company that’s made them has probably wash tested them,” said Sokolowski. “Usually, [you should] follow the suggested manufacturer’s care [instructions].” For our wash test, we looked at care labels on each pair of pants. A few specified for powder detergent, including our pick. That’s because compounds in liquid detergent can impede DWR from repelling water. When the DWR membrane starts to visibly flake off, that’s a sign that your rain gear is failing. “A membrane like a Gore-Tex membrane is actually laminated to the outside fabric. If you wash or put these products in the dryer, the membrane will start to fall off,” said Sokolowski.
You can re-treat your pants to maintain them. Michael recommended looking into company-specific washes or retreatments. (He specifically likes Nikwax, which adds DWR to your rain pants through a spray or wash, and said that the brand’s “Tech Wash and TX.Direct are coupled together as a 1-2 punch for cleaning and re-treating.”) Dirt, sweat, and grime on pants impedes DWR from working effectively; washing or rinsing between uses can help extend the pants’ longevity. Drying pants on low for a short time can help reactivate DWR, too. You’ll know if a DWR coating is intact if water beads on the pants (this is a good sign). If water soaks through the fabric, you’re out of luck and need to reapply the coating.
Susan Sokolowski, director and associate professor, Sports Product Design program at the University of Oregon, phone interview, July 12, 2017
Sean Michael, professor and program director for the Outdoor Product Design and Development program at Utah State University, phone interview, July 13, 2017
Stephen Regenold, editor and founder, Gear Junkie, email interview, July 17, 2017
How to Choose Rainwear, REI, April 7, 2016
Anna Perling is a former staff writer covering kitchen gear at Wirecutter. During her time at Wirecutter, she reported on various topics including sports bras, board games, and light bulbs. Previously she wrote food and lifestyle pieces for Saveur and Kinfolk magazines. Anna is a mentor at Girls Write Now and a member of the Online News Association.
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