Berghaus Men's Paclite Gore-Tex Waterproof Overtrousers | Lightweight | Durable

An avid all weather Walker, I had previously given up on waterproof trousers. Underspend and you end up with a pair of sweet inducing, hot and uncomfortable trousers (even in winter) that you carry around in your backpack but hardly ever put on ( often preferring to get wet).If you recognise this feeling then these are for you.They come in a little pouch that compacts them to the size of a large grapefruit. They weigh so little it's hard to believe that they are so completely waterproof. I wore these on a 24 mile walk around the New Quay Wales coast in pouring rain (non stop all day) in combo with a Marmot gore tex minimalist jacket and gore tex leather boots. The jacket (2.5 later traditional gore tex material) is excellent and weather proof, but not fantastically breathable so yes, I did sweat in it which eventually causes damp sweat patches on clothing underneath outside of all but the coldest days.The trousers? Well, these are made of a single layer of high intensity gore-tex and so the breathability is much higher whilst the weight is much lower. I wore them over heavy O'Neill canvas outdoor trousers in late summer (prob 18 degrees) and I swear I didnt know that I was wearing them. They glide beautifully walking any terrain and make walking in the rain an absolute pleasure.The breathability really is incredible... to the point that the very decent but hot Marmot Jacket will be reserved for a decent (Winter only) hard shell, whilst a Berghaus Minimalist jacket will take its place for a waterproof but totally cool and breathable hard shell for the warmer months in due course.The trousers have a zipper running the full outer length of each leg which makes them a doddle to pop on and off even with boots encrusted with mud, whilst the zips can also be undone from hip to knee level to increase breathability.I didnt need this but tried walking in the heavy rain with them down just to see if water ingress would occur. The truth is that it does a little, but you still remain largely dry as the water continues to seam down the outer material rather than into your trousers underneath.I have no doubt given how incredibly lightweight they are, that despite the rip stop fabric they will tear in time from a branch, a trip or barbed wire or even a slip and fall, but I equally believe that they will be easily repairable for the most part with waterproof patches or tenacious tape... meaning they may get tatty after years of use but will continue to work well whilst remaining light and breathable.Incredibly impressed and fabulous to look forward to my walking even when its throwing it down.

I have had several pairs of these and they will last five years of regular use. I have tried many other brands and materials. Some are more durable but they are heavy and bulky - most of the time if hillwalking you only want to carry overtrousers as a backup in your pack. If you want overtrousers for pushing through undergrowth you need to get something tougher than these. Some are a more fashionable fit, tighter and more stretchy etc, but I have found that stretchy overtrousers invariably leak at the thigh and knee. These are a reasonable price for goretex. Paclite is a proven goretex material that has been around many years. The fit is quite loose which is what you want in an overtrouser as the rain runs off your legs and over your boots rather than into them, and the breathe more effectively. The full length zips make them easy to put on over boots and the the two way zips mean they can be vented at the top. They weigh nothing and pack away very small. The main reason people find their overtrousers start leaking is that they put them away wet or muddy and the material deteriorates. Look after these and they will serve you well.

I got this to do the "Southern Upland Way" in March 2020. They did great.Pros:- They truly are waterproof ('Scottish mountains in March waterproof').- They breath alright if used alone (with no other trousers) or if it's cold-ish.- Zipper is 75% of leg length, of best quality (great waterproof sealing). Perfect to put trousers on and off and to allow air in/out.- Trousers can be used with zippers 'open' all the way thanks to a button on the middle, near the knees.- They weight 231g (size L) including the carrying 'net' pouch. You'll find lighter pants out there, but not sure how durable/waterproof in comparison. These are a great compromise performance/weight ratio.- They pack to a quite small size and it's quite easy to do so (and store them in their carrying pouch) once you know how to do it.- They are easy to put on and off wearing large Lowa Camino GTX boots.- Elastic waist band: great when you lose weight on your thru-hike.Cons:- At this price? None. At any price? l'd like to see them on a diet getting to 120g total weight (including net).I strongly recommend them. Just keep in mind the weight if you're a thru-hiker (or trail runner?).

Tested on hikes in multiple torrential, day-long downpours. Dry all day. The openable vents running most of the length of each leg are perfect for staying cool without the need to take the trousers off, on those days when the rain stops and starts all day, too. Packs down easily, also.

I went for Berghaus because of the respected brand name. Also because these use GoreTex fabric which I understood to be the top waterproof fabric available - everyone waxes lyrical about it.Generally these have been OK but in the last 2 months water has started coming through on the left knee. Are there actually any garments available which are 100% waterproof over the long term???I like the long side zips which make it easy to put these on / take off when wearing boots or sports shoes. The zips do catch on the fabric which is annoying but not disastrous. No pockets which is very inconvenient. Do not fit over wide top wellies though.