NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant

I was finally able to get back on ice again after almost a month.  Unfortunately, extremely busy schedules mean that 3am departures for ice cragging sessions before work and school are one of the only ways for me to get out. 

Phil on Malan's waterfall at 4am; Ogden, Utah

The climbing was great, though I fell asleep in classes and struggled to stay awake at work. When I was packing my gear, I noticed that I have many different jackets for many different uses.  Some are waterproof hardshells, some softshells, some primaloft, some down, and some fleece; each has its specialty, and each one I take for different climbs.  Pants are a different story for me.  Though I have 3 different models of softshell pants, I really only use one; the NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant.  I use these for winter hiking, snowshoeing, ice and rock climbing, etc.  They are the best softshell pants I have found.

NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant

I’m picky about pants.  There are certain features on pants that I feel are key for climbing and other winter activities in the mountains.  There is a certain fit that I look for in a climbing pant, and I won't use the pant for climbing if it doesn't have that fit.  First of all, grommets. Grommets at the hem of the pants can turn a pant into a gaiter, allowing for better breathability around the leg, a lighter and more comfortable fit, and it looks better in pictures J.  Also, heat from your boots will move out the top of the boot and up the leg, helping to keep the pants dry and your legs warm.  Gaiter often trap this heat exchange around the lower leg and mostly build up sweat, the opposite of what you want to happen.  I love gear that can pull double duty and allow me to lighten my pack.  Anyway, grommets=gaiters.  Some pant companies sew nylon loops at the hem of their pants instead of grommets.  This works too.  It’s not as easy to secure and probably not as durable, but it works.  I have had pants, however, that I have put grommets in, but the pant wasn’t long enough or stretchy enough, and the pant impeded movement.  I couldn’t high-step in them.  I only use those pants now for skiing because I never worry about having a gaiter while skiing.  Another thing I am picky about is having a good fit in the waist.  If a pant is too big in the waist, it will either fall down or come out from under a belt and look/feel horrible, especially under a hipbelt.  Most pant companies will either fit me in the waist and be too short in the leg, or fit me in the leg and be to baggy in the waist (though my waist is getting bigger, now that I’m married L).  The only pants I have found to fit well are the arcteryx gamma lt in a medium long and the NWAlpine Fast/Light Pant.  The gamma lt in med long is about the equivalent of  a 32 waist and 34 length.  But the gamma lt’s don’t have grommets.  Therefore, my pick for the best softshell pant:  The NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant.

NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant

These Pants are perfect, almost.  I decided to try out the NWA Fast and Light pant because they are designed specifically for alpine rock and ice climbing.  To be honest, the feature that convinced me to try them is the grommets around the cuffs of the pants.  I went through a stage where I put grommets in all of my winter pants (with some successes and a few big failures).  Now I prefer to buy pants that already have them.  I also like the pocket and waist design on the pants.  First of all, there is only one pocket on the pants; on the right thigh.  This is just low enough that it is not covered by a harness and just high enough that you don’t feel it on your knee.  It is also big enough to securely carry most topo maps, a few snacks, etc.  No other pockets mean they are great for climbing, but not real great for around town.  That’s what levis are for anyway.

Single thigh pocket with items for scale

The softshell material is very stretchy, so even though they are a bit short on me in the leg, they don’t restrict movement while climbing, even with the pants tied down to my boot as a gaiter.

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 I got these pants in a large for extra length but was afraid they would be too big in the waist.  They have sewn in stretch panels on the waist, however, which pulls in the extra fabric nicely.  The waist really does fit perfectly, with a belt.  This is the only pant that fit this well in the waist with a variety of layering options (the pant alone, one baselayer, and even two baselayers underneath). 

Fast/Light Waist with stretch panels

note: these pants are a low-rise fit

 My arcteryx gamma lt pants fit very well in the waist too, but do not grow to accommodate a lot of extra layers underneath like the NWA pants.

The material is also fairly water resistant, though the gamma lt’s do have a better DWR.  These pants dry quite quickly, though, which helps if they wet out.  I have used these pants now for about 8 months and the DWR has pretty well worn off.  While ice climbing in December in fairly wet conditions, the pants wetted out after about 10 minutes on a drippy waterfall.  But, they were dry again in about 10 or 15 minutes of hiking after I got off the climb.  I’m sure if I re-treat them with a DWR, they would be almost as good as new.

Fast/Light fabric wet out after 10 mins, but dried again in with about 15 mins of hiking.

The DWR was great for about the first 6 months of use.

I have only two complaints about these pants, but one of them is really my fault.  First of all, they have a double layer of fabric on the instep for protection against crampons.  That is nice, but I put a crampon point through one of the layers and had to patch it.  I would prefer that they put a more abrasion resistant layer of material at the instep.  But, if you just don’t stick your crampon through the instep, you won’t have any problems.  Don’t know if it’s so much a design flaw as user error.  I do like gear though that is designed for my own stupidity.

Repaired instep

  My Gamma lt pants don’t have instep protection either, but their fabric has a little more stretch and a tighter weave, I think.  When I caught the instep of the gamma lt pants with the same crampons, nothing happened.  No tear.  No mark.  Nothing.

The other complaint is that, though they put grommets in the hem, which is a big thing for me, the fabric around the hem is quite stretchy.  They even put in an extra stretchy section in the hem.  If you’re post-holing in snow for a while, snow will work its way up through the stretchy hem, even when it’s tied to your boots gaiter-style.  I would prefer that they sew in a no-stretch material around the hem so that I can get a really tight seal around my boot and no snow will get in if post-holing for hours.

Stretchy hem (bad design, imo) with grommets (good design)

Even with these complaints, these are still my go-to pant for every winter trip.  I would probably choose my gamma lt pants if they had grommets, but they don’t, so the NWA Fast and Light pant gets my choice.  They retail for about $110, an absolute steal, especially compared to many of the other softshell pants on the market (usually between $150 and $300).  The Gamma lt pants retail for $170.  The Gamma Lt pant is my choice for the best all-seasons softshell pant.  They are cool during the summer, plenty water-resistant for winter, and very comfortable.  They just need grommets.

Check out the NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant here: http://nwalpine.com/fastlight-pant
Make sure to check out the other cool offering from NWAlpine too!
Check out the Arcteryx Gamma LT Pant here: http://arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Pants-Shorts/Gamma-LT-Pant#

Winter Layering Part 1

I got home the other night from climbing, changed my clothes, and climbed into bed.  My wife rolled over and said, "You're not going to shower?  Gross!"  I told her that I didn't sweat the whole time I was climbing and I'd showered before I left, so I didn't stink.  She rolled over, smelled me, and agreed I didn't stink and said I could stay.  She then said, "How do you go climbing for four hours and not sweat?"

The key is proper layering

The fact is, the last few times I've been snowshoeing or climbing I haven't sweat (except a little under a pack).  I have sweat a ton less this winter compared to other winters but I've also been getting out a lot more often.  I have found that you have to feel just slightly cool so that you don't sweat.  If you're moving, chances are you will feel good.  If you stop, you may get a little chilled.  That's the ideal.  Before you get cold, throw on a warmer layer over the rest of your clothes.  This is the action suit/belay jacket idea.

A couple good link for more on winter layering:

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/09/winter-layers.html

http://willgadd.com/?p=568

Last year I thought I had finally found the perfect winter clothing system.  For the upper layer, it consisted of the Arcteryx Rho LTW as a baselayer, the NWAlpine Black Spider Light Hoody, the Arcteryx Atom LT Hoody, the Arcteryx Alpha LT Jacket (I have the SV but if I had to do it again, I'd get the LT), and finally the Rab Neutrino Endurance down jacket.  Actually, my ideal would have consisted of the Arcteryx Dually Belay jacket, if it wasn't so dad blame expensive. 

NWAlpine Black Spider Light Hoody

Climbing Ogden Via Ferrata in Arcteryx Acto MX Hoody

 Anyway, I felt like this combination of jackets would take me anywhere I would ever want to go (at least in the lower 48 and probably even Canada and AK).  I wouldn't always take every layer with me on a winter outing, but mostly.  For the bottom layer, my ideal system would be the Arcteryx Rho LTW pant, the Arcteryx Gamma LT pant, and the Arcteryx Kappa pant.  The Rho baselayer is plenty of insulation on the bottom layer for hiking and climbing in all but the very coldest situations (0 degrees or colder while hiking uphill or climbing strenuous rock/ice).  For standing around in cold temps (below 20 degrees), I prefer happy pants (insulated pants that make the cold weather climbing experience much more enjoyable).  Almost every company make them, but the best ones have full side zips.  The best I've found are the Arcteryx Kappa Pants (though quite pricy), but the Mountain Hardwear Compressor Pants are quite good as well.  Rab has an updated offering (Photon Pant) that looks pretty nice and I'm excited to try out. 

Mountain Hardwear Compressor Pant

Arcteryx Kappa AR Pant

 My wife, Kelsey, has a pair of First Ascent Igniter pant which she loves and, I must say, they fit her very well.  I originally ordered them for her because I found them online for a good price and I wanted her to enjoy winter backpacking with me a little more.  When they got here I was impressed with the quality of the manufacturing.  The only compaint I have about the pants is that the side zips don't go all the way to the waist.  The men's version don't either.  They are perfect for her because she doesn't do very much climbing with crampons.  I, on the other hand, would pretty much only use them on climbing trips with crampons.  Without full zips, it is impossible to get these pants on and off without ripping them into pieces without taking your crampons off first.  This is, at the very least, a hassle, and at the very most, dangerous, depending on the terrain you are on when you put them on.  Anyway, for climbing applications, get happy pants with full side zips.

So, my layering generally goes something like this:
If the weather is 25 degrees and not snowing:
 and I'm hiking uphill, I wear a long sleeve baselayer (Arc Rho Ltw) and softshell pants. 
If I'm climbing, I throw on a weather/wind resistant hard- or softshell to keep dripping waterfalls at bay.  I really like the Arcteryx Acto MX Hoody or I use the Arcteryx Alpha SV Jacket. 
If I'm resting I throw on the Atom Lt Hoody.  I may layer the NWAlpine black spider light hoody under the atom is I think I'll be sitting around for a while.
If it's snowing, I throw a hardshell over all the layer (with all vents open if hiking)
If the weather is 15 degrees or colder and not snowing:
and I'm hiking uphill--Baselayer, NWA hoody (if not windy) or Arc Acto Hoody (if windy)
If I'm climbing--Baselayer, NWA Hoody, and Arc Acto Hoody or Hardshell (Arc Alpha) OR baselayer and Atom Lt Hoody.  The Atom as a climbing layer is one of my favorite options.

Climbing in Atom Lt Hoody, Middle Teton, October 2010

never overheated, never got too cold

If I'm resting--Rab Neutrino or baselayer, NWA Hoody, Atom Lt Hoody, and hardshell.
If it's 15 degrees or colder and snowing:
and I'm hiking uphill--baselayer, light softshell (Arc Acto) or NWA Hoody (not water resistant, but if it's that cold you shouldn't get wet in it, unless you're really working up some steam).
If resting and snowing--same as if not snowing.  At 15 degrees or colder, there is no need for waterproof.  Even water-resistant is usually unnecessary.  The snow simply won't melt, unless you sit or kneel in it.

I pretty much take the same jackets on almost every trip now.  If the weather is going to be above 15 degrees but below freezing and I'll be moving most of the time, I take a baselayer, the Acto, and the Atom Lt Hoody.  I wear the Atom to climb in if it's near 15, the Acto to climb in if it's closer to 25 or 30, or all three if I'm belaying.
If the weather is below 15 degrees, I take a baselayer, the NWA black spider light hoody, the Acto, and the Rab Neutrino.  I only wear the Neutrino for belaying/sitting around, but I'm always warm. 


Anyway, that is, in a nutshell, how I usually layer during the winter.

What works for me may not work for others at the same temperature.  It varies based on many factors.  Body fat percentage, diet, fitness level, hydration level, etc.  The key is to understand the principles--hike slightly cool, action suit/belay layers, etc., and adjust them according you one's own personal physiology.

Some thoughts on particular pieces of gear that I have really been impressed with (or not) will be on Winter Layering Part 2