Rain/snow/sleet/wind pants?

Does anybody have a recommendation for running pants that can handle the nastiest conditions winter can dish out?

I usually just wear tights, but there are times (wet/cold and windy or frigid and windy) when you just need more than that. I got my last pair of rain pants for running back in 1979 (they work about as well as you'd imagine at this point), so I think I'm due for a replacement.

I recently bought a cold weather running shirt made by Sporthill.
I really like it and it really is enough down to 32.
Their clothing has wind proofing that seems to really work.
I will be getting another shirt/top that is for use down to zero.
They sell running clothes in 3 different "temperature zones".

I may buy a pair of these running pants soon for cold weather.

http://www.sporthill.com/product.php?TypeID=2100

CWX tights. Worth the extra $$.

How much $$$ you got???

Polartec NeoShell might be your answer (I just bought a Marmot NeoShell based coat, can't wait to try it on some hikes this winter): http://www.polartec.com/shelter/polartec-neoshell/

Otherwise, a more affordable option would be to run with some insulated tights as a base layer and then get a cheap pair of nylon pants to block the water / rain as the outerlayer. Heck, your 1979 pants might just work as the outerlayer.

Ben Z wrote:How much $$$ you got???

Polartec NeoShell might be your answer (I just bought a Marmot NeoShell based coat, can't wait to try it on some hikes this winter): http://www.polartec.com/shelter/polartec-neoshell/

Otherwise, a more affordable option would be to run with some insulated tights as a base layer and then get a cheap pair of nylon pants to block the water / rain as the outerlayer. Heck, your 1979 pants might just work as the outerlayer.

Those 1979 pants work great when it's snowing, but they're worse than useless when it's cold and windy and rainy. They get soaked, shrink wrap to my legs and transmit the heat straight out. Brr.

My goal is to get something light and better at handling wet as a layer over tights, which are usually all I need.

Jerry wrote:Mark, finally they deported you to Canada?

Not quite. But 37 and raining makes you colder than 17 and dry. I have come back from runs with a body temp of 92. I got wet, and the wind sucked all the heat out of me.

I have some Brooks pants/tights that I like made for runs below 40F. I also like the fact that they have a rear zip pocket at the waistline for keys and such. I used a similar pair when I lived in Cleveland and I used them here last winter and we had several days in the teens and 20s.

I have a genreic pair of gortex wind pants that I wear when it is below 20, very windy, or very wet. I also have a hybrid NorthFace shell for a jacket.

Jerry wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Jerry wrote:Mark, finally they deported you to Canada?

Not quite. But 37 and raining makes you colder than 17 and dry. I have come back from runs with a body temp of 92. I got wet, and the wind sucked all the heat out of me.

37 is ok. With rain, probably not. I would've sucked up on TM.

But are you in a critical time of training? If not, I would just rest, otherwise indoor would be safer not to get sick. Just saying.

Well, I'm getting ready for a trail marathon in Indiana in early December... so yeah, I need some gear. (And wet and windy pretty much describes running conditions from November through March around here, so becoming a couch potato is not an option.) I'm not worried about getting sick... just hypothermic. It's unfun.

Treadmills are evil.

Jerry wrote:Poor Mark, you can come to Texas. We are under water restriction.

Aww... thanks, Jerry. You're the best!

Until I set up a homestead in your backyard, though, I went ahead and got a pair of Sport Hill Symmetry II running pants. They're billed as wind resistant to 40 mph with a durable water repellent finish, though the guy there did admit it would eventually absorb water in periods of extended rain. Let's hope it never comes to that! It sounds like it'd work well as a layer over a pair of tights when it gets colder, too.