Stormflaps around the ends of the overtrousers are a welcome touch and help seal you up completely against the elements. We must also mention the overall style of the Spraysways – they look great and seem to have a better shape/fit than more expensive competition. Great work Sprayway! In use I was impressed. The Pertex Shield has a quality feel to it and the performance was second to none – no water ingress or internal sweat build up. They held up well for my daily 5 miles morning walk during some seriously driving rain and I could see the water literally beading off – always comforting! We also really liked the long zips down the legs as they make getting these off and on over a pair of boots a breeze and they double as vents as well.

Berghaus Stormcloud Waterproof Overtrousers - Blacks Berghaus Stormcloud Waterproof Overtrousers - Blacks

These Craghoppers Kiwi Pro Waterproof Trousers are great all-round walking trousers – the fact that they also offer excellent waterproof performance via an AquaDry membrane for a great price make them a no-brainer if you’re after some all round trousers. For women, we also recommend the Airedale trousers which have even better waterproof performance. Sizes: XS – XXL / available in men’s and women’s versions / 20,000mm hydrostatic head / 20,000 g/m2 breathability rating / taped seams / 3L Cutan 100% recycled Polyamide bluesign approved fabric / 100% recycled post-consumer polyester. Selected for our Outdoor 100 201/22 – Read our full CimAlp Storm Pro Pant 2H review. BUY NOW: CIMALP.CO.UK The bottom portion of each leg incorporate hooks to clip on to your hiking boot laces as well as adjustable straps to create a seal against the boot. Nice attention to detail. The Marmot Precip Eco Waterproof trousers are extremely comfortable overtrousers using a 2.5 layer breathable fabric called NanoPro Eco. “Why Eco?” I hear you cry – well Marmot are using recycled nylon in their construction which helps cut down on land-fill and is a gesture towards sustainability. Frankly though, they are a damn good set of lightweight (~250g) overtrousers and will keep you dry for not much expense.

What Are the Best Waterproof Trousers?

With ruggedized knees which are pre-shaped for ease of walking, the Vidda Pro G-1000s are a joy to walk in, and weigh only 590g which is reasonable for adventure pants. Waterproof performance is surprisingly good – we experimented by pouring a glass of water directly on to the trousers and it just beaded up and slid right off – impressive for a budget pair of trousers. Craghoppers specify a hydrostatic head of 8000mm which is better than most tents! The Women’s Airedales are even better at 20000mm and cheaper to buy!

Best Waterproof Trousers - Wet Weather Overtrousers for 2023 Best Waterproof Trousers - Wet Weather Overtrousers for 2023

Breathability is excellent at 10000 g/m2/24hrs (40000 for the Airedales) and this is so important when you could be wearing the trousers all day. There is no doubt that you will get warm wearing these, so we recommend that you use them in autumn and winter rather than spring/summer. In Use In terms of design, the knee area shows a decent level of articulation, with a taped seam separating the lower half of the leg from the upper. This helps the Downpours follow the natural contour of your legs as you walk and it works well. The waist band is fully elasticated but also includes a toggle cord to draw them extra tightly if you so desire. Páramo are another brand, like Rohan, who do things a bit differently. They make weatherproof products that don’t require membranes, instead trusting in the Nikwax Analogy system, a fabric construction that repels water and moves moisture fast. Turns out it’s a useful way of making waterproof trousers that are breathable enough and comfortable enough to be worn against the skin and hiked in all day long. Full Specifications The Spray Rainpants are at the budget end of the scale, but offer a good fit and decent(ish) breathability with their two layer HydroDry construction. We like the simple elastic waistband on top, but are less keen on the mesh netting layer inside the rainpants – it can be easy to catch a boot on when trying to elegantly put them on.

And do they deliver in that regard? Absolutely. The fabric these are made from is protective, breathable and also comfortable to wear, whether that’s over a pair of trousers or against your bare skin. We gave the Berghaus Paclites a pretty thorough going over in terms of water. Both my wife Alison and I donned a pair and our daughter Loz took great delight at spraying water at us with a hosepipe. The trouble is she couldn’t get us wet! The water was simply beading off the Berghaus trousers and at the end of the exercise they looked completely dry – impressive! If you’re after some super durable waterproof trousers to see you through the gnarliest of conditions – we’re talking full blown Scottish winter weather – then these are well worth considering. We’ve used these through some very nasty stuff and have been very glad to have them on. That being said, the Sprayways were easy to put on and we had no problems with snagging the mesh layer because they have thoughtfully included 3/4 length zips – we’re a fan of this as it makes it so much easier to put the overtrousers on. Yes the zips could potentially let in water, but we haven’t experienced this as an issue. The R900s are perfectly adept for walking, but they are certainly heavier than standard walking trousers at around 1kg. But you are getting doubly reinforced front thigh, knee and calf areas which means you can kneel down without fear of tearing your trousers.

Berghaus Stormcloud Waterproof Overtrousers Berghaus Stormcloud Waterproof Overtrousers

When we saw the name of the Sprayway Walking Rainpant (also available in a women’s version) we immediately had visions of these overtrousers walking by themselves – it would certainly be a great sight out in the hills – hordes of overtrousers marching along. Anyway I digress… The final key considerations to look out for chiefly concern the zips on your waterproof trousers. Zips are often a source of water ingress and the best waterproof trousers use an additional stormflap layer either on the outside of the zip, or inside and sometimes both! Look for YKK zips or specific waterproof zips to help prevent water getting in this way. Klättermusen aim these rain pants at activities like thru-hiking where, at some point, you’re probably gonna end up slogging away in the rain for a sustained period of time. In such scenarios, you’re going to want something lightweight and durable, but also a little comfier and more breathable than your bog-standard throw-on shell pant. Because they’re so breathable, we wouldn’t really consider these as overtrousers, but rather as something to wear all day, perhaps over some baselayer leggings. However, you should be able to wear these over a light pair of walking trousers if you wanted to. Full Specifications The Fjallraven Vidda Pro G-1000 trousers (which are also available for women) are superb, rugged, water resistant adventure breeches which are suitable for walking and climbing.

Best Quality Waterproof Trousers

I really like the fit of the trousers. While we only tested the men’s version (see video review), the size and fit was well suited to my size (6ft3 tall, and I wore XL). The Dry Rangers use pop buttons for the waist and comes with a great webbing belt which simply clips together when required – nice! It should be said that the waterproofing is achieved via a waxed outer coating, and you will need to take care of that layer over time to keep it fresh. We have a useful article on the waterproofing process and products to use. The trousers are a blend of polyester and cotton (similar to polycotton tents) which give the best attributes of each (lightness vs breathability and tactile feel). In Use Sizing wise, the Rainy Day Pants are classed as ‘unisex’. This essentially means if you’re buying online that you need to take a punt on whether they will fit or not. I’m a 6ft3 male and found that XL was a good fit. If you’re a smaller lady then you will probably want the small (S). Members of the Outdoors Magic crew have run ultra marathons in these pants and they’ve been well up to the task. The Pertex Shield fabric, in particular, was very impressive.

Berghaus Trousers | Waterproof Trousers | GO Outdoors

The Kiwi Pros use a stretch material which allows them to blend around your bum and upper thighs, and this really helps prevent chafing when walking for long distances. Rohan’s Ventus waterproof overtrousers are an excellent performer for outdoor rainy days with a number of decent design cues from the top to the bottom. In particular, we were impressed with the full length two-way waterproof zips on the side of each leg. These are excellent quality and allow the leg of the trousers to be opened up from the ground up – easy to then slip your walking boots through on a rainy day! And we all hate that sound, right? That intolerable swish, swish, swish with each step that becomes unbearable. Answer Two is to go for some walking/outdoor trousers which are waterproof from the off. The advantage here is that you don’t have to faff around standing comically on one leg while you try to thread overtrousers over your walking boots without ripping them. The disadvantage is that genuinely waterproof walking trousers can be heavy and cloying against the skin because they are often not as breathable as the overtrousers option. Sizes: XS-XXXL (men’s), XXS-XXL (women’s) / Nikwax water repellent treatment / PFC-free / ¾-length side zips with internal poppered storm baffles / zip fly with poppers / ankle volume adjustment. BUY NOW: PARAMO-CLOTHING.COMThe face fabric isn’t the burliest, so you do need to take a bit of care with these. In other words, don’t go smashing through branches and bushes.