I'm a fan of the Kamleika shorts too. I remember poking fun at them for years until I finished one race (langdale?) having got so wet that I was having to run holding my shorts up otherwise they would have been round my ankles with the weight of water they were retaining.
I bought a pair soon after and don't wear anything else if the weather looks wet. Also, great for wading through high bracken after a period of wet weather.
Pete Shakespeare - U/A
Going downhill fast
I updated my waterproof trousers approx 1 year ago, when i decided to seriously upgrade most of my kit in order to save some additional weight... replaced waterproofs, gloves, bumbags... at considerable cost.
Out went the £10 jobs from GoOutdoors, and in came a pair of Inov8 trousers which were about half the weight and size.
They're still to come out during a race.... in fact i don't think i've ever worn them except to make sure they fit.
Is that their Ultrapant? I went through several pairs of those some years back. Very light, very comfortable, very packable, but not at all robust. Dried out bracken stems will put holes in them, and if you catch them with a stud it rips them. But I do have an intact pair just in case I race again.Originally Posted by Travs
Well, i've just had a look and they're actually OMM, not Inov8, which shows how much use they've had since i bought them!!
I believe they are OMM Halo. So they pack up small, similar to a tennis ball, but i wouldn't say they are as flimsy looking as those Inov8 ones which you can see through!
Back in 2011 I bought a pair of Montane Featherlite waterproof trousers to replace my heavier, bulkier, overtrousers - which were probably from Millets or the like.
I didn't know it at the time, but I was only two races away from my forced retirement from the sport - and both those races were in beautiful sunny conditions. As a result, they had two outings in my bumbag but have never been worn outside. I've still got them, and wonder what I'll do with them. I could use them for walking, but I'd have to take my walking boots off to put them on so they never get used.
Without wanting to reopen the whole can of worms, some ROs in the olden days allowed waterproof cags and windproof trousers which always struck me as a sensible compromise. I'm struggling to remember occasions when I've actually worn waterproof bottoms for racing or training but I've worn my Montane windproofs on quite a few occasions.
Until today I had been happy with my OMM Kamleika trousers, so much so that I have 3 pairs at various stages of wear. But they really failed today - I became very wet and cold and cut my run short. Any suggestions for a replacement - and these will be worn, not sit in a bumbag. I am thinking of something else in the OMM range, not least because sizing should be easy.
The only thing i've ever been satisfied with on the legs in poor weather is Paramo. And that's clearly no good for running.
Yeap. It's that trade-off between lightness, breathability and waterproofing. I can't see any waterproof trousers that you can run in being able to cope particularly well, for a sustained period, in the horizontal rain we had, are having, today.
I drew the short-straw and had to take the quad up onto the fells this afternoon to feed some ponies and to generally check them out. I borrowed a pair of monsoon, neoprene backed nylon trousers (farmers trousers), which were well up to the job, but 'pants', if you'll excuse the pun, for any sort of sustained cardio activity.
Just thinking aloud, if you can't guarantee waterproofness with any light weight running trousers, maybe a pair that might eventually get wet but keep you relatively warm would be a compromise?
Am Yisrael Chai
I have come to the opinion that the base layer is at least as important as the outer waterproof (or not so waterproof) layer. So in the sort of conditions that Mike T has just experienced, I would certainly have my thermal leggings on, and would expect to remain reasonably comfortable even if the outer layer was letting some water through.
In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
Jorge Luis Borges
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote