I聮ll be honest, you almost have too many choices. School of Thought 1 is to go with a hard-shell pant for full water- and wind-proofing. On the affordable end you have REI聮s Taku Pant ($159; rei.com), which uses REI聮s proprietary polyurethane coating. Stretch panels aid mobility, and gussets and zippers help them fit different boots聟climbing boots, for instance. Over a pair of light or mid-weight long underwear, they聮d be great. I have the Taku Jacket ($199) and think it聮s great.
Arc’teryx Gamma LT Pant
Gamma LT PantOn the high end you have the Arc聮teryx Beta AR pants (arcteryx.com), made with Gore聮s new Pro Shell material. They聮re really nice and are sized and designed to work with harnesses, big boots, underlayers, and so on. Also, Pro Shell is fantastic. It聮s light, tough, breathable, and waterproof. Alas, these pants run $350. Marmot聮s Exum Pant (marmot.com) has similar features and also uses Pro Shell, and saves a few bucks at $325.
School of Thought 2 is to go with soft shell pants, as they repel enough moisture to keep you healthy, have a wide comfort range, and eliminate an extra garment. If I were to climb Rainier this year, I would not take a hard shell pant. I聮d take another Arc聮teryx item: the Gamma LT Pant ($199). These are tough, comfortable pants that are fine on their own in cool conditions and offer lots of warmth if worn over a layer. I wore a pair on some climbs last summer and love them. I聮d also suggest the Mammut Courmayer Pants ($179; mammut.com), which use a Schoeller material similar to what is in the Gamma LTs. The Mammut pants also are designed for mountain use, so reinforcements, zippers, and the like all are in the right place. Especially for climbs past late June, soft shells are ideal. Their only pitfall might be wet, blowing snow. But after July 1, the odds of that go down, even on Rainier.
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