www.arcteryx.com
If you love playing in the outdoors, eventually you’re gonna get wet. Some use this climatic inevitability as an excuse to stay inside, while the truly enthusiastic knows that surviving poor weather comes down to simply outfitting yourself with the right gear.  Enter the Alpha SL, Arc’Teryx’s lightest, most packable rain pants.  Gore-Tex Pac-Lite assures wind/waterproof breathability, with angled side zips that extend from ankle to knees, making them easy to put on without removing your shoes. Metal clasps at the bottom clip onto boot laces to obviate the need for gaiters, extra patches of durable fabric at the lower seams and inside of the legs make for seasons-long endurance, articulation at the knees and seat offer greater range of motion, and an elastic waist band with a draw chord assures a no-sag fit.  The pants stayed warm and dry throughout a 24-hour melee with hurricane-force winds and rain while backpacking in “wet and wonderful” West Virginia. You won’t find easy access to your inner pockets, but at only nine ounces, these are the rain pants you’ll stash in your pack and forget–until the rain and wind remind you.

www.outdoorresearch.com
Lions and lambs, showers and flowers—spring is chock-full of rhymes that remind you that winter is on its way out. But when you’re in the backcountry and the rain starts falling, those sun-kissed dreams of warmth can quickly give way to temps that echo the deepest, darkest cold months of yore. The Foray Rain pants offer hearty armor against such climate inversions. Though the pants weigh in at a feathery 11.5 ounces, you get full-on waterproof/breathable protection thanks to the Gore-Tex PacLite laminate and completely sealed seams. PacLite is one of Gore’s most breathable, lightest waterproof fabrics, and is plenty durable enough for pants while hiking, camping, and backpacking. Three-quarter-length zips run from the hem up to the upper thighs on the outer legs, which allows for instant heat regulation and easy on/off, with an elastic draw waist and gripper elastic cuffs at the ankles.  The zippered back pocket doubles as a stuff sack.  They won’t replace your go-to ski pants—and they’re not supposed to.  The Foray Pants are meant to keep you dry in monsoon conditions, which translate into warmth and sanity on the trail from spring through fall.