Which Waterproof Trousers?

even cheaper than I thought, £25: http://www.marksandspencer.com/Blue-Harbour-Stormwear-Cotton-Regular/dp/B0034RF5GK?ie=UTF8&qid=1267454608&categoryNodeID=43371030&ref=sr_1_3&page=&node=74988031&sr=1-3&mnSBrand=core&rh=
cut looks pretty rubbish in the photos, but i find them to be great. I find normal jeans so uncomfortable to cycle in, these are perfect for a bit of comfort and not ending up in the pub wearing lycra..

Yeah right. Am female though so the cut would probably be worse than it looks.
BUT, if they're waterproof...

mm.. probably be ok actually.. the one's that I posted have a narrower leg than the one's you found. I find them to be a pretty snug fit.

Don't get too excited about the waterproofing.. I would say 'water-resistant' is about right— water does bead on the fabric which is a good sign, but they won't keep you dry during a downpour..

Yeah just thinking that. Is there a difference between 'resistant' and 'repellent' though, I guess neither are 'proof'.

no, not proof.. but hardly anything is fully waterproof... even 90% of the technical 'waterproof' fabrics will end up leaking under consistent, hard rain

even proofed jeans will never be more than water resistant.

Cotton is a hydrophillic material, the only way to make it waterproof is via the waxed jacket / duck cotton which methods which rely on a lot of wax and the fact that the cotton absorbs the water, fibers expand and together with the wax water runs off. Jeans this waxy would be very stiff and uncombable (think of trousers made out of barbour jacket.)

i used those m&s jeans when couriering. they worked pretty well in light rain at first but you have to be careful how you wash them, i think fabric conditioner kills the water resistance. saddle wore through them really fast too, about two weeks

i used those m&s jeans when couriering. they worked pretty well in light rain at first but you have to be careful how you wash them, i think fabric conditioner kills the water resistance. saddle wore through them really fast too, about two weeks

Washing in something like nikiwax or similar would probably help reproof a little.

even proofed jeans will never be more than water resistant.

Cotton is a hydrophillic material, the only way to make it waterproof is via the waxed jacket / duck cotton which methods which rely on a lot of wax and the fact that the cotton absorbs the water, fibers expand and together with the wax water runs off. Jeans this waxy would be very stiff and uncombable (think of trousers made out of barbour jacket.)

http://nextecfabric.com/epic_cotton.html had a jacket made of this stuff once, was great dont know why i sold it.

Do your own thing.. isnt it

YouTube- Armstrong & Miller - WWII RAF Sketch

http://nextecfabric.com/epic_cotton.html had a jacket made of this stuff once, was great dont know why i sold it.

Interesting, sounds just like duckcotton where the proofing has to be melted in to get it right into the fibers. Was it heavy (compared to other waterproofs)?

i used those m&s jeans when couriering. they worked pretty well in light rain at first but you have to be careful how you wash them, i think fabric conditioner kills the water resistance. saddle wore through them really fast too, about two weeks

Were you using a sandpaper saddle or something?!

I've got two pairs, one about 5 years old and another a year old. The 5yr old one's are starting to wear on the inner thighs, but the others are fine. I guess riding 24-7 really pushes gear to the limit.

i ended up buying £5 PVC coated Regatta over-trousers which are good enough for 10+ miles. The arse seeps some water in but much better than having drenched arse and drenched legs.
Legs on the other hand are left dry completely.

you have to be careful how you wash them, i think fabric conditioner kills the water resistance

fabric conditioner is like krypotonite for any kind of waterproof material, as is any liquid-based washing stuff —*washing powder and wash @30 FTW

I've actually got some Karrimor over trousers from Sports Direct for £15 which are pretty good. They've got a zip most of the way up the leg to go over the shoe, and kept me totally dry in last week's downpour.

I stole MOC's trekmate gaiters, worn with swrve softshell 3/4's they offer full coverage and go over my winter boots so the rain doesnt run in, driest I've been - even in the recent epic rain - no squelchy shoes. Knees get a little damp in torrential rain, but the softshell dries bloody quickly.
I can recommend army surplus goretex as well, not as breathable as I would like, but totally waterproof.

Cleftilicous - which gaiters are those?

http://www.trekmates.co.uk/b/1/Trekmates/c/92/Gaiters/Trekmates-Gaiters.html

fabric conditioner is like krypotonite for any kind of waterproof material, as is any liquid-based washing stuff —*washing powder and wash @30 FTW

Interestingly in independent testing carried out by Trail magazine, they found washing garments in Comfort Pure was better than Grangers, NikWax etc etc by a long way for restoring DWR

http://furtech.typepad.com/care_maintenance/files/trail20proofing20story1.pdf

bizarre, that goes against anything I've ever been told!

Interesting, sounds just like duckcotton where the proofing has to be melted in to get it right into the fibers. Was it heavy (compared to other waterproofs)?

heavier than paclite. but if i understand it right it's jut cotton with all the loose threads coated with silicone before they weave the material. it looks and feels just like cotton. the us military have started using it in ecwcs generation 3

bizarre, that goes against anything I've ever been told!

Me too. I've got a jacket needs doing, was going to test this out rather than buy NikWax Direct TX wash in

Let us know your results!
I guess if it doesn't work then no harm done apart from one wet ride.

NikWax never worked for me, not really anyway. Also makes your jacket smell pretty funky— clearly comfort has it beat hands down in waterproofing AND smell!

yeah I don't like NikWak smell either!

Cleftilicous - which gaiters are those?

http://www.trekmates.co.uk/b/1/Trekmates/c/92/Gaiters/Trekmates-Gaiters.html

Not sure, I will check tonight and report back, the Cairngorm ones look very similar to mine - not wearing them today
COS IT'S SUNNY!