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UOG Review - Montane Minimus Pants

Posted by Mark Richardson on Sep 12, 2016

Selection: I've been using Montane's Minimus pants for a couple of years now and am really impressed. More recently I was off to Peru on a high level trek (abpve 4000m), during which I expected mainly good weather but with the possibility of rain. If I was heading off on a trek somewhere where I expected lot of rain I probably would choose to take a more durable pair of overtrousers, however on this occasion I was only expecting infrequent bad weather and that was what I received - I had a couple of wet days of which one of them was heavy sustained rain.

Performance: With regard to their main function the Minimus Pants were comfortable to wear with minimal condensation and more importantly they kept the rain out completely, despite being worn virtually all day. Previous use in the Lakes also confirms the performance of the fabric for all day use.

Although designed to be very light weight the Minimus pants still have some important features, such as the 25cm ankle zips which make it easier to get on and off over walking shoes, though they don't accommodate boots. The zips also have an internal rain flap to mainain the waterproof integrity of the pants. There's no adjustment at the ankles but at two points along the zips there are velcro flaps that can be used to cinch in the bottom of the legs in order to stop any material flapping about. This is a good feature that does its job, but when getting the pants on and off its impossible to stop the velcro fastening itself when you don't want it to - making it a frustrating business to get your legs through.

The waistband has a drawcord with cordlock that works effectively. Overall the Minimus pants are a great choice for when you want a reliable pair of overtrousers that are very light but won't be subject to too much abuse.