That聮s actually a very good question. It can be difficult to find the right pant for wearing under a harness聴something that聮s comfortable, wearable in varied weather conditions, and reasonably tough. I聮ve long preferred tights for this application because they tend not to bind or snag and fit well under a harness. Outdoor Research, I think, used to make a great pair of climbing tights out of a Cordura blend that wore like iron and offered good protection from skinned knees, pokes from sharp rocks, etc. But today it聮s hard to find tights that aren聮t aimed more at cold-weather sports or that have the heft to stand up to climbing.
Arc’teryx Gamma LT Pants
Gamma LT PantsMost companies now offer pants, and this isn聮t necessarily a bad thing. Fabrics have improved so much in recent years that pants now have stretch, durability, and multi-climate performance. Outdoor Research, for instance, sells the Exos Pant ($165; outdoorresearch.com), which has some Cordura in the fabric for a very tough pant. They have a lightly brushed interior, so may be too warm when temps are above 50. For warmer weather, Mountain Hardwear聮s Runout Pant ($60; mountainhardwear.com) is made from tough cotton canvas and cut so that a harness won聮t bind around the waist and your legs have room to move. Patagonia聮s Stretch Jackalope pants ($85; patagonia.com) are made from nylon with a touch of Spandex for stretch, and are specifically designed for climbing, with pockets placed where a harness won聮t cover them.
Right now, though, I think the supreme climbing pant in all but summer conditions is the Arc聮teryx Gamma LT (arcteryx.com). These pants have an amazing temperature range in which they聮re comfortable (from below freezing to around 60 or higher), and they stretch for comfort, fit great, and are made with Schoeller fabric that聮s surprisingly tough, given it聮s soft hand. Yeah, they聮re $150, which is pretty steep. But once you wear them, all you can say is… 聯Oh!”
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