Name: Gail Staisil
Age: 54
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Weight: 140 lb (64 kg)
Waist Size: 28 in (71 cm)
Hip Size: 37 in (94 cm)
Pants Size: Woman's Medium
Location: Marquette, Michigan USA
Email: woodswoman2001@yahoo.com

Photo Album Website: http://community.webshots.com/user/isleroyalegirl

For the last 16 years, backpacking has become a passion. I am a four-season backpacker and an off-trail navigator. Although I do take yearly trips to the American West or Southwest, the majority of my trips are in Michigan and Canada. My pack weight varies considerably but my base weight is below 18 lb (8 kg). I am primarily a tarp camper who averages more than 50 nights a year backpacking in a huge variety of weather conditions including relentless rain, wet snow and sub-zero temps.

GoLite Whim Pants-- Description

The GoLite Whim Pants are water-resistant shell pants that may be used in a wide variety of activities. According to the website, the Whim Pants are a 4 oz (110 g) ultra-lite wonder that offers wind and water resistance plus great durability for the weight. Some of their attributes include their highly packable small size and breathability. They are available in a full range of sizes ranging from Unisex XS to XXL. For more detailed information on the GoLite Whim Pants please see my initial report.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: GoLite
Website: http://www.goli te.com
Phone: 1.888.546.5483
Model: Whim Pants
Model Year: 2006
Color: Night (Black)
Size: Unisex Small
Sizes Available: Unisex XS to XXL
Materials: WispUltra^TM Fabric with Super-DWR coating
MSRP: $70.00 US

GoLite Whim Pants-- Field Testing Data

Locations/Conditions

During the long-term test period, I have tested the GoLite Whim Pants during several summer outdoor adventures. They included a 4-day backpacking trip to Lake Superior Provincial Park's Coastal Trail in Ontario, Canada and a 12-day wilderness canoe trip to the White River in Ontario, Canada. In addition, the Whim Pants were tested during day hikes and trail runs. Testing locations included deciduous and boreal forest, steep rocky coastal trails and a wilderness river system. The testing conditions were at low elevation or altitude 600 ft (183 m) to 2000 ft (610 m), with mostly semi-warm to warm conditions and mid-to-high range humidity (50-95 percent). Temperatures ranged from a low of 42 (6 C) to a high of 86 F (30C). Mostly dry conditions prevailed although there were several thunderstorms during this time period.

Backpacking Trip --
Lake Superior Provincial Park Coastal Trail, Ontario, Canada
July 7-10 2006, 4 days

Wind and Rain Protection

The temperatures and humidity during this trip were both on the high side with episodes of light rain and a severe rainstorm. On the second day of my journey, I had already arrived at camp before it started to lightly rain. I donned my Whim Pants that were comfortably worn while doing chores around camp.

On the third day, a huge storm rolled in across Lake Superior as I hiked. I hoped I could reach my intended bivouac location before the storm hit, but I was unsuccessful. I considered stopping and putting on the Whim Pants but the inconvenience of having to take my shoes off when I was in a hurry outweighed the decision. I had to scramble on exposed shoreline rock and I had to get through the area before the lichen-covered rocks became unnavigable or extremely dangerous. I bushwhacked off the shoreline as the rain was coming down intensely and I finally reached my campsite soaking wet. I set up camp and then changed into my only other pants - the GoLite Whim Pants. During the evening there were periodic clouds and intervals of rain and I continued to wear my Whim Pants while cooking, bear bagging, water chores and other things that needed to be done. I wore them all night and I was comfortable wearing them inside my sleeping bag.

The next morning the temperature had fallen significantly, so I headed out to hike still wearing the Whim Pants. The temperature was about 60 F (16 C) and there was a light wind. I had to do some scrambling on the rocks and do short slides on the seat of my pants to stay safe from the slippery surfaces. I thought I would wear the pants until I became uncomfortably warm but that never happened, even though I had to climb up a small peak and descend down the other side of it to the lakeshore level. It was my final day of hiking and during the 3-hour hike back to the parking area I was still content wearing the pants while mostly ascending back to a higher elevation.

Even though I had done some bushwhacking and had direct contact with rock scrambling the pants have shown no signs of wear. They have been very durable considering the wear that they also received in the field test period.

Wilderness Canoe Trip --
White River to Pukaskwa National Park, Ontario, Canada
112 mi (180 k), 48 portages, 12 days (August 5-16 2006)

I packed and carried the GoLite Whim Pants during the entirety of this canoe trip. I stowed them in the large back pocket of my life vest in case they were needed for a change in weather conditions. The daytime conditions either consisted of warm sunny weather or heavy rain so I opted to wear a pair of waterproof pants instead during the latter conditions.

On several evenings I wore the Whim Pants over my trail pants to stave off the cooler conditions as the temperatures dipped. They were perfect for those nights, as I sometimes left camp to explore a bit too. One evening a light rain fell sporadically as I did my camp chores. The Whims are optimal for light rainy conditions as they keep moisture away but they are still comfortable to wear and not clammy like regular rain pants often are. The black fabric is also not a solar-collector during cloudy skies. Normally when I arrive at camp, I also change into my trail sandals and I can pull the Whims on over the sandals without difficulty. I cannot do this with my regular trails shoes and boots though.

Running and Day Hiking

I have continued to stow my Whim Pants in my waistbelt pack during trail running and dayhiking sessions. Due to their lightness and compact size, they are great insurance for a change in conditions. I haven't had to use them as often as I did in the field test period due to very warm conditions.

Summary

Questions answered from those presented in my initial report:

Comfort: Will the GoLite Whim Pants fit properly so that they are not too tight or restrict my movement through a full range of motion especially during climbing pursuits? I have used the Whim Pants extensively while descending and ascending terrain and I have never felt that my movement was restricted in any way.

Will the drawcord adjust easily and be comfortable so that it doesn't cut into my waist area? The drawcord can be knotted to add security but I have preferred to just let it be. There is sufficient elastic in the waistband so that I don't have to necessarily use the drawcord.

Will the pants accommodate an extra layer of clothing such as a light Capilene underlayer or a pair of trail shorts? Easily. During the field test period I even wore two layers that included my trail pants and a lightly insulated pair of pants.

Will I be able to slip the pants over my trail shoes or will I have to remove my shoes to perform this task? The only shoes that I can still wear while slipping the Whims on is my Keen Sandals (Size Women's 10 US/ 42 EU). All of my other trail runners have to be removed before accomplishing this process.

Will the inside of the WispUltra Fabric be comfortable against my skin if I choose to wear the pants without full underlayers?
Completely comfortable. I have worn the pants without underlayers many times in high humidity, light rain and high temps.

Will they cling to my legs and be comfortable in a wide variety of temperature and humidity ranges? The fabric is very silky and non-clammy.
How much wind protection can I expect while wearing the pants? They do not cling and have protected me well from windy weather. It is amazing how light the fabric feels and at the same time it is very wind-proof.

Workmanship: Will the pants be finished smoothly and neatly so that there aren't any loose threads or other imperfections? Will the waist area with drawcord be finished flatly so that it doesn't "roll"? Will the drawcord be of a sufficient diameter so that it is easy to work with? I haven't found any imperfections in the pants during the entire testing period. The waist area has remained flat and the size of the drawcord has been a non-issue as I haven't had to use it to secure the pants.

Performance: Can I expect the pants to keep my legs dry during a downpour or will they soak through quickly? Will they only be suitable for quick light precipitation or will they stave off a few hours of nonstop precipitation? The Whim Pants are great for light precipitation even though they are considered only to be water-resistant wind pants.

When they do get wet, will they dry quickly while wearing them if the rain stopped or will I have to remove them and dry them? How long will they take to be dry to the touch? I have used them on many occasions for such purposes and they dry quickly as soon as the rain dissipates. During those episodes I have continued to wear them and depending on the wind conditions they dried in less than an hour.

Ventilation: Will the pants allow adequate ventilation due to their advertised breathable qualities? The pants are quite breathable without underlayers.

Can the pants be rolled up from the bottom edges to allow a little more ventilation if needed? The bottoms of the pants are too narrow to be rolled upward.

Durability: Will the pants take repeated episodes of getting wet and still stay water resistant? Will they rip easily if bushwhacking through brushy vegetation? Will the drawcord break easily? Will the seams stay water resistant? Will the seams pop stitches easily? Will the pants stay functional after several months of high usage? The pants still are very water-resistant and functional. Water drops just seems to sit on top of the fabric in tiny beads. The pants have held up well. There hasn't been any deterioration in the fabric, seams, or drawcord.

Special Features: Will the back pocket of the pants be useful to stow a car key or other small item? The back pocket is handy to stow a needed item but I often forget to use it for such purposes.

Will the pants stow in the back pocket easily when not in use? The self-stowing stuff pocket is easy to use as the fabric of the pants is soft and can be compressed in a short amount of time.

Will the "pocket stuff sack" be small enough to stow in a side mesh pocket of my pack or another reachable area so that I can get to the pants quickly if it starts to rain? The filled pocket was easy to stow in many different places of my backpack including the top pocket on one of my packs, the side mesh pocket or back mesh pocket of another pack and also in the back pocket of my life vest. This made the pants readily accessible when needed.

Care: Will the pants be easy to care for? Do they have to be washed in a special manner to maintain the Super-DWR coating finish? Will they have to be treated with a commercial refinishing agent after a short amount of time? I have washed the pants in a washing machine, in a sink and out in the field to get rid of mud splashes. The finish on the pants has remained intact as far as I can decipher so retreatment of the fabric hasn't been necessary.

In conclusion, the GoLite Whim Pants are a "keeper". I have been very happy with both the qualities and the performance of the pants. Their lightweightness, softness, great fit, layering capability, breathability and durability are some of their best qualities. The only quality that would make the pants better for me would be to add vents or gussets with Velcro tabs or possibly zippers to the lower side seams. This would greatly facilitate the process of sliding the pants over shoes.

Thanks to GoLite and BackpackGearTest for this great opportunity to test the GoLite Whim Pants.

Read more reviews of GoLite gear
Read more gear reviews by Gail Staisil

Long Term Report