Name: Kathleen Waters
Age: 55
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 4in (1.63 m)
Weight: 128 lb (58 kg)
Email address: kathy at ring dot com or TheMiddleSister at usaring dot com
City, State, Country: White Lake, MI USA

Backpacking Background: My husband and I started hiking in 1998, starting with Mt. Hahn just north of Steamboat Springs, CO. We return to Colorado at least twice a year, summer and winter to play outdoors - winters, we snowshoe.

At minimum, when home in Southeast Michigan, we make it a point to hike 2 or 3 weekdays, usually 6 to 8 miles (10 to 13 km). Weekday hikes take place in nearby Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, a decent mixture of moderately steep hills and flat terrain, heavily wooded. Weekend hikes can end up anywhere!

My style is as light as possible, but comfortable!

Product Information (from website) <back to top>
http://www.integraldesigns.com

Manufacturer: Integral Designs
Year of Manufacturer: 2005
Model: eVENT® Rain Pants
Weight: 10.5 oz (300 g), Medium
Sizes:

Color: Black
MSRP: $250.00 USD

Product Information (from tester)

Size: Small
Waist: 29 in (74 cm)
Hips: 37 in (94 cm)
Inseam: 28 in (71 cm)
Weight: 9.5 oz (269 g) + .5 oz (14.2 g) for zip storage pouch

For a more detailed description of the Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants, please see my Initial Report.

Field Conditions/Completed Tests Results <back to top>

During this long term test period, I continued to wear the Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants more than I normally would wear rain pants so that I could report on how the materials held up with extended usage. In addition to my trips to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado where hiking was the primary activity of the day, I wore the eVENT® Rain Pants 2 or 3 days weekly while walking my dog on asphalt streets (2 M/3.2 km), and on 2 or 3 training hikes (a week) on trails in Pontiac Lake Recreation Area (4 to 6 M/6.4 km to 9.6 km).

Most of the time, I wore the Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants over a pair of my usual hiking pants which are Columbia convertible pants. These are very lightweight pants so they offered no bulkiness under the rain pants. Even when it was coldest, I wore the Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants over my silk long underwear with my Columbias. I tend to hike "hot" so this was sufficient for me. The Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants cut the wind which is usually the only thing that will chill me.

Over all, the most miles put on the pants were located in southeast Michigan where I currently live. While the eVENT® Rain Pants are marketed as "rain pants", this long term test period fell in winter and received more exposure to snow/sleet than rain. Even so, with my usual winter-weight hiking pants underneath, the eVENT® Rain Pants performed just fine!

During my testing, temperatures ranged from 25 F (-4 C) to 59 F (15 C). I hiked in cold, rainy, even snowy conditions on several occasions.

In Michigan, I pretty much wore the eVENT® Rain Pants in non-punishing situations; groomed trails, and at worst, snowshoeing on groomed trails. These hikes were generally flat with moderate hills and featured no boulders, loose rock or other hazards. However in Colorado, it was a different story terrain-wise and I really came to appreciate how well the articulated knees work in the Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants. I never felt like I was constricted in my movements being able to scramble up major boulders. The gusseted crotch also gave me enough room in the seat of the pants to be able to move freely.

On my last trip to Colorado, I spent four solid days hiking in the same 70 acres - half of it is now MY 35 acres! My husband and I decided to take the plunge and move to Colorado and we had to make sure we were choosing the best place to build. The terrain runs the gamut of flat prairie land to an almost 90 degree vertical cliff. In between are rolling juniper-covered hills and spring-melt ravines. We did have a bit of wet snow showers in Colorado where I was able to test the waterproofness of the eVENT® Rain Pants, but even when it was not threatening weather, I wore the pants for wind protection against some heavy-duty winds on mountaintops.

One of the neatest things about the Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants is how the fabric "breathes." The technology used allows perspiration to vent out through the pants so that I don't over heat. This was very important to me when hiking in the Royal Gorge area of Colorado. When in the warm sunshine, I would quickly become warm if the winds weren't blowing. The long side vents worked great to cool me down, too.

The Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants are also very attractive pants which was very important to me since I wore them on long days hiking and then into town. I never felt conspicuously like I just left the woods. But then again, in Cañon City, haute couture is not too common!

Summary <back to top>

Pros:

Cons:

The Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants are well-made rain pants that hold up to their promise in the field through downpours and wild windstorms. During testing, I never experienced even the slightest bit of wetness. The pants even work as wind pants which was great for me when above the tree line in winter temperatures. The Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants have survived cactus and boulders without much wear to show for the occasional snag. All seams have remained tight and intact. The elastic is still as taut as the day I received the pants.

Care of the pants is easy with machine washing and line dry when necessary. I've only washed the Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants once for testing purposes and the pants still look brand-new.

I look forward to many more dry/wet days of hiking now that I have the Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants! Thank you for allowing me to test the Integral Designs eVENT® Rain Pants.

Kathleen Waters

Read more reviews of Integral Designs gear
Read more gear reviews by Kathleen Waters

Long Term Report

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