Hi everyone, not sure if BIFL, as textiles are generally prone to wear out. I’m looking for good rainproof trousers. A little background: I’m commuting by bike, 7 km back and forth plus train commute, all year. Due to the geographical region (Germany) there is a good chance of unforseen rain.

Now I’m looking for a well built, stable set of rainproof trousers. I’m not a fan of those standard trousers where you need to put your feet or shoes through, as I’d like to put them on spontaneously and without too much hassle. I recently found out about full zipper trousers which kind of have a side entry rather than a top entry. They seem interesting, but I’m unsure about the practicability.

I’d be glad to hear your experiences with rainproof trousers for commuting, and ideally a buy it for life very long recommendation.

  • ObtuseDoorFrame@lemm.eeEnglish
    2·
    6 hours ago

    Fjallraven makes technical pants that are fantastically durable, and waterproof. They are waterproof because they are a waxed canvas, so you can remove the waterproofing and make them more durable by washing them on a hot cycle, or add wax and melt it into the fabric with a heat gun.

    They’re expensive, so wait for one of their sales. I paid $140ish (USA) for both of my pairs, it it was worth every cent. They come with a lifetime warranty, so living near a fjallraven store is helpful as they will repair them and wax them for you for free.

    Technically they’re only supposed to provide this service for 10 years after purchase (which is still worth it considering how much abuse I put them through) but Fjallraven employees will still provide tailoring/waxing even if you don’t have a receipt. I asked someone at their Seattle location about this and they said they have a customer who has been bringing in their pants for repair for 30 years. They’ll mail your clothes back to you after they finish with repairs/waxing.

    I have two pairs, one vidda pro ventilated for shoulder seasons and winter, and one pair of abisko lite trekking zip offs for summer. The vidda pro pants I use for winter sports instead of snow pants. The zip offs can be converted into shorts for hot days.