Synthetic Insulated Pants

Featured review by Bcowdrick

Great winter coverover pants. Easy to put on/off. Would recommend to others.

I purchased the Mt Hardwear Compressor Pants as overpants for use while climbing in Alaska. They performed well and would recommend them to others. I have since used them on multi-day backcounty ski trips where the temps were dipping below 0 at night. These pants have full length zips so it is easy to put them on and take off. They are insulated so the added warmth is great on cold night. No need to take off your climbing or ski boots to put them on. Reinforced knees and seat for added durability.

Read more: Mountain Hardwear Compressor Pant reviews (3)

Featured review by JtothaK

The M65 pant liner is a sub-$10 hidden gem for cold weather camping or backpacking. The key is using them as an overpant as they're sized large enough and easily unbutton to quickly don or doff without having to remove boots or existing layers. Perfect for those static situations like sitting around at camp or belaying or glassing while hunting. Would be way too warm for active use unless well below 0° IMO while wearing a base layer and hiking pant/shell.   The m65 pant liner was designed to be buttoned into the m65 pant so they don't exactly have a good waist closure system, just a button with 2 slots of adjustment.

Read more: U.S. Military M65 Trouser Liner reviews (2)

Reviewed by LoneStranger

Warm and comfortable in action or at rest, these pants bring the insulation and packability expected from the Nano Puff line. A well-tailored fit and the ability to breathe well allows for active use in lower temps yet the puffy synthetic insulation protects against wind and cold even at rest. These pants would be a great addition for anyone looking for packable insulation for the lower half. Peakbaggers or thru hikers wanting easy to carry wind pants with insulation or fishermen wanting insulation for their waders will find these pants fit the bill. Also works great as a mid or outer layer for cold weather campers and others spending long hours in frigid temps.

The Patagonia Nano Puff Pants take a somewhat minimalist approach, bringing a simple design that performs well while keeping in mind that most of its time will be spent in your pack. When puffed up it keeps you warm; compressed it carries easily doing a more than adequate job at both of its primary tasks.         Plenty of room without a lot of excess materials getting in the way. Construction: The shell is made from 1.45 oz 100% polyester which has been given a durable water repellent finish.

Read more: Patagonia Nano Puff Pants review (1)

Reviewed by 300winmag

Duluth Trading "Dry-on-the-Fly" fleece lined nylon pants for $89.50. They have many nice features that make them a great bargain at their price.

I recently got a pair of Duluth Trading nylon twill shell, fleece lined winter pants. For $89.50 they have great quality and easily beat out RailRiders $130 nylon shell, fleece lined nylon pants, even if they were the same price! Features: 100% nylon twill shell, very tightly woven polyester fleece lining (about 100 weight fleece) large crotch gusset for ease of movement front vertical zippered cargo pockets (ease of access when sitting) included web belt W/plastic QR buckle zippered security pocket beside right upper pocket two gusseted rear pockets all pockets use nylon shell material.

Read more: Duluth Fleece-Lined Dry on the Fly Cargo Pants review (1)

Reviewed by Diggdatt

Every bit as good as the jacket, packs down even smaller.

Enough has been said about the Atom LT Jacket and as soon as I became acquainted with how amazing it is, I picked up the pants. The combo went with me on a 4-night survival training course recently (Haley Strategic Partners Summer Mountain Problem Solver). We all slept in pine-bough shelters down to 45 degree rain so pretty much everybody was cold . . . except me.  I don't think my shelter was so far superior to everyone else's, I think it was the Atom LT jacket and pants that I wore under my rain gear as I slept.

Read more: Arc'teryx Atom LT Pant review (1)

Featured review by Carmine

Love the pants.

I purchased a pair of these pants last August. I use the pants for undergarments in scuba diving. Why? Because they use Primaloft as their insulation. If you believe the makers of Primaloft, it is as warm as down and maintains its insulator properties when wet. This is extremely import in scuba diving where heat transmission is 24 times greater in water than air, so if your suit floods this is critical. Why not just buy scuba undergarments? Because no scuba company makes a product using Primaloft.

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Featured review by Andrew F.

These are insulated puffy shell pants. They're best used standing still or for light walking; they're too warm for any kind of hiking or climbing. Patagonia no longer sells this exact product; Patagonia's similar product today is the DAS Light Belay pants. These are mostly well-designed as belay pants, except that the waistband's elastic and limited adjustment means they're best used with clip-on suspenders.

January 2025 Update: I've used these pants for winter trips and occasional local use in the DC metro for over a decade now. Adding some photos to provide better information, as well as some observations. If you want warm belay pants from Patagonia today, look at the DAS Light Belay Pants—very similar features to these pants. They've proved to be quite durable, though as belay pants, I've mostly worn them on extended stops and in camp, not climbing.  With a spate of days/nights in the single digits and low teens lately, I've been wearing them to hang outside with the dog when she's running with other dogs on a field, and I'm standing still and getting cold.  Photo of the pants: note I'm using suspenders, I always wear them that way.

Read more: Patagonia Micro Puff Pants reviews (2)

Featured review by Nate Moore

Man are these things warm, really warm, like "hard to find a use for" warm. They lean large (which for Mountain Hardwear is rare), so it is easy to fit other garments underneath if necessary (if you happen to find yourself on the dark side of the moon or something). Great for those "standing around" parts of a winter camping trip. Best use I have found so far was at Packers Stadium in Green Bay, during a late season game, with the temperature in the single digits and a wind. These will keep you toasty.

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Reviewed by Carter Young

After considerable experimentation (see below), I think I've finally found the perfect pants for lift-served skiing. The Patagonia Inferno Pants are trim, light, warm, breathable, windproof and they do indeed keep you dry. Based on a concept developed by Paramo/Nikwax in Britain, the goal of the combination pile inner/nylon shell outer is to force water out by body heat faster than it can come in from rain and snow. The key to this simple but effective design is to bond the wicking/insulating pile directly to the nylon shell so perspiration has the shortest possible path to the outside, and then use a breathable shell without seam taping, coating or a membrane to impede moisture transfer.

Read more: Patagonia Inferno Pants review (1)