Description
The Montbell Versalite pants are a minimalist pair of ultralight rain pants weighing in at a scant 3.2 oz. Weight: 3.2 oz Price: $145 Fabric: 2L 10D WINDSTOPPER Side Zippers : None Pros: Breathable. Ultralight. Cons: 2-layer. Slightly delicate. Few features. Construction & Features Versalite is an iconic series beloved by thru hikers. The cut is designed to minimize the number of seams, which in turn reduces weight, leakage points, and manufacturing costs. It’s a very smart strategy and helps them to be one of the very best ultralight options. Interestingly, Montbell has used WINDSTOPPER instead of traditional Gore-Tex, but it is plenty waterproof enough. These ultralight rain pants are very minimalist. They few features, except for a nifty “Samue Leg Closure System” inspired by the Zen monks of Japan. It uses an elastic band that can be pulled out to cinch, and secured around the ankle. It’s nifty, but we could take it or leave it. The downside to its miraculously low weight of just 3.2 oz is that WINDSTOPPER is that its 10D face fabric is not the most durable. Furthermore, it has a 2L construction, which can feel clammy against skin and fails to protect the interior, shortening the lifespan of the garment. Verdict Montbell Versalite rain pants are extremely ultralight and very effective. That said, we feel they are outcompeted by the Zpacks Vertice pants for a similar price, which also weigh about 3 oz, but are 3L and much more breathable.
