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Review: Patagonia Stormstride Pant

By

Jason Albert

A long walk in the Patagonia Stormstride pant—all the upsides of a hardshell while feeling more like a softshell. Photo: SHREDDAWG

A long walk in the Patagonia Stormstride pant—all the upsides of a hardshell while feeling more like a softshell. Photo: SHREDDAWG

  Part of Patagonia’s ski line for a few years, the company’s Stormstride pants are marketed as a lighter-weight hardshell option for backcountry touring. These are lane-crossing pants, too; I know a devoted splitboarder who flip-flops hemispheres, chasing nine months of winter, who tours daily in the Stromstride.  The straight facts are this. These hardshell…

Responses

  1. Alexander Rose-Innes

    I’ve been drifting away from soft-shell pants in skiing and climbing. Simply too heavy to get similar levels of warmth at a hard-shell pant and, if you go lightweight, you end up with a super-tight euro touring vibe which is hopeless in bad weather. Which means you need to carry overpants, anyway. I’d rather have actual range of motion like you get with the Patagonia M10 storm pants, than 4 way stretch in a thigh-hugging Dynafit or Millet pant. Norrona made a pair of hard-shell-ish pants using Gore-Tex Infinium a while ago. They were good, but their inseams are made for 6’5″ Norwegians and the cuffs on mine got destroyed.

    So yeah, M10s with some side-zips please!

  2. Slim

    These sound really nice. There are some other similar ones on the market: slightly air permeable, soft feel, flexible, perhaps even some stretch and good to great breathability. But thin, and with full waterproofness.

    have become a fan of highly breathable hard shell pants too, although I currently only own one, quite warm and heavy, pair, so only wear it mid winter. The only reason I don’t have a pair like these is fit (32×36 pant size is hard to find of the shelf).
    Even the hard shell pants that I have that are not super breathable rarely lead to sweaty legs. I simply wear less underneath, and thigh vents + fly zip do a great job of venting excess heat and humidity.

    1. Alexander Rose-Innes

      Yeah I’ve got four levels of base layer warmth. The short lycra ones, like Jason described above, warmer capilene or merino 3/4, full length heavy merino, and Patagonia nano air tights.

  3. Slim

    For Jason and others who want an even lighter version, have a look at the Ortovox Ortler 3L pant. My daughter was trying on the women’s version of those and the (W’s) Stormstride, and they are very similar. You lose one pocket and the fabric is notably thinner, both of which should improve weight and breathability. It also changes the venting zips to hip>hem.
    Fit was fairly similar between the two in the Women’s.

    https://www.ortovox.com/hu-en/shop/men/p1270905-hardshell-pants-3l-ortler-pants-m

    1. Alexander Rose-Innes

      These look great. Have always been a fan or Ortovox–very well made stuff.

    2. SHJ

      The new version looks even better. Have you tried those? https://www.ortovox.com/int-en/men/mountainwear/pants-shorts/hardshell-pants/ortler-gore-tex-pants-m/4255736264219

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