Cuben Fiber - Rain Pants - Part 2

I have wanted to try wearing my Cuben Rain Pants like a pair of Vapor Barrier Pants for some time now. Today the weather was about right. It is 38 degrees F with a slight breeze blowing.

For a Vapor Barrier to work right it needs to be next to your skin. If you have anything on under the VB garment the VB will generate a bit of sweat and make that item damp to wet. The VB garment will hold your body heat in and my hope is that I can wear the light VB pants alone and save the weight of a pair of pants in cool to cold weather. Because the Cuben Fiber is more or less - see through - I wore a pair of Patagonia silk boxers over them. For my chest area I just wore a jacket as I was only concerned about my legs.

I walked 2 miles. With other VB items I have worn to test I know it takes my body about half a mile to warm up. At first my legs were a bit cool but that changed at about the half mile mark. During the rest of the 2 miles my legs were OK, not real warm but warm enough and about the way I like them to feel when hiking.

When I got back home and removed the Cuben Pants my legs were slightly damp. Not wet and not enough to wipe any sweat off of them. It was the type of dampness that is gone almost as soon as I little air hits it. My first though was to try a design like a pair of chaps and see if that might work better. The legs on the chaps would be open at the top and might allow for a little venting. One thing I forgot was try and unsnap some of the lower part of each pant leg to act as a vent. Before I make a pair of chaps I will try this pair with a few of the lower leg snaps open and see how that works.