The North Face Dryzzle Futurelight Pants

I hate rain pants. I actually despise them. Even when the heavens have opened, or I’m busting through saturated vegetation, I still avoid wearing them. I sweat so much that I end up just as wet as without them, and they’re so heavy, bulky and cumbersome that they irritate the hell out of me. And that’s after the ordeal of haphazardly squeezing and stretching and nearly ripping the stupid things to try and get them over my boots. Arrgh! They make me so cranky! Until, that was, I got my hands on the Dryzzle shell pants from The North Face (TNF), and then took them out on multiple hiking trips this last summer in Tasmania.

My favourite feature of the Dryzzles (other than their punny name) is their full-length leg zip, which while not uncommon on alpine-oriented shell pants, is less common on hiking pants, where quarter, half and three-quarter zips tend to prevail. Anyway, with the full-length zips, there’s no more faffing about trying to get them on. These zips also allow for increased ventilation, as you can partially unzip them to increase air flow, and it makes drying the pants out afterwards a cinch. Smart.

Comfort, and adjustability, are other major upsides of the Dryzzles. The half-elasticised waistband caters to varied physiques, while its slim-profile press stud avoids a nasty pressure point forming under your pack’s waistbelt. Unlike other thick and restrictive rain pants I’ve owned, the Dryzzles are impressively thin and flexible, which means your movement is uninhibited, especially around the knees; the articulated knee design also assists with this. The two press studs on the bottom hem, near the feet, enable tightness to be varied around the boots. At only 370g for the men’s medium, they’re not a burden to throw in your pack “just in case”, and they’re super packable too.

If you’re a clumsy bushwalker like me—I regularly kick the inside of my opposite leg—then you’ll appreciate the reinforced ‘kickpatches’ on the inner ankle. Made from 15% Kevlar schoeller-keprotec (a tough fabric initially designed for motorcycle clothing), they can handle knocks and scrapes from not only your own boots but also sharp rocks. While I’ve not owned them long enough to comment on the longevity of their waterproof/breathable/windproof qualities, so far so good on this front too; they dealt with everything Tassie threw at them. Bear in mind, though, that there’s only one pocket, and that’s on the backside; if you want extra, you’ll need to wear pants with pockets underneath.

I like them. My hatred of rain pants stops here.