Hi everyone, not sure if BIFL, as textiles are generally prone to wear out. I’m looking for good rainproof trousers. A little background: I’m commuting by bike, 7 km back and forth plus train commute, all year. Due to the geographical region (Germany) there is a good chance of unforseen rain.

Now I’m looking for a well built, stable set of rainproof trousers. I’m not a fan of those standard trousers where you need to put your feet or shoes through, as I’d like to put them on spontaneously and without too much hassle. I recently found out about full zipper trousers which kind of have a side entry rather than a top entry. They seem interesting, but I’m unsure about the practicability.

I’d be glad to hear your experiences with rainproof trousers for commuting, and ideally a buy it for life very long recommendation.

  • ODGreen@slrpnk.netEnglish
    9·
    21 hours ago

    A cheap solution is to wax some thrift store or old trousers. Beeswax and paraffin, there are different ratios to experiment with, and premade bars you can buy. You rub some on and heat with a hair dryer or clothes iron (with parchment paper so the iron doesn’t get wax on it). It’ll darken the cloth. The more you put on the more waterproof and wind-resistant it’ll get. For bike pants you could focus on the front of the upper thigh and coat the rest less, leaving some breathability on the back.

    • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafeEnglish
      5·
      18 hours ago

      This is called tincloth, if OP’s interested.

      My experience with it - makes for a heavy material that is rain resistant, not proof.

      If you’ve ever tried on a Western Duster coat, you know how heavy that stuff is.

      I have a couple tincloth hats, works great for that, but I’ve had to retreat them annually, use a lot of wax when doing it, and they’re still only rain resistant. Water will eventually work it’s way in.

    • moodyEnglish
      5·
      21 hours ago

      Linseed oil also polymerizes very fast and can be used to waterproof fabrics.

      • rbn@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        2·
        16 hours ago

        If you go for linseed oil, make sure to put it outside to dry. During the oxidization process it can get so hot that it’s self-igniting.

      • ODGreen@slrpnk.netEnglish
        4·
        20 hours ago

        Yes, it’s used to make oilcloth but as far as I know, you’d have to leave the garment to dry somewhere with ventilation for a week or more. However I’ve not done it so if that isn’t the case please correct me.

        • moodyEnglish
          2·
          19 hours ago

          I’ve never done it, but I believe you can iron it to set the oil, kind of like seasoning a cast iron pan. It’s worth looking into.

          • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafeEnglish
            1·
            18 hours ago

            I’ve found using a blow dryer works pretty well, and helps keep the wax liquid until the cloth can absorb it (often it’s linseed mixed with beeswax, the linseed really makes a difference). The extra heat seems to help the fibers remain soft and the liquid flowing, while driving off the excess solvent

    • Hnery@feddit.orgOPEnglish
      2·
      19 hours ago

      Cool idea, thanks! Not sure about the feasibility, but I’ll definitely check it out.

  • Ride Against The Lizard@slrpnk.netEnglish
    1·
    14 hours ago

    I’ve been searching for the same thing - a PFA/PFC free shell to go over my regular trousers. I’ve tried these three and haven’t had any luck with any of them:

    • Patagonia Torrentshell: I could hardly take a full stride in these, and sizing up was like wearing oversized parachute pants

    • Marmot equivalent: Much more mobility, but just not enough for me to pedal on a bike without the pants becoming very taut. I fear they’d rip after a while.

    • Outdoor Research equivalent: Satisfactory mobility, but for some reason the ankle cuffs are really wide - water would definitely splash up inside these if you were walking through puddles, so it feels like they miss the mark a little especially considering these are a bit more expensive than the others.

    I’m still looking, open to recommendations!

  • Habahnow@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    16 hours ago

    Shifter on youtube has a video on rain ponchos that may be an alternative to rain pants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLM_mTUuHlc TLDR he likes them all, he uses the people’s poncho the most: https://www.thepeoples.co/products/navy-poncho He doesn’t indicate how well they prevent your pants from getting wet so that’s the only thing you should confirm before deciding on a poncho instead of water proof pants.

  • Drusas@fedia.io
    1·
    15 hours ago

    Check out Outdoor Research, Patagonia, Marmot, Mountain Hardware (not sure which of these are or are not available in Germany, but you probably have comparable brands there as well). You can find some really good water-resistant gear from them. You could also consider getting hard shell rain pants to wear over top of your regular pants and just take them off once you’re back inside.