I just gave away my hardshell pants. I found that softshells work better than hard shell pants for most conditions. I have never, ever needed both softshells and hardshells. Why bring two pais of pants?

Bump on an old thread, but are there any new alpine softshell pants you can recommend nowadays?
I'm checking out the Patagonia Dual Point pants now, which seems to look ok, but seem to lack crampon protection. Any other options I should consider?
For cold weather/snow, 6000-8000m peaks, and not for hardcore ice climbing.

NW Alpine Light and Fast pants are a cult favorite here in the PNW. For cold weather their salopettes are well thought of.

Yeah the pradagucci dual points are great, do the trick for skiing and climbing. Probably find some cheaper options though.

Crampon patches don't seem to do much. If you put a hole in your pants, and you will, fix it with some seam grip. You'll look more hardcore anyway.

I like my stuff to fit really well and I try to support the little guys. I have used Lou for lots of garments and he can make anything.
http://foxwear.net

How about midweight vs lightweight?
Would you consider a lightweight softshell + base layer (and maybe puffy) for colder expeditions?

beean wrote:Yeah the pradagucci dual points are great, do the trick for skiing and climbing. Probably find some cheaper options though.

Crampon patches don't seem to do much. If you put a hole in your pants, and you will, fix it with some seam grip. You'll look more hardcore anyway.

Haha, it took me ONE day with the new dual point alpines to puncture the friggin leg (two days ago). Was standing in a narrow crevasse and had to little space to move the crampons, so pants are already punctured. No idea if crampon patches on the legs would have helped me.