The pants in this article were sent to us for test and evaluation. After reviewing them we both decided to buy a pair and a foot pod each. OMM Mountain Raid Pant is now a standard part of our equipment when we hike and camp in four seasons.
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“These pants are one of the best piece of outdoor garments that I own and ith as revolutionized my clothes- and sleep system in the mountains.”
Carl Piehl on mat-uteliv.se (our translation)
The pant that is a sleeping bag
OMM Mountain Raid Pant is an isolating mid-layer pant which also can be used as shell pant, as it is also wind proof. It is a good reinforcement for four season use but will as a stand alone pant feel as to little insulation in really cold winter tempereatures. The pant has full lenght zippers that run on the inside of the legs which with their uniqe design can turn the pant into a waist long sleeping bag – and also allows for putting on the pant without pulling them over the shoes. In summary hte OMM Mountain Raid Pant is a good pant both for persons looking for good insulation around the legs as well as the possbility to boost their sleepign system, or even skip their sleeping bag or quilt.
Full length zippers
Full length zippers makes it easy to pull the pant over a pair of shoes. But you can also get into this pant by pulling the waistbadn over your shoulders down to the waist and zip them up. That means that you dont even have to lift your feet off the ground, by standing on one leg or sitting down, and you dont risk to soil it when pulling it over dirty shoes or boots. The assumption here is though that your widht around shoulders or belly is not wider that then waist of the pant.
Reinforces your sleeping bag and sleeping system
The reason the zippers are on the inside of this pant and, not as usual, on the outside, is they can be tunred into a skirt which together witha foot pod (sold as asseccory) makes up a short sleeping bag that comes up to the waist. To someone who really wants to push down on weight it can in combination with a warm jacker, completley replace the sleeping bag. To us, the great upside is that it can reinforce a sleeping bag or quilt, and we experinece that it gives a warmer system compared to sleeping in pants only. It should though be said that zipped in sleeping bag mode with pod, it fits rather tight, which is good because it will fit most sleeping bags and wuilts, but for a person who likes to spread it his or her legs it can be experienced as cramped.
The pant can be connected to OMM Mountain Raid Jacket (not tested by us though)
Isolates when wet
OMM MOuntain Raid Pant is insulated with 60 gr/m2 synthetic Primaloft GOLD ECO. The upside compared to down insulation is that it keeps some of it’s isolating capacity even when wet, which makes sense particularly for a pant since it risks more contact with snow and wet ground than for example a jacket does. The down side is that is isolates less per gram, but then the comparison is with dry down.
A clear upgrade to clothing set and sleeping system
The double function of the pant allows us to have both more comfort in terms of having a pair of toasty pants at night and either a higher margin in our sleeping system should the temperature fall, or at warmer temperatures, bring a lighter sleeping bag or quilt and reinforce it with re-zipped Mountain Raid Pant.
To us the OMM Mountain Raid Pant is a clear upgrade both to our clothing set and sleeping systems becuase they replace a thicker pari of mid-layer pants, and reinforces, or at warm temperatures in combination with an insulating jacket even replace sleeping bag or quilt.
Fit
We experience the fit as good despite the solution that allows for turning the pant into a short sleeping bag. For Jonas at 175 cm and 62 kg, size M is a good fit and for Dan at 187 cm and 89 kg size L is a good fit.
Specifications (from OMM):
Weight: 275 g (size Medium)
Material:
Inner and outer fabric: 100% Nylon (Point Zero®).
Insulation: 100% Polyester (PrimaLoft® Cross Core Gold ECO 60g fill)
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Better isolation than down when wet
- Hihg quality of insulation and fabrics
- Nice fit and comfort
- Unique function that double the pant as short sleeping bag / reinforcement of sleeping system
- Full lenght zippers allows to pull the pant over the head without removing shoes and boots.
- Zippers allow for ventilation
Cons:
- Heavier that down alternatives and pants without zippers
- Some fiddlingd required hwne switching between pant and sleeping bag mode