YOU LOSE HEAT EFFECTIVELY EQUALLY ACROSS ALL OF YOUR BODY. STUFF YOU HEAR ABOUT NOT LOSING MUCH FROM YOUR LEGS AND LOSING 75% FROM YOUR HEAD IS BLATANTLY WRONG DESPITE BEING URBAN MYTH, HAVING BEEN PROVED SO DECADES AGO WITH EXTENSIVE TESTING BY GROUPS LIKE THE CANADIAN WINTER WARFARE SCHOOL. KNOWING THIS IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT, UNINSULATED, YOUR LEGS ARE BLEEDING AWAY HEAT ACROSS ALMOST 50% OF YOUR SURFACE AREA, EXACERBATED BY THE FACT THAT YOUR LEG MUSCLES CONSUME A LOT OF BLOOD WHEN MOVING, FED BY MAJOR ARTERIES. DO A FEW HUNDRED METERS OF ASCENT THEN STAND AROUND IN THE COLD AND ALL THAT BLOOD SENT TO YOUR LEGS SOON COOLS BY CONVECTION.

WEIGHT-FOR-EFFECT, INSULATED OVERPANTS ARE SOME OF THE BEST MONEY YOU WILL SPEND, HAVING A GREATER EFFECT THAN BEEFING UP A JACKET WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE AMOUNT OF WEAR YOU WILL GET. THE EFFECTS OF INSULATING YOUR LEGS ARE IMMEDIATELY FELT, MOST CLIMBERS WONDERING WHY THEY DIDN’T DO THIS SOONER, AND THE TRANSFER OVER TO YOU SLEEPING SET UP AND GENERAL MULTIDAY ABILITY IS ENOUGH TO TAKE YOU FURTHER INTO COLDER ENVIRONMENTS.

IN THIS CASE THE INSULATION NEEDS TO BE SYNTHETIC, TO HANDLE THE ABUSE AND UTILITARIAN DEMANDS. THERE WILL BE CRAMPON SLASHS, YOU WILL GET THEM DAMP, YOU WILL KNEEL ON ROCK, YOU WILL PROBABLY STAND TOO CLOSE TO A FIRE, STANDING AROUND IN THE SNOW IN THEM IS WHAT THEY DO BEST – DOWN IS SIMPLY TOO FRAGILE AND PRECIOUS.

OF THE OPTIONS OUT THERE THE RAB PHOTONS SIT EASILY AT THE TOP OF THE PILE. PLENTY OF OTHER COMPANIES MAKE THEM, BUT ALL BUT RAB GET IT WRONG ON AMOUNT OF INSULATION, ZIPS AND DURABILITY.

RAB PACK ALMOST DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF INSULATION IN TO THE PHOTONS THAT SOME BRANDS DO, AND IT’S PRIMALOFT GOLD NOT ONE OF THE LESS EFFICIENT VARIANTS. THEY HAVE TAKEN THE ROLE OF THESE PANTS SERIOUSLY AND MADE THEM TO EQUAL A SERIOUS BELAY JACKET, AND THE GOLD IS BOTH THERMALLY EFFICIENT AND SOFT TO THE HAND, GETTING EVER CLOSER TO DOWN.

THE PHOTONS HAVE FULL LENGTH ZIPS, A NO BRAINER WHEN IT COMES TO BELAY PANTS TO BE PUT ON OVER CRAMPONS BUT SOMETHING EVEN THE GOOD BRANDS GET WRONG AND 3/4 ZIPS SIMPLY DON’T MAKE THE GRADE.

ANYWHERE YOU WILL KNEE, SIT OR KICK INTO HAS MORE BURLY MATERIAL, GREATLY EXTENDING THE LIFE OF THEM AND IS MORE WATERPROOF THAN THE FABRIC USED ELSEWHERE. A SLIGHT ARTICULATION TO THE CUT HELPS REDUCE THE BOX-LIKE FEEL SOME OTHER PANTS HAVE, AND MAKES THESE PANTS YOU CAN CLIMB IN.

BOTTOM LINE IS THESE ARE SOLID, UTILITARIAN WORK PANTS THAT WILL KEEP YOU DOUBLE-DIGIT WARMER ACROSS ALL THE PARTS OF A TRIP WHERE YOU ARE STATIONARY, STUCK OUT IN THE ELEMENTS OR IN DOWNTIME, WHICH CAN ADD UP TO HALF A TRIP EASILY, MORE WHEN YOU INCLUDE SLEEPING. FOR A SERIOUS MULTI-FUNCTION STEP IN KEEPING WARM, THESE PANTS FILL WHAT IS USUALLY A HUGE BLINDSPOT IN A CLIMBERS ATTEMPTS TO STAY WARM. THESE WILL SEE YOU UP +6000m PEAKS AND ACROSS THE GREAT RANGES IN WINTER, AS WELL AS BUY YOU TIME IN COLD TENTS AND BELAYS ANYWHERE ELSE. EVEN ON 8000m TRIPS THESE WILL GET A LOT OF USE UP TO WHERE IT’S TIME TO GET THE BIG STUFF OUT, WHICH INCLUDES COLD BASECAMPS AND RECCE TRIPS THAT START AND END IN THE COLD OF DAY.