Weather
Waterproof -DRYWAY and DRYWAY+ is the system that Lindstands use as
a membrane to keep you dry and is windproof. I’ve been out in the rain
with the pants and I didn’t get wet. The pants outer had become wet at
the shin and upper thigh. What I did notice was that the pockets had
stayed dry, now I think this was more down to the fact that they had been
covered by the jacket and not exposed directly to the driving rain. The
pockets are not waterproof and sit above the DRYWAY membrane. Now
something that is rather important here, DRYWAY is a brand name for the
technology used and it works on the principal that it lets moisture out but
stops moisture getting in. This may seem simple enough but as with all
waterproofing membranes that I’ve looked into there is a snag and
Jofama do point this out. If the temperature outside is warmer than the
temperature inside then moisture can travel the other way. This is why
you have vents in a jacket but you’d not use vents if it was raining, right?
The issue can come from things like heated grips (for gloves), heated
seats (for pants). The temperature regulation balance can then be
reversed and it can allow the membrane to breath in the opposite way if
the heat difference is strong enough.
Hot Weather – We are looking for a pants to breath and to have vents to
let the air flow on the rider and keep you comfortable while not
diminishing your safety. The Q Pants has 2 vents on the front running
down either side of the thigh. Both vents are open via a zip system. I
couldn’t feel a massive flow of air but there was a relief from the heat
with the vents open. I was riding with the thermal liner in to be fair and
this can be taken out. Nice big easy to grab zip tabs meant that I could do
this with the gloves on.
Cold Weather – Jofama use a 3 layer system to keep you warm and dry
and the pants are part of that system. It is pointless getting a pair of
£289 pants or if you’re going to have a cotton leggings on under it.
Cotton absorbs moisture and so you’re going to get cold when that
moisture cools down. The Q Pants have the wind proofing of the DRYWAY
membrane and added to that is the quilted shorts liner that can be
removed. The lower legs do not have the quilted liner as you’re supposed
to have your woollen socks and boots in this area. I used the 3 layer
system and no matter how chilly the morning start I felt warm and
comfortable even riding over the Dales in high winds. I ride with the suit
over my boots to stop any rain running down the shin and then into my
boots. No matter how waterproof your boots are they will not stop water
running down the inside and giving you cold, wet and stinking feet.