What I Liked

Lightweight and minuscule pack size. This was the selling point for me because of the nature of what I needed them for: backpacking in South Greenland. Weight was critical because I would literally be carrying them with me everywhere. Whether it was in my big pack on my back (with a 26L daypack strapped to my chest) when I walked from airport to boat dock or to lodging, or in my daypack on day hikes, every ounce in my pack mattered.

The Jack Wolfskin River Road pants packed down to the size of a can of Surly One Man Mosh Pit. However, keep in mind that this minuscule pack size and weight is because it made from the lightweight, 2.5-layer Texapore Ecosphere fabric instead of GoreTex or a lightweight hardshell designed for alpine climbing. They’re truly a lightweight hiking rain pant. Thus, the minuscule weight of seven ounces for the size small.

Made from sustainable materials. Texapore Ecosphere, a Jack Wolfskin propriety material, is made of 100% recycled polyester, making the entire pants 100 percent PFC free. In fact, Jack Wolfskin’s entire apparel line is 100 percent PFC free. That’s a lot of 100 percent’s there, but it points to a substantial focus on sustainability. They also try to use recycled or natural materials where possible.

Accurate sizing. Due to waterproof construction, rain pants have little to no stretch. You want to make sure that rain pants fit over your hiking pants and that the allow for full range of mobility. The Jack Wolfskin River Road size small fit comfortably and easily over my hiking pants, with enough roominess to not feel constricted or like I was dragging a dead body. They also have wide-enough legs and side zippers to fit over my hiking boots without removing them. Once on, the leg cuffs are highly adjustable and secured with the most burly and durable and Velcro I have ever seen.

Excellent mobility. Hiking in South Greenland means navigating trails through boulder fields, boggy marshland with boots schlorped in mud and dodging piles of sheep crap that require quick reflexes. I’m pleased to say that the Jack Wolfskin River Road pants allowed for full range of motion over a pair of hiking pants.

Rainproof. This came as no surprise–they are rain pants after all. The key to their waterproof’ness is the 2.5-layer Texapore Ecosphere fabric. Both the outer fabric and the waterproof breathable membrane, which are both recycled polyester, are laminated together. And that’s what makes the Jack Wolfskin proprietary Texapore Ecosphere fabric waterproof and breathable.

Breathable. To be perfectly transparent, I’m limited in how much I can report on this category. I never felt hot or clammy when wearing the River Road pants. I don’t know if that’s because of the Texapore Ecosphere fabric doing its job or if it’s because the temperatures in Greenland ranged from low 40’s to low 50’s when it rained. Venting options are somewhat limited due to the side zipper that comes up to just below the knee.

What I Didn’t Like

Long inseam. Wow, it’s a long inseam! The size small has an inseam of 32.5 inches. This is easily five inches longer than I need and I had to roll the waistband a few times to keep them from dragging in the mud and sheep crap. Hardly a deal-breaker though.

No drawcord at the waistband. Not a big deal now because they’re new. But I suspect that after time the elastic waistband will likely stretch from all the rolling I have to do because of the long inseam. Should that happen they won’t stay up on their own.

Final Thoughts

The best rain pants are lightweight, have a small pack size and are effective at keeping you dry. Breathability is also critical. This makes the Jack Wolfskin River Road rain pants, which come in both women’s and men’s versions, hard to beat when weight and packed space is at a premium.

Did they keep me dry when I hiked in the rain? Yes. Did they move with me rather than against me? Yes. Could I pull them on over my hiking pants and boots? Yes. Did they pack down to the size of a can of Surly One Man Mosh Pit? Oh heck yes!

One final note. If you live in the U.S. and can’t find the River Road rain pants in your local specialty store, head over to Moosejaw.com orAmazon.com (The hot links in those go directly to the River Road pants pages).

The post Jack Wolfskin River Road Rain Pants Review appeared first on gritandgearonline.com.

But Greenland offers a unique experience: It has no roads connecting the settlements and towns. Transportation is by foot or boat transfer. This is not the land of Hertz Rental Car and Lyft. Everything I pack will be carried on my back in an Osprey Xena 85L backpack.

Osprey Airporter Pack Protector

Osprey Airporter Pack Protector

Flying from Minneapolis, MN to Narsarsuaq, Greenland with a layover in Reykjavik means 8.5 hours in the belly of Delta Airlines and Air Iceland Express and rides on grease-caked baggage conveyor belts through sorting machines and junctions with sharp edges.

A backpack’s safety during air transport is always a lottery. My Osprey Xena 85L pack has been my multi-day pack for about six years. It’s still in perfect condition with many years of life left–as long as it’s protected during air transport.

The size large Osprey Airporter Pack Protector ($55) zips into a small, lightweight pouch that I can clip to the outside of my Xena or stuff in the top compartment and holds packs from 75L up to 135L.

Primus PriceTech Stove 1.3L

I look forward to embracing the local food of Greenland. On the off chance I grow weary of Arctic char, muskox, snow hare and lumpfish roe blinis, I have options. Plus, bringing my Primus PrimeTech Stove 1.3L ($149) means saving money because I won’t have to eat out as much.

TrailFork Backpacking Meals

TrailFork Oatmeal compostable and burnable packaging burning in a campfire on Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands

This is a cost-saving measure and the reason I’m bringing my Primus stove. The price of freeze-dried camping food in Greenland will be equal to the GNP of many a small nation. I first met TrailFork Backpacking Meals ($9-$12) when I was sea kayaking on the Apostle Islands.

It’s good for the environment because all TrailFork meals are packaged in 100% home-compostable packaging and are burnable in a campfire. Greenland is a country that hasn’t been soiled by mass tourism (yet). I will do my part to keep it that way.

LOWA Mauria GTX Hiking Boots

LOWA Mauria GTXs get a pre-Greenland spa day

Backpacking in South Greenland means a hiking landscape full of contrasts – from green and lush hillsides to barren rock deserts and rugged mountain terrain. I expect marshy earth, river crossings and boots schlorped in mud and sheep manure. “Trails” marked only by deteriorating cairns.

Though I have a newer pair of LOWA boots, it’s my 5-year old LOWA Mauria GTX ($325), the gem of my gear closet, that I’m taking. They are waterproof. Have outstanding traction, support, stability and reliability.

Most important, they have the hiking cred I need for this trip: Five Colorado 14’ers, Austrian Alps, Swiss Alps, Norway and Scotland.

Wuru Wool Hiker’s Wool

It was “Richard” from the comment page and his “relief for hammer toe on long trek” that swayed me to try Wuru Wool Hiker’s Wool ($11)over the tried and true Moleskin.

Richard “left for a month-long trek in Nepal with open sores on the knuckles of 5 toes due to recently-developed hammer toes, not sure if I would be able to complete the trek.”

Poor Richard. At the moment I don’t have open sores on my feet and it’d be nice to keep it that way while backpacking in South Greenland .

Jack Wolfskin River Rain Pants

No matter where I travel, menacing and black Nimbostratus clouds follow. Even on a trip to Death Valley four years ago. The locals hailed me as a modern-day Chaac on that trip. I’m taking a risk with the Jack Wolfskin River Rain pants ($145).

As of posting, they haven’t arrived yet and I haven’t had a chance to test them with the garden hose. But they had me at “waterproof”, “windproof”, “lightweight” and “small pack size”. Full product review when I get back.

Lightweight, packable, marriage saver

Outside Inside Backpack Mancala Game

I am 100% confident that I will encounter rain while backpacking in South Greenland. Being rain bound in a tent for days without internet is both the nucleus and fountainhead for an argument.

Re-channel your inner Boston Strangler with the Outside Inside Backpack Mancala Game ($21), a soothing process of strategically moving beads around the board to win.  Then the argument can start!

Kuhl Jetstream Rain Trench

I love the Kuhl Jetstream Rain Trench ($199) rain jacket because it’s a longer cut than a normal rain jacket. It also folds into its own pocket and takes up very minimal space in my pack.

I got this early in the Spring and found that even though its light weigh, it still offered decent protection from chilly wind. When paired with a down sweater, it kept me warm to about 30 degrees.

Kora Shola 250 Leggings

Another gem from the gear closet. I got these Kora Shola 230 Leggings ($145)about four or five years ago and they’re my favorite long undies when out in the elements and cold weather. Made of Yak wool, they are warm and breathable, no matter how much vigorous exercise I do, and they never feel wet from my perspiration.

They’re also humane. The wool is collected only during the yak’s natural bi-annual shed when the farmer (almost literally) walks around the pasture picking up the shedded undercoat and giving the yak a nice brushing. Merino sheep are still sheared.

I’ll be in a tent about half the time I’m in the country and the nights will get down to the high 30’s to low 40’s. These will be great for sleeping and wearing under hiking or rain pants.

GSI Microlite 720 Flip

Constructed with wafery-thin 2mm walls that are actually thinner than most single wall plastic bottles, the GSI Microlite 720 Flip ($30) keeps cold beverages cold and hot beverages hot.

I’ve had this bottle for about a year now and have used it sea kayaking, winter camping, backpacking and cycling (fits great in a water bottle cage). When filled with hot tea or coffee, it keeps it warm for about twelve hours.

Stoked Roasters Stoked Stix

American goodwill in a neat packet

Coffee is one of Greeland’s national drinks and they take it seriously. Kaffemiks, social gatherings around a cup of coffee, are to Greenlandic culture what Friday happy hour is to the US. I’m bringing Stoked Roasters Stoked Stix ($9) to spread goodwill.

My itinerary includes staying over at sheep farms. I want to offer my host a gift from the United States. The packets are lightweight, convenient and instant. The taste and flavor is outstanding. The empty packets can even be burned in the campfire.

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