Our Patagonia M10 Storm Pants review explores some innovative hard-shell pants designed for Alpinism. We hope you find it useful.
introduce
The Patagonia M10 Storm Pants is part of a new collection of what Patagonia calls “the most demanding alpine goals for travel-first clothing.” The collection includes shell pants, jackets, Anorak reviewed here (we reviewed this here) and shell bib.
The series is designed to provide unlimited mobility with full protection. With this, the features will be minimally paired, and the fabric exceeds Patagonia’s waterproof shielding standard. All products within this range are free of perfluorinated chemicals (PFC/PFA).
It’s a very interesting product line, with Paul and Ben testing Anorak and Pants all the time, while Cal has been testing women’s specific fit coats. The focus of this Patagonia M10 Storm Pants review is shell pants. Paul’s comments on the M10 Anorak are also available here. We really hope you find it useful.
feature
Patagonia M10 Storm Pants are made of 3-layer 20 powder 100% recycled nylon ripstop Face Face and Xpore Nanoporormbrane and Jersey Backer. They also have DWR (durable water repellent) produced without perfluorochemicals (PFCS/PFAS).
Seashell pants are specially cut to maximize freedom of movement. This comes from their unique design. Apparently, the design team drew inspiration from Ju-Jitsu pants to create a four-point pants and articulated knees. The purpose is to allow complete unlimited leg movement. This makes the pants c look quite unique (see the photo above), but more later.
There is an offset zipper and a zippered thigh pocket. The waist is elastic and the ankles are elastic. Both the waist and ankle elastic have a grip lining that holds it in place. There is an embedded RECCO reflector on the legs.
Patagonia M10 Storm Pants come in a stuffy blue color and weighs 240g, suitable for size medium. They retail for £270. This product is only suitable for one person. The M10 Storm Bib has a suitable choice for women. The M10 product range is produced in fair trade certified factories.
In use
Free movement of knees every time
I’ll start this Patagonia M10 Storm Pants Review by telling a simple truth right now – these pants are very special. When you pull them up, you will inevitably try some climbing leg movements. That is, if you plan to use them for climbing. When you do this, I’m sure you’ll be as impressed as I do. Unlike many hard shell pants, you will have complete freedom of movement. This is indeed a revelation. You can get high and stems without any obstacles. Suddenly, climbing onto hard-shelled pants is not a trivial matter at all.
4 burrs
To achieve this, Patagonia used what they described as the four-point corner gun. I’m not a pants design expert, but it shows that I have more material on my pants and can move freely. This does give them a pretty unique look, but it’s worth it for a great performance. When your legs are closed, your back will have a loose back. The extra fabric in the sack is obvious when your legs are opened. The focus of the design is related to functions.
Waist, cuffs and ankles
The waist is a simple elastic setting. No decoration, but it works very well. The gripping rubber lining has elastic tape that further helps hold them in place. This minimalism saves weight, but also ensures that the pants do sit comfortably under the seat belt.
The ankle is the same. No adjustments, just sitting elastically on the boots. I wonder if they are easy to ride when climbing, but that’s really not a problem. There are several small loops sewn in the ankle cuff, so the rope can be passed under the feet to prevent ankle riding. I don’t need them. Patagonia does not add any reinforced or scratched guards around the ankles, so you need to be careful when wearing crampons or scratching on rocks.
Durability
II’ mentions pants without any rebar around the ankle area. In fact, there is no reinforcement anywhere, so long-term durability will be a consideration. This is especially true for technical hard shells given the relatively high price of the M10. But once you try them, I doubt you will find the durability tradeoff worth it.
Other features
Having a simple thigh bag is useful for hiding smaller items. Zippered flies are useful for nature’s call, especially when wearing harnesses.
sizing
I think the size is indeed the case. This matches the opinions of people reviewed on the Patagonia website. I found my 30-31-inch waist perfection. At 5’8″ tall I usually choose short leg lengths (when the option is provided by the manufacturer), but this dress has only 31″ Inseam option. Actually, this doesn’t matter, as strong ankles mean they can sit comfortably around their boots anyway. Anyway, it might actually help when performing high steps a little longer, but this is purely my observation and I can’t determine that.
Weatherproof and breathable
Patagonia says the fabric used exceeds its waterproof/breathable performance standards (this is detailed here). On site, this should provide a high level of water resistance as well as excellent breathability. During the weeks of Norway ice climbing, I’ve been testing M10 shell pants, and it can be said that any fabric will lead a tough life under these conditions. Walking in and climbing will make you sweat. Then, the waterproofness drips through snow, ice crystals, and sometimes drips from a waterfall that is not as frozen. They performed effortlessly under all these conditions. I was really impressed. They have not been affected by any continued downpours, but so far they all seem to be in good shape in any situation. The fabric is also very good in the conditions I’ve tested.
Durability
Hard-shelled pants, especially when used in Alpineism, always lead a difficult life. From slamming the giant stone fields to scratching the cold chimney (and all the other possibilities in between), the pants will hop. The material is at 20 Denier, at the weight end of the hard shell fabric spectrum. That is, it is a trade-off that we either are happy to accept. Lightweight, heavier packaging, and durable. I didn’t have enough test time to say how long these pants will continue to perform. Usually, my gear was very careful and they must have shrugged and climbed up the ice climb for weeks without any problem. This is what I can say at the moment.
Sustainability
Anyone who is familiar with Patagonia will know that they are the leading lights in terms of sustainable manufacturing. It is worth mentioning that they understand their environmental contributions to outdoor clothing manufacturing. There is a lot of great information on their website here. Plus, the book by legendary Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard is fascinating. “Let My People Surf” and “Responsible for the Future of the Company” are great for beginners, but there are others. Detailed information about their book collection can be found here.
Summary
As the focus of my Patagonia M10 Storm Pants review, this is a high-performance shell pants with the ultimate mobility secret weapon. Colin Haley, the famous Alpine Piece who helped develop the M10 series, says he never wants to climb on any other pants (Colin has taken fascinating and exhaustive measures on his website about the design process of the M10 Storm Pants here) Highly praised, but once you try them you will also see the benefits of Ju-Jitsu can bring to climbing. The work of the Patagonia M10 Storm Pant is exactly what they designed. Patagonia said that when they took everything away, their design was right. I totally agree.
Of course, if you are familiar with Patagonia, you will know that they are a brand focused on industry-leading sustainable production. All their products have also been excellent Iron parcel guarantee. Complete details about the M10 shell pants are available from the Patagonia website here. You can also find complete details about the entire M10 range here. Finally, the first video below dives into the design of the Storm Pants, and the second video is an interesting look of the design process throughout the range. Both are worth a look.
We hope you find this Patagonia M10 Storm Pants Review useful. Paul has The Patagonia M10 Anorak was also reviewed, and you can find the review here. We regularly review a variety of clothing and equipment from a variety of manufacturers. They can all be used with many inspiration and suggestions articles on our blog here. We hope they are interested.
