If you are riding all weathers then at some point you will be riding in the rain and no one likes getting wet. Having some decent wet weather gear can make the all the difference to it being an enjoyable ride or not. I mean who likes getting soaked and having to ride in it? I know I dont! Personally, when it comes to waterproof pants, I can take it or leave it. It’s wet feet that annoy me the most but the more dry you can stay the better so they are worth considering.
The majority of motocross pants are not waterproof and at best are only water resistant. That said if you look hard enough you will find some that do offer protection against the rain but expect to pay top dollar for these products.
An good example of waterproof pants would be from the Moose’s Expedition series. These have come up in numerous forum threads as being a decent product although you pay for them, with a price tag at the time of writing being around the $300 mark. Compare that to your average pair of motocross pants costing $70 – $100 and you can see it’s a big difference.
Depending on how fashion conscious you are then you could chose to buy a cheap pair of waterproof trousers from Walmart to wear over the top of your mx pants which should do the job just as well. You can pick these up for around $20 and you wont mind them getting trashed for that price.
Most MX pants will take a splash but another solution is to buy some waterproofing spray. Products like NikWax’s TX Spray can be used to spray a waterproof coating over fabric to give resistance. It’s a low cost solution but will wear off in time so will need reapplying.
Waterproof MX Pants Options
Let’s have a look at what products are out there that are waterproof. Below I have compiled a short list of items that you may like to consider. These are in no particular order and I cannot claim to have worn any of these as I mentioned earlier, I am happy to go regular MX pants in favour of spending less. That and I don’t mind being close the the elements 😉
Klim Traverse
Klim have a decent reputation in the biking world and here they are offering a Gor-tex textile option for $475 which puts these ahead of the Expedition pants from Moose in terms of price.
The spec says that they Guarantee To Keep You Dry, which is a big claim so they must be confident in their offering. Other features include reflective material, removable armour pads, and a breathable open mesh liner to name a few.
It sounds like they have taken time to develop this product with the rider in mind being kitted up. For example they have glove friendly zipper pulls, and goat leather on the inside of the knee for grip and protection. I like the sound of both of those.
Is the cost justified? I can’t answer that but I would love to hear from you if you can shed some light on owning a pair of these, or you know someone who can. Personally I just cant afford that price point but should I have a winfall I think I would buy a pair just to check out their bold claim.
Moose Racing Expedition Pants
You can pick these up from Rocky Mountain ATV for $299.95 (https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/riding-gear/moose-racing-expedition-pants-p) Another reasonably high price compared to average pants but alot cheaper than the Klim Traverse.
These have been made for people who want to ride off road and as such have both knee and hip protectors which are easily removable. You just simply open the pocket and slide out the plastic pad. Made from a nylon shell they provide a waterproof, wind proof but also breathable solution for the rider.
I like the fact they come with braces, as in the type you wear over your shoulders to keep your pants up. These should keep them in position and they will fit happily under your jacket.
Other padding can be found around the seat area and also the knees to give some extra wear to the places that need it.
Similar to the Traverse ‘glove friendly zips’, these have long zip handles on all 4 pockets for the same reason, so you can easily open them up with your gloves on.
FOX Racing Legion Down Pour Pants
Everyone knows FOX right! Well these are their water proof pants and they retail for around $250. One thing that I have noticed whilst researching these products is they use alot of the same materials such as D3O®, Cordura® and Polartec® which makes you think they aren’t going to be too dissimilar. For those interested, I decided to quickly research these products seperatley and have listed further down what they are. Anyway back to the FOX pants…
They are billed as a hybrid between MX pants and adventure pants which to be honest most of these items are going to be utilised in the adventure market because of their waterproof nature. There is a jacket in the range too which means you can fully kit up in this product range.
Again these are waterproof, wind proof and breathable, also being seam sealed to keep out water where they can. I am liking the cow hide which runs down from the inner knee to the ankle, offering extra protection from abrasion. Plenty of adjustment on the fitting so you can strap in and feel comfy according to your frame and preferences.
These are designed to go over regular pants and will sit over the boots which perhaps explains why they don’t seem to have any armour style padding like the Moose pants for example. They are made with the D3O® though, which if you see below where I have listed those manufacturing materials, it is a type of impact protection.
Related: Motocross Pants Size Chart – Get The Right Fit
Manufacturing Materials
D3O® https://www.d3o.com/
This is an impact protection material used in many different markets, motocross, dirt biking and the motoGP is just a sample of the area for the application. You can find it in body armour and gloves as well as clothing for areas that have limb protection and/or back protection. It has both CE level 1 and level 2 certifications which relates to the protection level standard.
Klim, Icon, Furygan, Rukka, Triumph, and Fox are a tiny sample of a big selection of brands you are likely to know that use D3O®
Cordura® https://www.cordura.com/
These guys make fabric that is super effective against hard wearing enviroments which makes it perfect for MX pants and adventure gear. They have been going since 1967 and evolve with new technologies to innovate new products.
Polartec® https://www.polartec.com/
Another fabric company that innovates to produce products for a huge range of applications. These guys invented the original synthetic fleece back in 1981 and have been going since 1906, so over 100 years.
They have some excellent materials designed for wind proofing and water proofing which are well positioned for manufacturers of waterproof MX pants.
Can You Wash Motocross Pants if they are waterproof?
Yes you can wash motocross pants. It is important to follow the washing guidelines on the garment label to ensure you are washing it at the correct temperature to avoid causing any damage. In some cases it maybe recommended to wash them by hand.
If the pants are water proof to begin with then it is double important to follow the washing instructions as you don’t want to effect the performace of the waterproofing afterwards. Likelyhood is, this would mean not washing the pants to hot.
Well thats the round up on my findings for waterproof mx pants, I hope it came in handy and feel free to leave a comment with your experience and/or recommendations of such products.
Until next time…