through the worst trail conditions, they are constructed with a fully seam-sealed interior and use a lightweight, Fox has constructed the Rangers from a relatively stretchy, light fabric. At just 270g (for the size small), the Rangers are certainly light, but the fabric doesn’t feel delicate or fragile, and it has proven to be durable throughout testing. True to Gore’s claims, the C5 Paclite trousers kept us dry during testing and didn’t wet through or leak during the post-ride hose-down. While the double loop lies almost perfectly flat and sits really close to the trousers, I found it fiddlier and less convenient to use. That said, once you’ve adjusted it to your preference, you can soon forget about it (unless you need to make some adjustments after a particularly big meal). Fox Ranger pants performance Choosing performance bike outerwear can be confusing and full of jargon, which is why Fox organises its outerwear range into clear and understandable categories, using three overarching category names: Water, Fire and Wind. Even without explaining any further, it’s easy to work out what each category focuses on. Water is for rainy and wet weather. Fire is for cold temperatures. Wind is for, yep… you guessed it, windy conditions.

In the correct size (we’ll come on to that), the fit on these Fox Ranger 3L Water Pants is perfect and sculpts to the riding position well. The legs taper nicely, so they don’t flap around even when wet or muddy, but still leave enough room to wear knee pads underneath.A ratchet strap provides reliable and secure waist adjustment and stops the trousers falling down once wet. They didn’t soak through during testing, keeping us totally dry after hours of torturous wet-weather riding, even once they were covered in mud. Reasons to buy: Lightweight and airy. Great fit and comfort. Well priced considering the quality, fit and performance. Women’s version also available They’re not rustly and the fabric is a little warmer than some on cold rides, while zipped thigh vents help on warmer rides. Fit: I tested this pant in a medium. While it is the correct size based on iXS' charts, this pant just does not fit me. The waist is pretty generous, but when snugged all the way down with the two internal adjusters, while it "fits", it still feels oddly loose. Additionally, the waist of the pant sits too low: when pulled up to my waist, it induced unsightly man toe. And while I freely admit to having no butt, there's no way I could do enough squats to fill these pants out—there's far too much extra room in the seat for that. The internal waist adjusters work well, and although I find they are always more work to get adjusted than their external cousins, I find that once "set" they stay put better than the external ones. The lower legs of these pants are snug, too, but in a good way: they hug a kneepad and the calves tightly for a more aerodynamic, performance-oriented fit than any other offering in this test. Pants are never going to be as breezy as shorts, but the Burner Lite comes closer to any I’ve tried thanks to the lightweight material that feels breezy, and never clammy. There are also laser cut holes galore, with a score or more either side of the knee to draw in air. I’m happy in the Burner Lite up to 20°C or so, which means I’ve been wearing them all this summer without problems.

Far from the usual crinkly, tissue paper fabric found on most waterproof trousers, the Fox Ranger 3L Water is soft and supple against the skin. There’s a four-way stretch to the fabric to ensure it doesn’t restrict movement, and the fully taped seams and quality Durable Water Repellent coating keeps you cool and dry. With the Ranger 3L, Fox gives you form and function. Fit: The Ion pants fit, but the cut was a bit awkward for me. The leg length was good, and the overall fit was okay; but I found that even with the waist cinched down all the way, the pants didn't stay up well . I should note that I don't have a whole lotta junk in the trunk, so this problem has cropped up before; it just depends on the pant. Also the cut of the fabric around the knee area causes the excess fabric to bunch above the kneepads, which felt funny, but didn't inhibit pedaling. For comparison's sake, I did try on the size small, and while the waist fit was better, they were too tight on my legs. One nice feature of the Shelter Pant is the lower leg zipper, which allows you to pull the pants on over shoes or to put on kneepads after you've put on your pants—something I've come to really like as I sometimes forget to grab knee pads before putting on my pants. Fit: The Dakine Thrillium Pant had the snuggest fit of all the "mediums" and size 32's in this round up. If you're on the upper edge of that size you may want to bump up a size. The pants have room for knee pads when dry, but once the fabric gets soaked, it tended to bind on my kneepads. The lower legs are on the roomier side as compared to many of the other offerings reviewed here, which made them nice and comfy when pedaling vs. feeling like I'd pulled on a pair of tights. Overall they fit me pretty well, considering I measure as a 31" waist, although I'd like just a little more room or stretch across the lap in the waist.Joe Schwartz once said to me “be bold, start cold” and it's been a helpful phrase to remember during the cold, wet months. Even with that in mind, it's easy to find yourself cross-eyed from overheating on the way up. Breathability, for me, has been the challenge and given our conditions, this season I decided to try garments that breathe better. Manufacturers describe their garments as having two or three layers, but what does this mean? A two-layer fabric is made up of an outer face fabric bonded to the waterproof membrane. Inside may be a hanging mesh liner to protect the inner membrane. On a 2.5 layer, the mesh liner is replaced with a micro (or half) layer, which is either bonded or printed onto the membrane.

The Water Vapour Transmission rating (WVTR) measures how breathable materials are, by testing how much water vapour can travel through the material in given conditions. The higher the rating, the more effective it will be at keeping you comfortable during higher-intensity riding.

Pockets

A simple, single meaty popper is all that’s used to keep the Rangers closed. There’s no zipped fly or Velcro in place to keep the overlapping fabric in place, but I had no issues with the trousers gaping open or coming undone.