7Mesh Men’s Thunder Pant review

The price of the 7Mesh Men’s Thunder Pant is a major barrier – £350 is a good starter mountain bike – which is a pity as they have proven to be terrific.

• Brand: 7Mesh
• Product: Men’s Thunder Pant
• Price: £350.00
• From: 7mesh.com
• Tested by: David ‘Sanny’ Gould for 2 years

Pros

• Waterproof trousers that actually keep you dry
• Ease of putting on and taking off
• Built to last

Cons

• Copy their own shorts design and add hand pockets and a zip fly
• Drop the price from eye watering to something a little less challenging
• Make it look less like you are wearing a nappy off the bike

Over the last few years, trousers have become something of a favoured attire option with the more discerning mountain biker. Bib longs were the go to choice of leg wear for many years, being something of a hangover from road and cross biking. However, once baggy shorts became the clothing look of choice, their days were inevitably numbered. It was then a logical progression for trousers and more importantly, waterproof trousers to become a viable option.

Our sport by its very nature is filthy. We are not blessed with endless days of Californian summer and eternally dusty trails. We live in an environment where rain and filth are an inevitable consequence of our geography. Rain happens, deal with it. I have tried many options over the years but have always been left disappointed.

A pair of Endura three quarters ended up being made of predominantly Gorilla Tape as the arse wore out of them. Similarly, a pair of Gore Active Shell trousers did the same, the lightweight material being no match for the grinding paste of a winter of Scottish riding. Others have had the taped seams fail. It has not been an auspicious experience.

Being blunt, I gave up on waterproof trousers and found the perfect solution in a pair of 7Mesh waterproof Revo shorts. With two hand pockets (complete with drain holes – very neat indeed), more durable Gore Tex fabric and a fit that suited me to perfection, I was happy. However, on biblical days and proper below zero adventures, I hankered for something that offered a bit more in the way of protection.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Thunder Pant from 7Mesh. Aside from the brilliant moniker, were they any good? Could they live up to their cheaper sibling?

Constructed from 70d GoreTex Pro fabric, the Thunder Pant has a reassuring solidity to them. Although they weigh only a shade more than 300 grams in the size large as tested, taking them out of the packet, they feel like you could take on horrid weather in them.

In terms of features, it is clear a lot of time and effort has gone into optimising them for riding and minimising water ingress. The waist is low slung at the front with no zipper or fly. Instead, there are two side tensioning straps that rest on your hips that can be cinched down to get the perfect fit.

n the side, there is a single pocket that is ideal for an energy bar and a credit card but of limited application for a modern smartphone. In reality, a phone would just rub annoyingly against your thigh so it is no real loss. Down each leg is a full length waterproof zip that means you can pull them over your shoes without having to take them off. This is a common feature on walking trousers and is good to see.

The ankle cuffs are made of what looks and feels like neoprene with a vertical strip of Velcro to cinch them down. There are cut marks should you wish to trim them to fit. The knees feature an articulated cut for flexibility while the area round the crotch has been designed with the minimum of seams at the points where in my experience, waterproof trousers tens to fail.

Lighter weight GoreTex Pro fabric is used in the lower wear areas around the lower leg which saves a little weight. Coming in two colours: black and brown, I opted for the former. I cannot get my head round brown clothes for riding but that probably says more about me than anything else.

So what are they like to wear and ride in?

Out of the packet and on the trail

Looking at 7Mesh’s website, I would be a medium normally. However, as someone who wears shorts even in the depths of winter, I wanted the Thunder Pant to be capable of being pulled over a pair of shorts without feeling unduly tight. As such, I went for a large while my normal size with their trousers and shorts is medium. In practice, this meant I had the requisite level of freedom of movement at the expense of what looks from the back a bit like me wearing a nappy when off the bike.

Waterproof trousers that feel tight are a pet peeve of mine so the Thunder Pant ticked that box well. Putting them on, I found the full length zips made things considerably easier than trying to battle unyielding fabric and gravity while balancing on one foot with your other shoe off during mid ride clothing faff as the rain came and went.

It is rare to be out on rides where it pours from beginning to end. It does happen but it is less common than you might imagine. As such, the ease of putting them on and taking them off was most welcome. The only slight challenge was when the Velcro at the bottom occasionally caught itself which made things marginally awkward.

While an appealing notion, I never felt the need to take a pair of scissors to the bottom hem. At 6 foot 1 with decent inseam, I preferred a bit of extra length to fully cover the tops of my ride boots. I found they worked best with winter boots which had a neoprene cuff as they gave a snug fit but they would have benefitted from a little more material when used with my Shimano MT91 hike a bike boots. The Velcro felt like it could have been a little wider to compensate for the extra ankle circumference. Most riders will be running shoes or neoprene cuff boots so I suspect the design has been tailored accordingly.

On the bike, the lower waist feels comfortable as I was never conscious of the low slung design. However, when it came to hike a bike, I would have preferred a straight waist with a little more height at the front for extra coverage. I would also have liked to see the Thunder Pant employ the same pocket and fly design as their Revo waterproof short. In use, I really missed the ability to put my hands in pockets while the lack of a zipper fly was a considerable irritation when it came to answering the call of nature.

As a gentleman, a zipper fly is much easier and more discrete when it comes to a mid-ride pee stop than having to mess about with two side adjusters and dropping your trousers. In the rain, I found myself getting unnecessarily wet at the front (from rain before you say it, not pee!) while the more traditional design of the Revo short proved superior. Round back, the waist was at just the right height to keep me warm and dry without fear of builder’s bumitis, even when stretched out on the gravel bike.

In terms of waterproof performance, I really cannot fault them. Despite the large side zips which are a potential source of failure, I came back from some truly grim rides and my shorts underneath were still dry with no sign of water penetration. On warmer wet days, I was able to adjust the leg zippers to allow for ventilation while still keeping dry. Inevitably, some water would get in but it is always a trade-off between waterproof performance and overheating. The ability to adjust temperature with the side zips was reassuring.

Waterproof trousers by their very nature tend to work best in fairly specific circumstances when the rain is constantly coming down and in the colder days of autumn and winter. Rides that alternate between wet and windy and dry and settled are arguably the biggest test for them but the Thunder Pant handled such conditions as well as any waterproof trousers that I have tried.

The articulated knees moved freely making for a pleasant riding experience. Performance wise, I found they were best suited for riding in single digit and below zero temperatures where they felt like a cocoon against the elements. I never reached for them on warm summer days though as that is where waterproof shorts earn their keep.

The fabric has a reassuring thickness to it which is particularly welcome when it is hammering down. Despite this, they packed down smaller than I was anticipating meaning that I could take them with me in my pack on rides when I was heading into the mountains and the forecast was looking iffy. It felt reassuring to have a pair of ride trousers that if things did go Pete Tong, I had kit I could rely on to keep me warm and dry. Wear wise, they look almost like new around the place you would expect them to wear. There are no signs of wear nor delamination which is probably just as well given their hefty price tag.

When the temperature dropped below zero, even if it was not snowing, the Thunder Pant really proved their worth. On a snowy hike a bike up Fairfield Horseshoe in the Lake District in January, it was -9°C in the valley and felt a lot colder up top. At times, I found myself thigh deep in fresh drifting snow but the combination of the trousers, mini gaiters and Shimano winter boots meant I stayed completely warm and dry.

Sizing up also meant that I could wear knee pads underneath for the descent back down the western ridge through windblown snow and sections of boilerplate ice. That said, ice build-up on the neoprene cuff did occur. Moreover, it should be noted that on almost every wet ride, I was also wearing Dexshell Waterproof socks. I never got wet feet when wearing them. However, with normal merino mix socks, there was a definite transfer of moisture from the neoprene cuff onto the sock. The cuffs are not waterproof so if you are expecting dry feet with regular socks, you may end up being disappointed.

In summer conditions, I tried them a couple of times but as I tend to run warm, waterproof shorts proved the better option. Warm and wet is the Kryptonite of all waterproof fabrics. Breathability relies on there being a temperature differential so when it came to summer downpours, I left the Thunder Pant at home as they are not designed for those conditions. If that sound like the wrong kind of rain, I hear you but I have yet to find a waterproof trouser that can cope with activity in warm but wet weather. The Thunder Pant is no exception but that does not mean that they are not brilliant within the parameters they were designed to operate in. The colder, the better.

Overall

The 7Mesh Thunder Pant is undeniably very good at doing what they were designed to do – ride trousers to keep you dry in even the most challenging of conditions. The cut is a little challenging visually, particularly from behind. If, like me, you size up, be prepared to look like you are wearing adult nappies. The cut is definitely not what you would call flattering and you can say goodbye to your Rear of the Year title defence.

The lack of hand pockets and a zipper fly is a curious omission as 7Mesh’s own Revo waterproof shorts use them to such great effect. However, get past the niggles and the Thunder Pant is the waterproof ride trousers you would always reach for first when conditions demand. They have already outlasted waterproof trousers from other brands that fell apart disappointingly quickly thus proving the adage that when you buy cheap, you buy twice.

That all being said, the price is a major barrier and will put most people off. £350 is more than a good starter mountain bike. At that price, if it was my money, the lack of pockets and zip fly would have been enough to have made me put them back on the clothes hanger in the shop which is a pity as in terms of wet weather performance, they have proven to be terrific.

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