PHD Mountain Software

This featherweight item (230gm for Medium) makes a surprisingly valuable addition to many lightweight kit lists.

"For winter campers they're a dream come true".
Pete Mcfarlane a.k.a Petesy

"I couldn't ask for more." Will Rietveld, Backpacking Light

Ultralight down trousers ideal for many situations.

• Extra warmth around cold camps.
• A simple way to stretch the performance of your ultralight sleeping bag.
• A lightweight luxury item for alpine bivouacs.
• The trousers you might well take to 6000m when a heavier pair would be overkill.

Backpacking Light
"Highly Recommended",
March '10.

• Small security pocket
• Adjustable shock cord at waist
• No zips
• Stuff sac
• Weight: 230gm (8oz) (M)
• Packed size: 10 x 18 cm*

*Please note: we make our stuff sacs big enough to allow fairly easy stuffing rather than reducing the trousers to the tightest minimum. What air is left in the packed item will easily be compressed out of it, if you are squashing it into a small space in your rucksack. Tiny stuff sacs look impressive: but unless you are a sac-wrestling fan, fighting the gear into them day after day can be an unnecessary chore.

"Overall Rating: Highly Recommended. These down pants are simple and light, just the way we want them. They have the most loft and highest loft:weight ratio of the three pants we tested; I couldn't ask for more. I found that I could extend the warmth of a 30 F (-1 C) sleeping bag to 15 F (-9 C) by wearing these pants and a lightweight down jacket inside." Will Rietveld, Backpacking Light. Read full review.

"The down trousers are just brilliant -- I wore them pretty much every single day and will never go back to Alaska without them!" Jonathan Griffith using the Minimus Down Trousers on his trip to the Moonflower Buttress in Alaska, USA.

"The Minimus trousers and socks are amazing. The combination of weight, compressed volume and insulation properties is outstanding. With down I was able to reduce my pack weight significantly." Thim.

"Got the pants yesterday: extraordinary quality of workmanship and well worth the wait. I'll be sure to pass the word when I get the inevitable inquiries. BTW, the Backpackinglight.com review was instrumental in my choosing your product over the Montbell pants and after receiving mine I have no doubt I made the correct decision." Don B.

"Just back from an 18 day trek in the region around Everest. I knew the conditions were going to be pretty cold, camping for quite a few nights at around 5000m - night temperatures fell well below minus 15c. The new Minimus down trousers were just the thing for cold dinner tent meals and for sitting around in the tent before meal times. They were toasty! I was the only one to have such luxury and my trekking companions were just a little envious of my warm glow!" Gordon G

"I pulled them on soon after I got camp sorted out and immediately felt the benefit. When I was wandering the crags with the camera I had the pants and jacket on and I remained comfortable all the time, so for photographers, stargazers and the like, insulated pants must be fantastic, but for winter campers they're a dream come true. There's an element here of allowing you to get out of the tent for longer after hours. The winter nights are long, and hanging about outside or exploring after dark can be bloody cold, so for me these are just the business. Add to that the weight and tiny pack size, and the PHD pants get a free pass into my rucksack. The don't look weird either, the fit is nicely tapered with a nice high drawcorded waist to overlap with a jacket, even when bending and moving." Pete Mcfarlane a.k.a Petesy.