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Leg vents - inside or outside

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I've just picked up a new pair of ski trousers (Trespass Alden II), and was surprised to find the vents are on the outside of the leg, not the inside.

Might sound pedantic, but I know what it's like to get too hot when skiing.... and I also know what it's like to get cold. Neither is nice. Altho it's been a while now and I didn't pay it too much attention, but thinking back I'm sure that it's the outside of my legs that are more exposed and feel the cold the most, whereas your inner legs are all snuggled in close together so get the hottest when you're working hard.

So it seems a bizarre decision to put vents on the outside. Yet these are the more expensive of their two trousers, by about double, and the cheaper ones (Alden) have the vent on the inside. And a quick glance round I notice there are quite a few expensive onces that have them on the outside.

It was a bit of a rush decision as the shop was closing and I was hoping not to have to make a special trip back there in the little time we have left before going, but I'll probably have these for the next several years so am considering changing them.


So, what does everyone reckon - vents on the inside or outside of the leg? Maybe I'm missing something and outside is actually better?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
No idea what you are talking about, maybe a photo would help?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I suspect that you're overthinking it. Can't see it making much difference.
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@Tom Doc, +1
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Are the vents zips or velcro? If they are velcro you may have inadvertently bought male stripper trousers. On the upside you will be very popular at the Apres bars, and make sure you take your fanciest base layers.
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All the vents on all of my trousers are on the lateral side. Don’t think it makes any difference but I would find it strange if they where on the medial side.
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@Richard They are velcro yes, it runs all the way round so they can completely split in two. And made of tight leather. Is pulse and cocktails not the best place for ski trousers then?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Thanks @Spoon, my last ones were on the medial side, I thought all were up until now, seemed the logical place to put it.
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My leg vents have always been on the outside, but I only tend to use them when skinning up and close them skiing down. Maybe it makes more sense for snowboarders to have them on the inside with the splayed leg stance?
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I've been thinking a lot about this recently.
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I thought ski trousers always had the vents on the outside of the leg, and snowboard trousers had them on the inside.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
My insulated (Mammut) pants have the vents on the outside, my non-insulated very old Gore-Tex Salomon LAB pants have them on the inside. Not sure you can read anything into it regarding use, the LAB pants are not for snowboarding. I've had other insulated Salomon pants with them on the inside and some on the outside. Mammut's current non-insulated pants are on the inside though.

In terms of use, the outside is much easier to quickly undo when stepping into a warm gondola for instance so there might be some logic to putting them on the outside of a warmer pant. I also think an outside zip cools much quicker if you leave it open while skiing.

The downside is that I once destroyed an outside vent zip when a chairlift centre bar got stuck in it as it was lifted up (because the vent was open).
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@Bodeswell, I'm very bothered about this too. Really playing on my mind. There are other aspects to it as well. My Peak P Heli trousers have mesh in the vents. My Patagonia ones do not. Very worrying. And then there is a very vexed question of whether it's right to open them partially or completely. There is an excellent research paper on this by Prof YKK Tabpull of Lofoten University. The internal-external temperature gradient seems to be increased by venting anxiety.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@valais2, Madeye-Smiley
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Ski pants always have them on the outside to stop the wind whistling through the skier’s mangina.

Snowboarders who generally have a large pair of cojones prefer inner leg vents.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Richard_Sideways wrote:
Are the vents zips or velcro? If they are velcro you may have inadvertently bought male stripper trousers. On the upside you will be very popular at the Apres bars, and make sure you take your fanciest base layers.


Smile Smile
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Bodeswell wrote:
I've been thinking a lot about this recently.

Not something I have given any thought to at all Toofy Grin Toofy Grin Toofy Grin
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
It's not something I gave a right lot of thought to either till i went to buy some new trousers and went "hang on the vents are on the wrong side". And that got me wondering.

You have times/days up the mountain when it's so cold you can barely feel your legs, and there are times/days up the mountain when it's uncomfortably hot and you're sweating buckets; so ventilation seems important.

I don't fancy the idea of skiing around with a sweaty roasty nutsack all tucked away with nowhere for the exercise-heat to escape, while at the same time a numb outer thigh from a strong cold wind whipping across some badly placed ventilation. I don't know whether it makes much difference or not, i've only ever had the one pair of ski trousers so far! So thought I'd ask. Even if it only makes a minor difference to comfort, it's still worth considering.

Thanks Spoon, PowderAdict, Raceplate, and RobinS for the info Smile
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When doing kickturns while touring, you get less snow in your ski pants if the vents are on the outside........
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@beermatt, Until you have clamped yer sweaty thighs, exposed to the elements by inside vents, around a very sub-zero poma pole . . . only to have a peel of flesh dragged off (hence the nomenclature for the lift) . . . Will you understand the change of location for the vents. QED . . . You can Google the pictures Shocked
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@Masque, ....hang on, that implies that in the deepest winter you wear outers without Longe de Johns - there’s no way I leave the shack without thermals on - which tend to wick away sweat in higher temps (vents open) and warm in low temps (vents closed).
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
On a related note I just picked up a very expensive pair of downhill ski pants and all the although the events are on the outside of my legs they have no mesh! I've never seen this before. Arc'teryx Sabre AR pants. Any thought to why there would be no mesh? Doesn't quite make sense to me Thank you
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@philostow,
my planks have a full length zip on the outside.

can only guess so its easier to get them off to treat a broken leg, rather than cutting them Embarassed
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Quote:

Any thought to why there would be no mesh?

Easier to get in to have a good scratch?
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All my ski pants that have had vents have been on the outside
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I have vents on the outside and the inside NehNeh
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Mine are inside. No mesh
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To my mind outside vents or full length zip offs (enable you to put on pants over boots) are a hangover from waterprrof overtrousers. Hence mesh is a relatively sophisticated addition but essential IMV to avoid getting a pant leg full of snow (cos I'm pushing bow waves and face shots in the white room not because I'm falling over wink )
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Unfortunately I have to go for vents on the outside and pants baggy at the knees as I'm so well endowed. wink
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Mine have quite a short vent at the front just below the middle of the waistband. No mesh. At least that's what I think it is.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
who gets hot enough skiing down to need vents?
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philostow wrote:
On a related note I just picked up a very expensive pair of downhill ski pants and all the although the events are on the outside of my legs they have no mesh! I've never seen this before. Arc'teryx Sabre AR pants. Any thought to why there would be no mesh? ...
I guess they have a range of different pants and some have fewer features than others?
My own Arc'teryx pants have vents on the outside lined with very fine mesh.

under a new name wrote:
who gets hot enough skiing down to need vents?
It's not that.
If you're out very late season then the more ventilation you can get the better.
Pit zips are more useful, but I want pant vents for that reason. I may use them at Hemel too, can't remember.

Inside/ outside? Like pocket placement, I reckon it's not that important and couldn't say which is best.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Quote:

It's not that.
If you're out very late season then the more ventilation you can get the better.

@philwig, I guess it's a purely personal thing. At no time of year do I need either leg vents or pit zips if I'm just skiing downhill - just not energetic enough, well, maybe if I'm looping a bumps field!

Even skinning a couple of weeks ago when it was about 20C in town I had no need for additional ventilation (mind you, I only had a wicking t shirt on on my upper half!).
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@under a new name, I quite like vents when slushy bump surfing tbh! And obviously when going uphill too.
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@clarky999, I guess I just don't find my legs get too hot. I do have a base layer for warm weather that seems to actively transfer heat away, sort of feels like I am rubbing alcohol on my legs. Quite effective, so far.
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Each to their own of course. To me at least my "temperature" is more of an overall concept: after the pit zips have been opened the next thing is the pants zips. It's not about cooling some specific bit, it's about air-flow through the system.
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under a new name wrote:
who gets hot enough skiing down to need vents?


Me, never worn anything but underwear under my ski pants, even at -15c unless it is snowing when I wear a pair of shorts to stop my arts getting cold when sat on snowy lift seats.
At warmer times I will ski down with all vents open and my jacket unzipped, much prefer cotton base layers that feel far more comfortable than so called performance base layers that totally fail to "wick" any sweat away from the skin.
Similarly I can't stand anything on my head on anything but the coldest snowy days.

At 185cm and 90kg, I'm a bit overweight but not obese.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I had ski pants with zips inside the legs and also ski pants with zips outside the legs. I think that these zips are meant for skinning up (that's why they have no mesh most of the times - the skier is not supposed to fall down while skinning and no mesh means slightly more ventilation). However, when skiing in warmer and spring days, it's great to have these vents as well, same as the pit zips (combined with a very breathable midlayer). After trying both options, I can say that, when skiing downhill at least, the ventilation is much noticeable when the vents are in the inside part. For skinning up I can't say, I've only done with one pair of pants and can't therefore compare with the others.
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Though I don't wear special pants for skiing, sticking to my normal underwear I have had ski trousers with vents on both the otside and inside leg. To me the ones on the inside barely increase ventilation and the ones on the outside are the most effective. The ventilation effect can be so great that at times it feels I am skiing with no trousers on with the wind whistling around the nether region.
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johnE wrote:
with the wind whistling around the nether region.


@johnE you did realise that you are supposed to wear pants and ski trousers, not just one or the other Puzzled Laughing Laughing snowHead
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