Ultra High Molecular Weight Pants

Not only are the Ultra High Molecular Weight Pants highly elastic, lightweight, water repellent and breathable, they’re also reinforced with an extreme strength ripstop. Highly resistant to rips and abrasion, their outer material is woven with a protective grid made from a fibre that weight for weight outperforms steel.

The fibre we’ve used is an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene that combines extreme strength with very low weight. The pants actually combine two different types of UHMWPE into a single yarn for a higher density material. These fibres are so strong they’re normally used to make bulletproof vests, anti-ballistic vehicle armour for tanks, and the ropes used to tie down giant ships and deep-water oil rigs in violent, icy seas.

The high strength UHMWPE fibres are woven directly into a base of nylon and elastane to create a grid structure throughout the entire pants. The grid works like an advanced ripstop, reinforcing the pants by increasing its abrasion resistance, rip resistance and tensile strength. Tear resistance tests show the material to be 200% to 300% tougher than the same fabric without the ripstop. And on abrasion resistance tests it easily scores 100,000 revolutions, the same performance as our 100 Year gear designed to outlive you.

Polyethylene was first created by accident in a British lab in 1933. Chemists working with ethylene and benzaldehyde under high pressures inadvertently added trace elements of oxygen to the mix, creating a waxy, lightweight substance that turned out to be revolutionary. During World War II, it was used to insulate radar cables on fighter planes. After the war, its potential exploded with scientists developing ultrastrong versions like UHMWPE – a fibre now used in body armour, spacecraft, deep-sea rigging, and medical implants. It’s why we’ve used it to build one of the most durable and high-performance pairs of pants on Earth.

The material we use in the Ultra High Molecular Weight Pants starts life at a cutting-edge lab in the countryside south of Lake Como. It’s here that some of the most advanced performance materials on the planet are being developed (and where clients include Tour de France cyclists). Our partner has been working on ultrathin, lightweight materials that can also protect cyclists when they wipe out at high speeds. Now we’ve taken that same technology and used it to build these pants.

The downside of many high strength materials is that they’re heavy and don’t stretch. But the Ultra High Molecular Weight Pants are over 30% elastane, the same amount you’d normally find in high performance compression gear. It means the pants have extreme four-way stretch that lets you move in any direction without feeling restricted.

The pants repel water with an innovative water repellent treatment that’s completely free of toxic chemicals and also 4x more durable than coatings in the same category. One of the challenges of PFC-free water repellent treatments is matching the efficiency of those made with harsh chemicals. The material is completely immersed in a water repellent solution so that it soaks deep into the individual fibres, allowing water to roll off its surface while remaining breathable.

UHMWPE fibres are famously difficult to dye, which means they tend to only come in white. But we dyed the fibre’s raw materials or ‘feedstock’ so our fabric, including the ripstop, is a deep black, making the pants stealthy enough to wear anywhere from the trail to a flight to the office.

At either side of the pants you’ll find two pockets that fasten with concealed zippers which lock into place. And there are two more angled pockets at the back of the pants with the same zippers. Invisible zippers are as protected as you are.

The elasticated waistband tightens with a bungee cord and lock for speed and simplicity. Just push the button on the lock and pull the cord to tighten the pants as much as you need. To loosen them simply push the button and pull the lock away from you to release.