Upgrade your pants for nasty-windy & cold weather!
We teamed with our friends from Triple Action, an authorized UF PRO dealer in Germany to give the Windstopper Liner a try. What better time of the year to do so as now we thought! It seems like that Mother Hulda listen to us as she opened her window just a few days after it arrived to let it snow, following an temp. drop down to -10°C and icy wind a couple days afterwards too.
Perfect conditions for us to go out and run it all day long for more than two weeks. We owe you something mam!
THE CONCEPT
What if you had an accessory that would give your UF PRO Striker or P-40 pants (because it fits into both of them) an additional temperature range versatility? The Windstopper Liner does just that and converts your tactical pants into a cold weather pants including breathable wind protection and thermal insulation in under a minute of installation. Simple great!
The Liner connects with your pants, using the already integrated zipper which is hidden underneath a small flap around the waist area which you probably didn’t noticed before. Just position the Liner next to the zipper, lead it in the pant legs and zip it into place. That’s it, you´re ready to roll now!
NOTE: Customers came back to Triple Action with feedback after they used it for the first time and they meant: it´s not working that well”! To prevent an “application error” and a bad first time experience, you need to know that the Windstopper Liner comes shipped inside-out from the factory. Just switch it and you’re good.
Means: fleece towards your skin, Windstopper towards the pants.
Another small point that needs to be talked about quick, is that the Liner-legs are not connected to your pants legs. You may think that’s an issues but UF PRO did that on purpose. The reason why they did it is to prevent damage of both, your pants and the Liner. The first version had this feature and the result/feedback from customers showed that once you dress the pants on and off a hundred times, the connection points cracked and lead damage to both.
MATERIALS
The Liner has a 100% PTFE GORE Windstopper membrane which is permanently anti-static on one side, and a 100% Polyester micro fleece on the other which of course provides the thermal insulation. Talking a bit more about the Windstopper membrane and it’s permanently anti-static feature, that’s very important when you operate at low temperatures. Regular Liners could become very sticky and try to cling to your body and you can feel the “electrostatic charge” which is of course uncomfortable. You maybe remember that feeling from a skiing or hiking trip while using regular materials. This will not happen with the UF PRO Liner.
MAINTENANCE
How can you wash it to keep the material features working? Best way is to unzip it from your pants. You can wash it at 40 or 60 degrees doesn’t matter at all, than hang it overnight and you’re good to go in the morning again.
SIZING
Same as your pants waist size of course but don’t go with the same length! Why? Because there’s no need for it and I show you why.
I run a 34/32 Striker pants with a 34/short Windstopper Liner. As you can see, the Liner ends right above my boots. As you usually don’t need wind & thermal protection around your boots, there’s clearly no need for a full length Liner. This also protects the Liner form getting damaged, dirty or wet right at the bottom.
If you’re taller than the 32 leg length, let’s say 33 or 34, you may go with the 34/long Liner (have it your way).
PERFORMANCE
The cut from the Liner follows the anatomically shaped pants design from UF PRO. Means; it fits just right into them. Keeping pants features working, like the stretch area in the back, the Liner has the same Schoeller stretch material sew-in at the exact same place to support your movement while your body is expanding etc.
Once installed, thanks to its lightweight design which is about 180g (size 34/short the one I use), you don’t even feel it that much. I was surprised about it because, I expected a much heavier weight regarding its field of application. Well done UF PRO.
As mentioned at the beginning, I was able to use the Liner for about two weeks at temperatures down to -10°C, icy wind and snowy weather. Used it with my Striker XT and X pants combined with an AcE Winter Combat Shirt (I’ll talk more about this one soon too) on top. While on the move in open or wooden areas or going uphill, I never felt overheated or uncomfortable at all. The temperature regulation was just fine thanks to its breathable membrane. No sweaty or moist skin.
During icy wind especially in open areas, the GORE Windstopper material showed off its real power too. Seriously guys, I did one trip at -10°C plus icy wind, crossing an open field where I stayed for a while to check the performance when you’re just static and not moving at all, taking the full icy wind coming across me. It really worked! My legs felt well packed and sealed.
To be clear with you; I didn’t run an “extra” long johns underneath the Liner what you may think as we talk about -10°C. The Liner took it alone and kept me warm and not freezing from the wind. There was no feel to add additional layers underneath.
CONCLUSION
Over the past years I often thought about buying the Windstopper Liner but I always came to the point saying; no, I’m fine. There’s no need for it. I have long johns they do the job if needed. After this product test, the Windstopper Liner proved me that I was wrong! The combined feature of wind and thermal insulation in a small-lightweight package, including the permanently anti-static membrane offers a great overall performance I won’t miss anymore in any of my UF PRO pants. It really works and does its job very well!
This product is a must have add-on for the colder-winter season or any activity that takes you into the mountains where the weather sometimes changes from clear sky to nasty and the temperature sometimes drops about 15°C in a couple of hours. Just zip it in and you’re prepared to stay focused on the mission!
You can grab yours from Triple Action. All sizes available!
