Newbie in need of advice - trousers vs. salopettes

[TrabimanUK]

Hi,
I'm new to trekking, and confused by all the "advice" on the internet, also, apologies, as this isn't to do with a highlands trek (though I hope to journey there later next year), but your site seemed the most useful...

My question is:
I'm going to the Himalaya for 5 day's trekking (no climbing, just walking through snow and suchlike). The daytime temperatures will range from -10C, to a couple of degrees above zero (night time down to around -25C), and I'm after some advice from people who trek (not sales sites), as to whether thermal / lined trousers plus waterproof trousers would do the job, or if salopettes would be a viable option (as they seem warmer)?

Weight-wise, I'll just be carrying my camera gear and the clothes that I'm wearing that day, all other clothing, etc. will be carried by porters, so weight isn't a massive issue.

Huge thanks in advance,

Grant

[Caberfeidh]

Salopettes are good in that they keep your waist area warm unlike trousers which have that inevitable gap which can let in cold and snow/rain/biting insects. The only drawback is when going to the toilet, you have to take everything off in order to get your salopettes down. Only an inconvenience when in places with infrasructure such as toilets, but out in the middle of nowhere where the only "convenience" is behind a rock, then this becomes much more of an inconvenience and may be life-threatening if the gale/a bear/theives remove your doffed garments.
Have you considered the advantages of a kilt?

[TrabimanUK]

Caberfeidh,

thanks for the reply. Good point about "convenience"! I was focussed on warmness, I'll have a think.

Regarding the kilt option, suffering from childhood trauma as a page boy at an aunt's wedding and being forced to wear one kind of makes it a "no", but thanks for the suggestion

cheers

[Mal Grey]

I like "softshell" trousers for Scottish winters, and Decathlon have done some good ones (Simond brand now), but they no longer seem to do a high version, as they did in the past. A slightly higher waist is probably all you need. I'd combine these with a good pair of thermal leggings underneath, and have some very light overtrousers to chuck over if it gets REALLY bad. Softshell should keep off the worst.
Simond do do a waterproof shortish salopette, but I'd be worried these wouldn't breathe enough for non-wet days.

For what its worth, if your base layertop and mid-layer are long, as they should be for a cold weather model, it reduces the worry about "gapping" at the waist. For Scottish winter I now just use softshell trousers, and never suffer from a gap these days, as my base layer top comes down well below the waist and overlaps my base layer bottoms.

[simon-b]

Salopettes are good in that they keep your waist area warm unlike trousers which have that inevitable gap which can let in cold and snow/rain/biting insects. The only drawback is when going to the toilet, you have to take everything off in order to get your salopettes down. Only an inconvenience when in places with infrasructure such as toilets, but out in the middle of nowhere where the only "convenience" is behind a rock, then this becomes much more of an inconvenience and may be life-threatening if the gale/a bear/theives remove your doffed garments.
Have you considered the advantages of a kilt?

Add to that, where there is a toilet on a Himalayan trek, it will often be a traditional Asian ground level toilet, requiring decent squat mobility, rather than a sit-down WC.

[Caberfeidh]

Add to that, where there is a toilet on a Himalayan trek, it will often be a traditional Asian ground level toilet, requiring decent squat mobility, rather than a sit-down WC.

Ah, the horrors of the Foreign Toilet! The mark of civilisation truly is the flushing, sit-down lavvie!
Another hazard to navigate when using a toilet is the gaiter, or even knee-length stout leather boot, as worn by explorers world-wide. If the leg-garments, be they trouser or salopette, cannot be dropped low enough beyond the knee, then the legs cannot bend at the knee properly, thus leading to an unhelpful body position. Proper defaecation should be attended to before our mountaineer dresses and sets about the business of the day.

[jmarkb]

Some salopettes do have a drop-seat design, which largely avoids the toileting inconvenience. However, I think you would be better of with multiple layers (thermal leggings, trousers, waterproof trousers) so that you can more easily adjust to the conditions. Walking uphill in sun and no wind you could get quite hot, even if the air temperature is around zero!