Macpac Nazomi Rain Pants Review

Overview

The Nazomi is Macpac’s ultralight rain pant, built as part of its Alpine Series in partnership with the New Zealand Alpine Team. At 150g, it’s aimed at fast-and-light hikers, trail runners, and alpine climbers who want emergency-level rain and wind protection without carrying a heavier, more durable shell pant. It’s not designed to be a bushbashing workhorse — it’s designed to disappear in your pack until you need it.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	150 g
Fabric	3-layer Pertex® Shield Pro
Waterproof rating	20,000mm
Breathability rating	20,000 g/m²/24h
DWR	C6 DWR
Fit	Regular
Pockets	None (internal mesh pack-away pocket only)
Closures	Elasticated waistband, internal drawcord, full-length leg zips
Price	NZ$299.99 / A$299.99 (RRP)

Performance

The headline number here is the weight-to-protection ratio. The Macpac Nazomi is lighter than the OR Helium at 201g and has published ratings on waterproofness and breathability that are both respectable. For a pant that packs down into its own internal mesh pocket, a 20,000mm waterproof rating paired with a 20,000g breathability figure is genuinely competitive with much pricier alpine shells — Macpac isn’t cutting corners on the fabric spec sheet just to hit a low weight number.

On fabric feel, the 3-layer Pertex Shield Pro construction shows up in how the pants behave in real conditions. They’re lightweight, don’t make much noise if any, and keep you dry thanks to the 3-layer Pertex Shield Pro material, and at only 150 grams, with the ability to fold them into the internal mesh pocket, they’re a winner for being super breathable yet windproof. That combination of near-silent fabric and low weight is exactly what you want in a pant that’s going to spend 95% of a trip stuffed in a pocket and only occasionally get called into action on an exposed ridge.

Fit and articulation are tuned for movement rather than bulk layering. Articulated patterning around the knee enables a full range of motion for tricky moves and freedom of movement. Combined with an elasticated waistband and leg zips that make them easy to pull on over your boots, with an internal drawcord that secures them comfortably, you can get these on quickly without removing your shoes — a real advantage over some ultralight rain pants that skip leg zips entirely to save a few grams.

Durability is the honest tradeoff, and Macpac’s own retail feedback backs this up. For the everyday hiker these are extremely durable, but if you’re bushbashing on the regular you’ll be testing that durability, and many GodZone adventure racing competitors use the Nazomi for how good it is but won’t be surprised if they get a bit ripped up at the end of the day, though those racers are a special breed. That’s a fair summary: on maintained trail, tussock, and rock scrambling, the fabric holds up fine. If you’re regularly pushing through dense scrub or scree fields, expect abrasion wear faster than you would with a heavier 3-layer pant like an OR Foray or Arc’teryx Beta.

The most consistently mentioned drawback across retailer and user commentary is the total absence of hand pockets. The only real downside noted is no pockets. For some hikers that’s a non-issue — you’re not meant to be storing anything in rain pants anyway — but if you like a hip pocket for a phone or snack while your jacket is zipped up, you won’t get one here.

I haven’t found extensive long-term thru-hiker durability data (say, multi-thousand-mile Te Araroa or PCT wear reports) beyond general retail feedback, so if you’re planning a full thru-hike in these, treat the abrasion resistance as “good for a 150g pant” rather than “bombproof,” and pack a bit of tape or a repair kit just in case.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Genuinely light at 150g — packs into its own internal mesh pocket
• Strong waterproof (20,000mm) and breathability (20,000g) ratings for the weight class
• Full-length leg zips mean on/off over boots without removing footwear
• Articulated knees give real range of motion for scrambling and fast hiking
• Quiet fabric — no crinkly rain-pant rustle

Cons

• No hand pockets at all
• Premium price (NZ$/A$299.99 RRP) relative to similar-weight competitors
• Abrasion resistance is fine for trail use but not built for regular bushbashing or scrub
• C6 DWR will need periodic reproofing like any DWR finish, and long-term wear data from thru-hikers is thin

Who Should Buy This

The Nazomi makes the most sense for fast-and-light hikers, alpine trampers, and trail runners who want rain and wind protection as insurance rather than a daily-wear garment — something that lives in a pack pocket for most of a trip and comes out for an exposed ridge crossing or a squall. If you want pockets, expect to bushwhack often, or need a pant tough enough for years of daily abuse, look at a heavier 3-layer option instead.

Verdict

The Nazomi delivers on its brief: a legitimately light, well-specced rain pant that punches above its weight class on waterproofing and breathability, with smart details like full leg zips and an internal stash pocket. The lack of pockets and premium price keep it from being a universal recommendation, but for its intended alpine fast-and-light use case, it’s a well-executed piece of kit. I’d put it at a 7.5/10.