I seem to be on a bit of a Volcom run this season, which wasn’t planned but worked out pretty well. I’ve worn their jackets and shells for years, but somehow their bibs never made it into my rotation.
I’m very much a bib person, and when my old Burton Reserves finally gave up, I needed a replacement anyway. The timing lined up, so I put the Volcom GORE-TEX Rain Bibs straight into regular use. Same riding, same days, same conditions I’ve always judged bibs on. After a solid stretch of time in them, here’s how they held up.
About The Volcom Rain Bib
The Rain Bib is Volcom’s clean, no-nonsense GORE-TEX bib. It’s a shell design, not insulated, built around a 2-layer GORE-TEX fabric with a breathable lining.
The focus here is durability, weather protection and comfort over long days. Reinforced seat and kick panels, simple friendly strapss, good venting,and a relaxed cut that actually works when you’re riding.
It also uses Zip Tech, so it integrates cleanly with Volcom jackets if you want that sealed-up system. I still recommended doing this with bibs – it’s even more effective at reducing snow and wind up your back. Especially in places like Japan or Utah (albeit not this season with their brutal lack of snow).
On first inspection, they feel bombproof. Not the lightest bib on the planet but they feel a heck of a lot more durable. The reinforced kick panels behind the boot are genius. Bindings tend to bite back occasionally.
I (embarrassingly) even wore than around the house while counting down the days to our next testing trip. Comfortable, but probably overkill for Netflix and chill.
If you want something cheaper in Volcom’s lineup, the Roan bib makes sense. You give up GORE-TEX and some long-term durability, but the fit and overall vibe are similar. The Rain is the step up for people who ride a lot, ride in bad weather, or just want something that lasts (like me).
Full Review
I ran these almost exclusively with the TDS Infrared jacket, partly out of curiosity and partly because the combo made me feel a bit like a sponsored rider for a while.
They were used for normal resort days, instructing, standing around on lifts and plenty of time sitting on cold chairs. Some days were stormy and wet, some cold and dry. Exactly the kind of days where bibs either feel great or start annoying you.
I didn’t do anything special with them. I just wore them and paid attention to whether they got in the way.
1. Fit and Feel
Fit-wise, these sit right where I want a bib to sit. Relaxed through the legs and enough room to move. No weird tight spots when you’re bending, sitting, or skating around. They don’t feel tailored or fashion-y, which I appreciate. They feel like riding bibs.
The bib upper is comfortable and clean. No big chest buckles digging in (important when wearing a backpack), no bulky hardware pressing into you on lifts. That alone puts them ahead of a lot of older bib designs I’ve owned. The straps are simple, stretchy, and easy to adjust.
One thing worth mentioning: the suspenders did occasionally slip off my shoulder. I do run a size Large though because I like a baggier fit and I’m pretty sure that’s part of it. It never ruined a day, but it’s something I noticed when nitpicking. If you’re between sizes or prefer a trimmer fit, it’s probably less of an issue.
Once riding, though, they disappear in the way good bibs should. Also worked well with a mid-layer or down jacket underneath.
2. Performance and Breathability
These are proper GORE-TEX bibs and they behave like it. Wet snow, storm days, sitting on soaked chairs, none of it got through. I never had to think about staying dry, which is the whole point of spending this much on pants.
They’re not ultra-lightweight, but that’s the tradeoff for how durable they feel. Breathability is solid, helped by decent vent placement. On warmer days or longer hikes, opening the vents actually does something – and they’re meshed too which prevents snow ingress. So far so good.
Note: As with all good bib pants (in my humble opinion), these are a shell. Warmth therefore relies on how much you layer underneath. I much prefer this – insulated pants are awkward, impair movement and turn into a swampy mess in warmer conditions.
3. Performance and Breathability
These feel built to last. Reinforced kick panels and seat (“Stone Butt Patch”) make a noticeable difference, especially if you’re the kind of rider whose bindings occasionally fight back. I’ve shredded enough inner cuffs over the years to appreciate this properly. I particularly appreciated this while testing step-on’s which have a sharp looking channel on the inner binding.
Zips are solid, seams feel tight and nothing about them feels flimsy. They don’t feel precious. You can sit on snow, kneel down, brush through branches in the trees and not worry about it.
After a stretch of real use, they still feel and look exactly the same as day one. Now, this is not a challenge – I’m sure you could shred them if you tried. But they’re on the more durable end of the bib/pant spectrum.
4. Other Features
They’re easy to live in (which I do in winter). Pockets are where you expect them to be, they’re comfortable on long lifts and they don’t need constant adjusting. Zip Tech works cleanly with the TDS Infrared jacket, which helped keep everything sealed on colder days.
There’s a bunch of other tech listed on the site, which is fairly standard across most premium bibs. They do seem to quietly fix a lot of the small annoyances that build up over a long season.
5. Pros & Cons
Verdict
These won me over pretty quickly.
They’re not flashy, they’re not ultra-light and they’re not trying to reinvent bibs. What they are is comfortable, properly waterproof and built to take abuse. I stopped thinking about them after a few days, which is exactly what I want from pants I’m wearing every ride.
The shoulder straps slipping once in a while is worth mentioning, especially if you size up like I do. But it’s a small annoyance in the context of how solid and comfortable the rest of the bib feels.
They’re expensive, yes. But after riding them properly, I’d say they’re worth it.
Alternatives
If the Rain Bib feels like too much money, the Volcom Roan bib is the obvious alternative.
The Roan keeps a similar fit and overall feel, but you lose GORE-TEX and some of the long-term durability. For fair-weather riders or people who don’t rack up loads of days, that tradeoff probably makes sense. It’s a good bib for the money.
The Rain Bib is the step up if you ride a lot, ride in bad weather, or want something that’ll still feel solid a few seasons down the line. That’s where the price difference starts to feel justified.
Final Thoughts
I won’t pretend these are cheap. They’re not.
But as someone who lives in bibs and rides a lot, I’d rather spend once on something that doesn’t annoy me every time I sit on a lift or kneel in the snow. These feel well thought out, durable, and comfortable.
If you’re a bib person and you ride regularly, these make a lot of sense. I’m keeping mine.
