Yep I agree that some rain pants are like that but never once did my Zpack rain pants get wet and clammy and believe me, when I walked in 2015, I wore them a lot. I loved them and wore them again this spring with the same result. And often just as a warm layer. My sister wore the Zpack rain skirt in 2015 which she found to be not comfortable and now she wears their trousers instead. She did the Cradle Mountain track in Tasmania last christmas in the Zpack rain pants and wore them every day. Technology changes so fast these days. Worth shopping around I think. Please no offence meant.
As I said, for some, rain pants or jackets work well, for others, they get condensation from perspiration. Zpacks Ventum (they no longer make) rainpants were tried three years ago for a 21 day backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. I purchased them when I purchased their rain jacket. They were both returned for refund. Now Zpacks makes the Vertice rain jacket and pants. Tried those last month for a 5 day trip into Glacier Peak Wilderness area where we had nearly constant rain. Again, sent them back for a refund.
I've been chasing the holy grail of waterproof/breathable rain gear since the late 1970's. As with many backpackers, it just isn't breathable enough when I'm having to wear it in pouring rain, carrying a 30 to 40 pound load into wilderness areas, and doing cumulative elevation gains of up to 8,ooo feet over a 28 mile day. Sweat is fierce, and there are no rain jackets/pants that work for me... or for many others. For a good percentage of other folks, like yourself and your wife, they do.
My rain gear, which has worked well for my trip two years ago on the 2650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, my trip last year on the Colorado Trail, and hundreds of more miles of high elevation gain, rainy and stormy, high altitude backpacking since then: A Zpacks poncho, shorts, my ULA rain kilt made of Silnylon and not cuben fiber, and if necessary due to cold, a pair of lightweight merino wool long john bottoms. This combination provides the high level of ventilation I need to overcome the waterproof properties of the poncho and rain kilt.
In no way did you didn't offend me
I think personal observations about gear and the ensuing discussions are fun. And I'm not trying to convince you that what you have choosen for rain gear is incorrect; not by any means. Many share your same preferences with rain gear. My choices are made based on personal preferences as well from my decades of experience in rock and ice climbing ,wilderness backpacking and mountaineering. I have always followed the development of new generations of gear and clothing, including rain gear, quite closely. I have been involved in testing gear for several manufacturers over past years. My choices are not made from ignorance of existing technologies used in rain gear manufacture; when a truely new waterproof/breathable laminate fabric is developed for rain gear, I try it. Perhaps one day, the perfect combination of breathability and waterproof material will be developed. Right now, for me and others, it hasn't.
BTW, Frogg Toggs makes the cheapest waterproof/breathable rain gear out there that is exceedingly breathable. It is also among the most lightweight. It comes closest to venting perspiration at a rate that prevents perspiration soaking. Close... but still not there. The downside of the Frogg Togg type rain gear is what makes it so good--- its laminate system is thin, making it more vulnerable to tearing. That's not a big deal on a trail or on the Camino, but it is murder when bushwacking off-trail.
