Droplets (2025)

Three-quarter length rain pants for mountain biking, commuting and bikepacking. Super light and compact to stow when not in use, and easy to yank on over your cycling shoes when service calls. HydroFoil™ waterproof-breathable fabric keeps rain off your thighs and track or road splatter from your bum. Essential bad-weather insurance for any ride.

+Features

• Lightweight waterproof-breathable 3 layer HydroFoil™ fabric with fully tape-sealed seams for maximum waterproofness.
• Zipped fly with gripper elastic waist keeps them hitched up.
• One piece gusseted crutch.
• Articulated knees.
• Zipped rear pocket.
• Turns into itself to form a tidy package in your backpack or pannier.
• Hazard!™ reflective labels.
• Waterproofness: 20,000 mm hydrostatic head with a water-repellent finish.
• Breathability: 33,000 gm per sq.m per 24hrs.
• Weight: 170 gm.
• Designed & made by us in Aotearoa | New Zealand.

+Inseam Length

The garment's inside leg measurement from crotch to cuff.

10	12	14	16
47 cm	48 cm	50 cm	52 cm

+Tech

+HydroFoil™

A waterproof, windproof and highly breathable laminated fabric specifically developed for high aerobic activities.

• The Pertex® Shield+ membrane is sandwiched between an outer fabric and tricot lining. It is highly waterproof and highly breathable.
• The outer fabric is treated with a conventional DWR water repellent finish.
• The outer fabric has a small amount of stretch allowing for a closer fit, and the lightweight tricot mesh liner increases durability and moisture dispersion.

Specifications:

• Composition: 100% ripstop nylon outer and tricot liner, with Pertex® Shield+ membrane.
• Waterproofness: 20,000mm hydrostatic head.
• Breathability: 33,000 gm per sq.m per 24hr.
• Surface applied water repellant finish.
• Weight: 110 gsm.

+

Outskirts™ garments are designed specifically for women. However If you're struggling to find exactly what you need in the Outskirts™ women's range, check out our men's products for further size options. Jackets, tights and baggy tops often fit both men and women equally well.

+Hazard!™

Night travel is a spooky experience. Many Ground Effect garments feature our Hazard!™ reflective logo and piping to help remind traffic that we're on the road too.

+More than Kiwi Made

Ground Effect clothing is crafted right here in Aotearoa | New Zealand. Has been ever since we started back in 1994. Manufacturing locally works for us. We operate a quick-response system - holding minimal stock of any one item, but churning out a few more quick-smart when the pile gets low. The upshot is that we are seldom caught with our shelves empty, so orders get despatched the same day you place them.

+FAQ

+Benefits of 3/4 vs full-length over trou?

We've extensively tested both full-length and 3/4 waterproof pants over the years. In our experience 3/4's provide the best trade-off between functionality and performance in most conditions - especially for mountain biking, bikepacking and touring.

 

• They are easy to whip on and off over your shoes.
• Repel rain from the most exposed areas - your bum and thighs.
• Avoid 'chain suck' at your ankles.
• Minimise overheating when pedalling hard.

However full-length over trou are sometimes best - notably for commuting when you want to keep your long pants dry, or when touring to really cold and/or wet places.

+Washing

HydroFoil™

Like the drivetrain or expensive components on your bike, proper care and maintenance is essential to extend the life of your HydroFoil™ rain jacket or pants and optimise their performance over time.

Wash Regularly

• Accumulated dirt, body oil, sunscreen, insect repellant and sweat degrades the waterproof-breathable membrane and the factory-applied water repellant treatment on the outside of the HydroFoil™ fabric.
  
• Wash often - even with no visible dirt - to maintain performance and extend garment life. In real terms that translates to washing after about half a dozen outings, or after a particularly grubby ride. If it looks dirty, then your garment is definitely overdue some love.
• No need for kid gloves - just a warm machine wash at 40º with a mild plant-based soap like Ecostore, Earthwise or Aware.
• You can also opt for a specific sport wash like Nikwax Tech Wash or Grangers Performance Wash - around NZ$30 online or from most outdoor shops.
  
• Avoid cold-water detergents and those with bleach, 'oxygen whitener' or fabric softener.
• The cold-water varieties have little enzymes that are super-charged to brave the cold but damage technical fabrics like HydroFoil™.
• Bleach and sodium percarbonate (the main ingredient in oxygen whitener) can also cause damage and make colours run.
• Fabric softener and wool wash attack HydroFoil's water repellent finish.

Recharge and Restore

• After washing, line dry or preferably give it a spin in the dryer on a warm (not hot) cycle - this helps ‘recharge’ the factory water repellent finish.
• The factory treatment does wear off quite quickly. When the fabric starts to rapidly wet out - generally after about four washes - you’ll want to restore with a water repellent solution.
• Ground Effect recommends TX Direct. It is easy to apply and each bottle is good for a few applications. At just $29 NZD ($10 off the usual retail price), it’s a small and worthwhile investment to keep your expensive jacket or pants humming through the winter.
• The effectiveness of this restoration process depends on the age and condition of your jacket.
• Note that while the fabric's wetting-out impairs performance, particularly breathability, the HydroFoil™ laminate will remain waterproof.

Store Dry

• A damp jacket left to fester for an extended period of time in your bag will suffer. Hang it on a hook or coat hanger in a dry place between rides.

+ Shipping

• Items are generally packed and sent the same day your order is received.
• Costs $9 by overnight courier within New Zealand.
• NZ$12 by tracked airmail to Australia.
• Around NZ$15-25 by tracked airmail to destinations elsewhere in the world - calculated in our shipping cart as you check out.
• More shipping and tax details in our FAQ.