Softshell Where You Want It, Hardshell Where You Need It: Raide Research TourTech Ski Bibs Review

Fresh, pillowy snow was piling up on Vail Pass. Determined to get my fill of it, I charged up for my second lap, beads of sweat rolling down my face, neck, and back, wicking through my base layers and — to my relief — the Raide TourTech Ski Bibs as well. I stretched the softshell material, taking the longest strides I could, pleased with the mobility they allowed.

I reached the top, breathing heavily, and transitioned. I ripped off skins. I zipped up vents. I adjusted my power strap through the bibs’ integrated gaiter and donned my hardshell for the descent.

I dropped in, spooning lines and relishing the mid-body powder shots. Snow sloughed away as it hit the hardshell material on my lower legs. This was the perfect playground for Raide’s hardshell/softshell hybrid bibs, and I was not disappointed in them.

In short: The Raide TourTech Bibs are designed for high-output ski touring, with great breathability and ventilation for uphill travel. A hybrid design integrates stretchy softshell and waterproof hardshell for the best of both worlds. And, a power strap pass-through in the integrated gaiters makes for fast, easy transitions. With no insulation, they require an extra layer on the coldest days, but still cut wind and block weather well. Overall, dedicated ski tourers and backcountry skiers who go for high vert and/or long miles will love these bibs.

If you’re looking for ski bibs, compare the Raide TourTech Bibs with those from GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Ski Bibs for Men and the Best Ski Bibs for Women.

Raide Research TourTech Ski Bibs Review

The TourTech Bibs are the second product I’ve tested from Raide, a Carbondale, Colorado-based company that only started in 2023. The first Raide product I reviewed for GearJunkie was the brand’s LF 40L backcountry ski pack. It remains the most satisfying and well-designed backpack I’ve ever used.

Needless to say, I expected these bibs to come with the same level of thoughtful development and design. I was not disappointed.

Just a note: The TourTech sample I got was a pre-production model that had already been through some initial testing. A few small tweaks were implemented to fix small issues, so the version customers will receive will differ slightly from the one I tested. It won’t even be made in the same facility, Raide told us.

Fit

I thought the TourTech bibs fit like my other ski bibs when I first tried them on. They have an athletic cut, and the length was easy to adjust via the shoulder straps. An integrated belt made it possible to cinch the TourTech bibs snugly. I am a 5’11” male and weigh 160 pounds. My size medium was true to size and it fit me perfectly.

However, my partner disagreed that these fit like my other bibs. I have never heard so many compliments while hiking in front of her as I did in these. She thought they were quite flattering.

The bibs come right up to middle abdomen, which allowed my upper body to ventilate and wick sweat normally. That design choice also freed up my ability to move as well. High-cut bibs with big chest pockets can feel restrictive. These nailed the perfect middle ground between full bibs and ski pants.

The cuffs are a little wider and more freestyle-looking than a tour-specific or more skimo-oriented bibs and pants I’ve seen. That seems to be the style right now, though, and in the case of the TourTech bibs, it didn’t get in my way.

Hybrid Design

I’m usually partial to hardshell skiwear. I like heavier-duty, more durable, and more stormproof stuff — sometimes, even for touring and backcountry skiing. It’s just a preference. But the hybrid nature of these bibs intrigued me from the get-go. The TourTech bib is 69% two-way stretch, PFC-free DWR softshell, and 31% waterproof 3L hardshell, according to Raide. Not many ski brands are making bibs that straddle that line.

However, Raide is not the first brand to do this. Outdoor Research (OR), for instance, has its Trailbreaker Tour pants. Those similarly use a two-way stretch softshell material in the upper part of the pants and a hardshell 3L membrane material from the knees down. They’re also significantly cheaper at $250 instead of $450.

But the feature set included by Raide has a level of detail and thoughtfulness that’s hard to ignore. For some, that will justify the price.

Features & Details

The TourTech Bibs have two dump pockets, one on either thigh, and both with beacon compartments inside of them. The pockets are big enough to dump a healthy handful of objects into, and because they’re positioned in the stretchy part of the pants, you can really squeeze things in there. The pocket zippers are water-resistant and their tabs are big and easy to use with gloves on.

The bibs’ integrated gaiter is unique to Raide and one of the most interesting design aspects. They have two zippered pass-through slots for making adjustments to a power strap. So you rarely, if ever, have to reposition your gaiter up and down.

Similarly, the rear part of the Kevlar-lined pant cuffs unzips and can be fastened at the bottom with a button. So, skiers can switch from walk to ski mode easily and quickly during transitions.

The material used around the abdomen is laser cut with holes that ventilate very well. Just below them, an integrated belt with a cinch strap makes it easy to make the bibs snug. Raide also included belt loops, which I appreciated, even though I didn’t really need to use them. A dropseat opens from the right side of the bibs, along the same two-way zipper used for ventilation.

Raide TourTech Ski Bibs: In the Field

I could tell these bibs were meant for high-output skiing as soon as I put them on. It was immediately obvious from the fit and the features that they were manufactured for many miles and high-vert days.

I took them on evening tours up my local hills a couple of times a week, and I wore them on longer touring days every weekend and throughout the holidays.

Stretchy Up Top, Waterproof on Bottom

The two-way stretch gives just enough that you don’t feel restricted, but also isn’t loose or snaggable. I never had problems with it getting caught on branches when I bushwhacked, or equipment as I transitioned.

However, as with most softshell outerwear, it’s light and does not insulate. So if I was skiing at night or on a cold day, I made sure I adequately layered up. If I got hot, I simply unzipped the leg vents.

It was noticeable how well the upper half of the bibs breathed compared to the hardshell bibs I normally wear. Between the softshell material and the laser-cut elements of the bibs, I didn’t get as damp up top as I typically do in my other bibs.

The softshell elements of my TourTech Bibs had no problems with seepage, leakage, or otherwise getting wet, nor did the 3L hardshell part of the pants. Knowing that the lower legs were waterproof gave me confidence I wouldn’t get wet boot packing, breaking trail, or even just kneeling in the snow.

Gaiters & Cuffs

The integrated gaiters and cuffs are probably the TourTech Bibs’ most unique design element. If you use power straps, you’ll appreciate the zipper pass-throughs, which allow you to adjust those without moving your gaiter. That wasn’t something I’ve seen in other bibs, and it was a cool feature. When I wasn’t adjusting straps through it, I just zipped the pass-through closed.

The rear cuff zipper allows for similar access to your boots’ walk/ski mode switch. The cuff can be zipped closed or left open and secured with buttons at the bottom.

Straps & Dropseat

I’d be lying if I said I never got confused and twisted up with these bibs’ shoulder straps. They took some figuring out.

Thanks to the dropseat design, you don’t have to take those off every time you need to do your business. Ladies will certainly appreciate it in the women’s version as well.

Room for Improvement

As with the Raide backcountry ski pack I reviewed last season, finding any real room for improvement in the brand’s gear is tough. There were a few things about these bibs that I could list here, but the brand acknowledged them in the test pair before I could ask about them and assured me that it had already made changes to the final production models. (Again, the bibs I was testing were a pre-production sample.)

However, there was one issue that raised a yellow flag about durability. One of the rear connection points where the bib straps attach to the bibs themselves started to blow out on me after a few weeks of hard use. Should that happen to your Raide TourTech Bibs, though, the brand offers a 3-year warranty on all of its equipment. So, this point of failure would still be covered.

Raide TourTech Ski Bibs: Who Are They For?

If you are a backcountry skier or ski tourer who likes technical equipment and needs a pair of bibs for high-performance days, you’ll appreciate the TourTech Bibs. There are a lot of softshell ski pants out there and a lot of tour-specific ski pants as well — but these hybrid bibs are unique in ways that will really appeal to hardcore tourers.

These are not resort bibs. There were a few times I considered wearing them to Beaver Creek or Vail and decided against it because it would have felt out of place to me. The bibs would have performed like any other quality pair of ski bibs riding lifts and lapping in-bounds runs. But it would have felt like the wrong tool for the job. The TourTech bibs’ features only truly shine on the skin track.

While these bibs are expensive compared to the similar OR Trailbreaker tour pants, they’re competitively priced compared to all options in GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Ski Bibs. For the level of design, the quality of materials, and the feature set skiers get with the TourTech bibs, I think their value is hard to beat.