OM's response sounds like something that I could have written, including the sunscreen allergy and ugly veins.

Zip-offs weigh too much for my tastes and often the zippers (or facings)rub hot patches on my thighs when I hike uphill. Also, most zip-off are made so that one needs to remove shoes to add or remove the lower leg of the pants. My preferred hiking pants now are some very lightweight nylon pants to which I've added a button and ribbon to each outer leg. If I want some lower limb ventilation, I roll up the pants and fasten with the button (outside) and ribbon (attatched inside). Most of you will have seen such a set up on shirts with "roll-up" sleeves. Two buttons and length of ribbon weigh less than two pairs of separating zippers, and the fabric doesn't need to be heavy enough to hold up to the zippers. I find this to be a far lighter solution and a quicker change, since I don't have to fiddle with my shoes.

OM-Check into titanium or zinc oxide-based sunscreen. They seem to be more of a direct block than a chemically reactive-block, and work for me.

CamperMom