Summer loving's all very well, but those tight, black, satinny trousers?
Purleez. You can tell Olivia Newton John didn't do much hillwalking,
and that's a fact. So if leather's a no-go, what should you be
covering your legs with now that summer's intermittently here?
OUTDOORmagic answers yet another burning (sic.) question in our
buyer's guide to summer strides...
Your Needs Of course occasionally the British summer isn't far
off being the British winter, but we're assuming that it will,
occasionally, be sunny and even hot. If you're trekking abroad, in the
Alps for example, it may well be even sunnier and hotter. If you're
somewhere really hot - the desert for example - it will be
scorchio.
What you're looking for is an elusive combination of
breathability, a loose, non-restrictive but comfortable fit, a
degreee of wind resistance, durability, possibly protection from the
sun and the ability to dry quickly if the heavens do open. Secure
pockets would be nice as well.
Traditional Track Pants A lot of walkers swear by traditional
leggings like Ronhill Tracksters and they have their plus points
being relativey cheap, stretchy, light and breathable. In really hot
weather they can feel tight and sweaty though, they have no real
pockets and aren't remotely flattering unless you're blessed with
buns of steel. And what are those foot stirrups about? We reckon
there are better choices around for summer.
Fabric If you associate synthetics with sweatiness, you're in for
a positive surprise. The latest woven Nylon and Polyamide materials
combine a soft, cotton-like feel with good breathability, reasonable
wind resistance and good durability. Different manufacturers use
different names for their fabrics - 'Supplex', for example, 'Tactel'
- but performance is generally comparable. We've been using a pair of
the original Craghoppers Barkhan cargo pants (100 per-cent polyamide
hard for around three years now, including several months of
continuous trekking and they're still in top nick.
The other effective option is Polycotton, a combination of
Polyester and cotton - the cotton adds to comfort in warm conditions,
the Polyester gives them some of the qualities of synthetics and is
faster drying. The proportion of cotton used is crucial in
determining performance: the higher the percentage of cotton, the
more like pure cotton the trousers will perform, but something like
the 35 per-cent used by Crags for their Kiwi pant, for example, is an
acceptable compromise.
Finally cotton isn't quite the 'no, no' you might guess. In very
hot, dry conditions - deserts for example - evaporation is almost
instant and cotton's comfort against the skin and breathtability puts
it back in the game. In cool, wet, or humid conditions though, unless
it's a very thin, fine weave, it will hold moisture and take ages to
dry.
Water Resistance Some fabrics use an added DWR treatment. It
wears off with use but will make them slightly more drizzle resistant
to start off with.
UV Resistance If you're off somewhere really fierce with lots of
sun and altitude - less atmosphere to cut out the sun's rays - look
for a fabric offering UV protection. In normal UK conditions, it's
not really a significant factor.
Colour No joke, lighter colours will absorb less heat in the sun
due to their greater reflectivity. It's the reason most travel pants
are a uniform beige or light green. Most of the time in the UK it
doesn't really matter, but when the going gets hot, dark trousers get
hotter.
Cut Most walking pants these days are cut fairly baggy and in
cargo pant stylee. Unless you're going to be attempting Kama
Sutra-type rock climbing manoeuvres, making sure that you can execute
high steps without restiction should be enough. If you really do need
massive flexibility, the vaunted diamond-cut crotch will give you a
little more scope to do the splits, but it's mostly unnecessary and
looks strange and baggy too. A loose cut will feel airier and more
comfortable when you get hot and sweaty. Oh, and obviously, pick a
pair that fit.
Pockets Most of us like some pockets, if only to pop our hands in
when it's chilly. Cargo pant-type knee pockets promised to be useful
but few are actually useable without obstructing the bend of your
knee when walking. Mountain Hardwear's Pack Pants get round this by
providing a neat, deep pocket at the rear of the thigh which will
take an OS map without restricting movement. A zipped pocket will
combat the all too common feral coinage problem and stop your money
escaping and littering the outdoors.
Construction Look for double-stitched seams that don't rub
uncomfortably. For extra durability some pants - Craghoppers Kiwi
Trousers for example - have a reinforced double section at seat and
knees, not strictly necessary, but reassuring if you're off on a long
haul round the world trekking holiday.
Think too about using the pants with a pack - you need something
to stop them falling down, but will belt loops or elastic or buttons
or even seams be uncomfortable under a hip belt? Again MHW have the
anwer with a seamless, wicking section at the hip which works well,
though we've not found a problem with most other trousers.
Zip-Offs In theory zip-offs are a fantastic idea - the legs zip
off giving you a pair of trousers and a pair of shorts in one. Nice
theory, but in our experience they're a hard trick to pull off. If
you do want a pair, the most crucial area is the zip-off point. You
need to look for a small, but strong zip which is well covered along
its entire length to avoid uncomfortable rubbing when the trews are
in shorts mode. That sounds straightforward, but mid-thigh skin is
sensitive and it's hard to get right.
The other problem is cut. It's hard to make convertibles that look
good both as trews and shorts. I think it's because of the added
material around the zips and the non-tapered leg in that area, but
whatever, it's hard to get right. Of the ones we've tried, our faves
are by American brand Royal Robbins. Oh, don't, whatever you do, lose
the legs...
The Cheap Alternative You want bargain basement? Don't write off
some of the budget brands like Regatta, Gelert or Wynnster, but for
true cheapskates, army surplus lightweight trousers are a decent
option. They're 100 per-cent cotton, but the weave is fine and
material thin, so they dry relatively quickly. The downside is that
you'll look like a wannabie squaddie or TA tyro, but what the
heck.
Jeans At the risk of stating the obvious, hey kids, don't do it.
Jeans are fine in hot, dry weather, albeit a bit hot, but get them
wet and they assume the general consistency of concrete, prevent your
from moving freely and take days to dry out. The wet, thick denim is
an excellent way of radiating as much body heat as possible, result:
hypothermia in extreme cases. Save them for the pub and the camp
site.
Check out the trouser
section of the User Reviews for firsthand feedback and add your
own.
