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Berghaus Fastrek
Pant
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Price:
£55.00
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Weight: 485 grammes (men's 30-inch
waist)
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Features: Stretch
Cordura fabric, elasticated waist with integral webbing
belt, reoinforced double knee section, two hand pockets with
mesh inserts, zipped secturity pockets, zipped thigh vents
with mesh liner, ankle zips, draw-cord channel at ankle.
Available in men's and women's cut and in black or stone
colourways.
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Good wind and water resistance plus excellent mobility at a
good price.
Cut maybe too loose for some tastes.
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Stretch provides useful
butt-hugging fit..
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The Concept The Fastreks are a brand new trekking / climbing
pant due in the shops about now and part of the Berghaus Extrem
range. We managed to get our paws on some pre-productions samples, so
we've been using them for a couple of months now.
The cut is pretty much standard trekking pant, so you won't get
those funny looks that skin tight legging seem to attract - or maybe
that's just us - but the real key is the combination of fabric and
some very neat features.
The material is a stretch Cordura that performs very similarly to
the Schoeller fabrics we've been using recently, most notably from
Mountain Hardwear. That means a combination of stretch. a dense weave
that means the pants are highly windresistant, though not quite
windproof, good breathability and a durable water repellant treatment
that means anything short of heavy rain tends to bead and run
off.
They're also manifestly tough feeling, haven't given way yet and
are claimed to be resistant to 'abrasion, tears, scuffs and
punctures'. The big plus is price, at £55 the Fastrek might not
be cheap, but it's £35 less than the similar MHW Velocity Pant
which retails at a cool 90 quid.
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Zipped vents backed with mesh
run down outside of thigh
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Features Like we said, the cut is like a standard trekking
pant, but with some extra features thrown in. The wind resistance
means that things can get warm when the weather's mild - not that
we'd know about that yet - but there are a pair of mesh-backed thigh
length venting zips on the outside of the upper leg, you also get
ankle zips for extra venting and ease of donning and two pockets. For
those of you who habitually run your knees on razor-sharp limestone
or gabbro, the knees are double thickness.
Two hand warmer pockets, one incorporating a zipped security
pocket, keep your pinkies warm when rolling across the tops and
mercifully there's a proper fly with zip and an elasticated belt to
hold things up.
On thing that we would change is the lack of an ankle draw cord.
Berghaus has left a purpose-built channel so you can slip in some
shockcord and make your own - we did - but we'd rather see the draw
cord incorporated as stock - it's easier to remove than add after all
and worth having we reckon. Construction generally feels good with
double-stitched seams adding reassurance.
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Cut isn't as snug as MHW
Velocity
pant, but that adds to stealth values
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In Action We reckon the Fastrek's going to be a big hit with
walkers and climbers who want a normal-looking pant with added
performance. The near windproof fabric meant that the Fastreks were
superb on cold, blowy winter days and the DWR shrugged off light rain
and that nasty, wet misty stuff we seem to get over here. If things
get really cold, you could always team them with baselayer leggings
for added warmth, but we found them adequate without at and around
freezing point.
On the odd occasion when things started to get a tad steamy, the
thigh and ankle vents worked well at introducing air to the
quadriceps... The other big plus over standard trekking-type pants is
the built-in stretch that allows easy mobility, high steps, abandoned
can-can dancing etc, particularly handy for climbing and scrambling,
but also excellent for evening stretches and yoga when
backpacking.
If we're going to be fussy - and that is our job - we'd say that
some people might prefer a snugger cut, particularly in the lower leg
where the Fastrek can get a bit 'flappy' when it's breezy. The
sizing's quite generous as well, so try before you buy as you may
find yourself a size smaller than you thought.
We like the Fastrek a lot. You're getting performance which is
comparable to Schoeller fabrics for significantly less money and the
only downside is a slightly rougher internal finish compared to, say
the Schoeller Dryskin used by Mountain Hardwear. The wind and water
resistance plus breathability makes for great performance in cold,
damp, windy UK conditions and maximise the time before the
overtrousers come out.
The stretch is good for scrambling and climbing, as is the
toughness and features like the long thigh vents are thoughtful and
work well. Some users will prefer a slightly tighter fit,
particularly in the lower leg, but part of the attraction of the
Fastrek is that they're sort of stealth technical trousers with
trekking pant looks and cut concealing superior qualities.
Great autumn through to spring all-round pant which takes winter
in its stride. Like we said, the only major change we'd make would be
to add a shock-corded ankle closure as stock, though the channel to
add it is already there. Top pant, good value and they feel like
they'll last. In the shops shortly.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for
time:Schoeller-like performance at a reduced price from
the robust stretch Cordura fabric combined with stealth
trekking pant looks. Highly wind and water resistant, but
still breathable, these are near ideal autumnn through to
spring walking and climbing trousers with mobility aided by
the stretch qualities of the fabric. Thigh vents help you
keep your cool when the going gets warmer and build quality
and toughness both feel good. Cut may be too generous for
some and lower leg can flap in breezy conditions. We'd also
like to see a chick-corded ankle closure as standard, but
overall a great pant at a reasonable price for the
performance.
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