Lowe Alpine Evolution Pant Tested

Lowe Alpine Evolution Pant Tested

Price: £200.00

Weight: 585 grammes (men's large)

Features: eVENT fabric, removable braces (or suspenders...), semi-elasticated waist with press-stud fastening, zip fly, ergonomic shaping plus stretch panels for mobility, articulated knee with stretch panels, stretch crotch, stretch seat, boot loops, adjustable ankle cords, crampon / abrasion patches, full-length side-zips, reflective trim on calves Gum Drop zip-pulls

Great cut, very breathable fabric. Zippers?

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The Concept technical waterproof and breathable mountaineering pant with stretch panels and articulation for fit made with eVENT waterproof / breathable fabric.

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Features pretty much everything you'd expect from a technical mountaineering pant including a fly, full-length side zips, a high waist with braces to stop things sliding downwards, crampon patches and all in a carefully ergonomically shaped package to maximise fit and mobility.

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In Action We've been using these for about a year now and they're great. The fabric's the most breathable conventional waterproof material we've tested - think all-day use with minimal internal dampness - but that's just the start of it. Lowe Alpine has used stretch panels and an ergonomic cut to creat legwear that feels close fitting and neat but non-restrictive at the same time.

There are stretch sections at the knees, crotch and seat and they seem to work. The braces are simple and easy to use and full-length side-zips mean you can don them while wearing crampons or drop the seat easily for calls of nature - you get a zipped fly too. Cordura patches on the insides of the ankles cater for crampon clumsiness and the ankles can be cinched closed with elasticated drawcords.

The waist is high enough to minimise cold spots with a neat microfleece lining at the small of the back. If we had to make a change, it'd be to the side zips. The top section, which can be overcomplicated is neat and tidy with just a Velcro closure, but water-resistant zips or a MHW-style closure which didn't use a Velcro-fastened storm flap would make things neater and quicker to use.

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Verdict

Excellent mountaineering and general mountain pants. Breathability is very, very good, appreciably better than Gore's XCR in our experience, but everything else about this pant works well too with a great cut still offering good mobility, for example, when making high steps.

All the main features have been well thought out and the only thing that prevents a perfect score is the nagging feeling that the side-zips would be neater and easier to use with a different zip system. But that's a quibble rather than a major objection, these are pretty much our favourite shell pants ever.

Performance
Value

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Lowe Alpine web site

Pushed for time:Great waterproof and breathable technical shell pants made from eVENT with good cut and decent mobility. Best pants we've used.

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