Prana Stretch Zion Pant - First Look

Prana Stretch Zion Pant - First Look

Warm to mild weather walking, trekking, scrambling and climbing. The Stretch Zion Pant - they're American, so 'pant' will do - are designed to combine freedom of movement with decent durability and some specific features to cope with warmer days.

The Zions are made from stretchy, tough feeling Nylon with added Spandex to give stretch and abrasion resistance. There are also a couple of neat little features like three small ventilation holes on either side of the inseam gusset and a couple of press studs to allow you to roll up the bottoms of the pants on warmer days and to allow you to see your feet when climbing and scrambling too.

You may know Prana as a cool, pricey American climbing clothing brand with a neat sideline in yoga kit, but this season they've reduced their prices down to competitive levels - the Stretch Zions retail for around £45 - and are looking to make a more general impact in the outdoor market.

The good news is that these are really nice all-round spring / summer legwear. The cut is neat without being over close and Prana says that they suit the larger body as well as more athletic figures, that's helped along by the stretch in the material which makes them great for scrambling and climbing with no restriction on movement beyond your own lack of flexibility...

The fabric has a nice, soft tough but comfortable feel and double knees and seat also promise decent durability even if you have really dreadful climbing technique. Good news round here... They dry fast too, though there's no factory DWR so don't expect softsh ell performance in the rain.

Small vent holes in the in-seam gussett are claimed to improve warm weather comfort, though we think they're more show than go, but we did like the press-stud arrangement low on the leg which allows you to roll your trousers up a few inches Freemason style for some gentle ankle ventilation.

In really hot conditions we think the fabric might feel a bit synthetic, but there are matching shorts for days like that. The aesthetics are slightly trans-Artlantic, but none the worse for that and the seat area, unlike much outdoor legwear, actually fits neatly, hallelelujah...

The Zions come in two leg lengths, regular and short. We found the regular medium slightly too long for our regulation 32-inch inside leg / 32-inch waist test legs, though of course that will suit the longer of leg. Waist fit was bang on however.

Plenty of pockets - though the thigh ones are compact - a neat but unrestrictive cut and good looks put them instantly right near the top of our summer legwear shortlist. Recommended.

Stretch Zion Shorts review to follow.

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