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Big birthday coming up and looking for things that I want, that I wouldnt necessarily splash "big" cash on if I were buying for myself. Do a lot of walking and mainly wear shorts as I run a bit hot but I dont have a quality pair of long pants. Looking at Montane, Rab etc and around the £100 area. 6.1 and quite long legs, about a 32/33 waist so need to be long enough and quite stretchy, not baggy but not too fitted. also tough but not too thick (see running hot bit above) usual moon on a stick type of thing.
Quite like to 2 colour style Rab Torque stylee...
Any recommendations?
Worth looking at Rohan stuff, top tier kit and decent pricing.
Hadnt considered them. Had a couple of items from them many years ago. top quality. Ill take a look.
Not flashy, but I swear by Crag Hopper kiwis. Had my 3 pairs for nearly 10 years now. Climb as well as walk in them. They just won't die.
I've got loads, Mountain Equipment, Rab, Helly Hansen (turning out some nice kit nowadays), Fjallraven, Fjern.
Fjallraven are long in the leg so might suite your shape well, they are spendy so also work nicely for the gift idea (i.e. you might not want to buy them yourself). They can be quite warm though.
Sat here now wearing Rab Torque Mountain Pant. Fits most of your requirements except the two tone colour, mine are just black. Again, quite slim in the leg, I use mine on the bike as ankle is cut close enough that that they work well as bike trousers.
Mountain equipment Ibex trousers are pretty nice. Stretchy and have zipped vents on the sides of the thighs.
I just picked up some Patagonia Point Peak Trail trousers, under £100 if you shop around. Seem well-made, fairly stretchy, not too heavy, and a good step up from shorts without being full-on heavy duty like some of the Fjallraven trousers I've seen
I've had a couple of pairs of Kiwi Pro for years. They've been fine, but I recently picked up some half price Rohan Bags off Sport Pursuit and there is no comparison. Really nice kit.
I have quite a lot of hiking/dog walking gear and Fjallraven are by far my favourite trousers. They are cut and suit my frame really well. I practically live in Barent Pro's.
Spendy but I've always bought mine in sales.
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16007744/brasher-mens-stretch-walking-trousers-16007744
These are good. Nice and stretchy.
https://www.revolutionrace.co.uk/men/trousers/walking-hiking-trousers
i have a pair of the RCVR pro ones a few mates have multiple pairs, one friend doesn't wear anything else but these! sale on at the moment
Decathlon running trousers. Not as cheap as they were, but as I have to deal with a lot of barbed wire fences, it's good not to be wearing Rohan etc on some of my trips.
Crag Hopper kiwis +1
Not sure which mine are, Pro II I think. Lightweight, dry quickly, anti-insect, sun-protection but not massively water-resistant (which is good for me, more breathable). 2 pairs for £90 on the Craghoppers website
I think that they're part of Regatta now and made in PRC
Cream coloured if you go anywhere there's ticks.
I'd try them first tbh. A lot of walking trousers are a bit 'dad pant' in cut. I like Fjallraven and ME generally, Montane also worth a look, Arc'teryx if you're feeing flush. My fave tech softshell trousers are actually a pair of Fast Climb 'pants' that they no longer sell. Bought some of the latest Guide pants and they have a really weird waist / crotch cut, so it's hard to generalise. Depends a lot on how fussy you are with cut in particular.
If they don't need to be fancy - appreciate you're talking about a birthday present, but to me hiking pants aren't a birthday present - Decathlon hiking pants - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/men-s-robust-trekking-trousers-mt500/_/R-p-351265 : Not huge money, comfy enough, and always seem to tend towards 'tall and slim' sizing more than chunky shortarses like me.
Otherwise, classic Montane Terra pants ( https://montane.com/collections/mens-terra-pants-collection). I like the Terra XT as an autumn/winter hill trouser.
I have Forclaz MT900 walking trousers from Decathlon. They are windproof, stretchy, very comfortable and quite robust. The pockets double up as vents and I quite like the lace hooks to hold them down onto boots when walking in rough vegetation. Wife calls them my 'Willy' trousers as they are rather 'snug' at the crotch and not suitable for the school run.
I’ve been wearing Craghopper walking trousers for years. I’ve found them to be excellent. They are slightly heavy so not great on hot days but for British hillwalking that’s rarely a problem. Very hard wearing too, and not expensive.
Might be worth giving Klattermusen a try. They're spendy but there are occasional sales, but if it's a big birthday - why not. I picked up a couple of pairs of trousers (Gere and Magne) from SportPursuit 50% off a few years back. Rate them very highly. Have some Fjallraven with G1000 and find them warm so colder months only.
I'm a real fan of Berghaus trousers. Different leg lengths, different weights/warmth, long lasting, simple features.
I've also just bought a pair of Decathlon trousers, and I'm impressed...
I swear by Crag Hopper kiwis. Had my 3 pairs for nearly 10 years now. Climb as well as walk in them. They just won’t die.
I love them and have been wearing them for about 10years, but I destroy a pair after about a year and a half two years. They don't wear out as such they just go out of shape. They do get worn everyday though and slightly abused I guess especially in the winter months. I ride to work in them, run, and train in them - outdoors PT which includes a lot of jumping about and on the ground work. They probably get washed too often tbh.
I have a pair of those Brashers ^^ listed up there ^^ at the moment and those are holding up well. Currently a year and a half old.
I am slightly obsessed with walking trousers and own far too many.
By the far the best ones I have ever tried were Mountain Equipment’s Ibex; they are expensive at around £90 (often on sale) but, for me, well worth it.
https://www.mountain-equipment.com/products/ibex-mountain-mens-pant
My fave tech softshell trousers are actually a pair of Fast Climb ‘pants’ that they no longer sell. Bought some of the latest Guide pants and they have a really weird waist / crotch cut, so it’s hard to generalise.
Sorry, those were Berghaus ones. Mountain Equipment did a fit project thing on their waterproof jackets a few years back - basically honed the cut with a Swiss pattern-cutting expert consultancy, with the result that their shell jackets are a really good mix of trim fit and good mobility. They did the same thing with their legwear.
Another vote for the Mountain Equipment Ibex ones.
I have a couple of pairs of Alpkit ones which I like. Couldn't tell you the names but they're all currently in the sale.
I only buy ones that aren't covered in zips, flaps and pockets so I can wear them in the office without looking like a rambler.
Mountain Equipment Ibex trousers for the cold stuff.
Montane Terra pants for 99% of my walks, I love them!
but to me hiking pants aren’t a birthday present
wearing them on a trip up the OXO tower they are.
6ft 1, 30 waist - wore a pair of convertible montane terra from the factory shop in 2004 to 2018 with zero issues (month in India, 6 months New Zealand as my only leg wear) until the pre-market zips wore out, replaced with a normal pair with no issues since.
So basically, anything that's on google.
I'd say go try some on, but wouldn't be practising as I preach: order loads, send loads back. Find the ones that fit and you have a brand for life.
I've got Patagonia. Very durable and comfortable. Completes the Dadcore look along with some Merrel Moabs.
I’m happy with Mountain Equipment trousers. I have four different weights, the only odd one is the ibex pro, great material, but odd pockets and ankle adjustement is better on the standard ibex. Ibex are great and normally on offer at Gaynors