Black Combat Trousers

A working cut without the pattern

Black combat trousers take the four pocket military template and drop the camouflage, which is why the same trousers turn up on a work site, on a security shift and on a weekend walk. The range covers straight multi pocket cuts, stretch tactical versions with a water repellent finish, three quarter lengths and slimmer women's fits, so the choices that matter sit in the fabric and the pocket layout rather than in the colour.

Why choose plain black over a printed pattern?

Black passes unremarked in places where a printed pattern draws attention, and it takes a plain jacket or shirt without any thought about matching. It hides oil and grease well, and hides dust and dried mud badly, since both dry pale against a dark leg. When the pattern is the point rather than the pockets, the camouflage trousers range covers it. The wider military trousers selection carries the same cuts in olive and khaki.

Which pockets earn their place?

• Thigh cargo pockets: usable standing, awkward seated in a car. Bellows sides let them take a bulky item without pulling the leg out of line.
• Angled hip pockets: reached for constantly, so a deep bag and a clean seam matter more here than anywhere else on the garment.
• Rear flap pockets: a button or a hook and loop flap is the difference between keeping a phone and losing it over a stile.
• Internal knee pocket: a slot for a foam pad, worth having on trousers that will spend time kneeling on gravel or concrete.

Does black fade, and can that be slowed?

Every dark dye lifts with washing and with sunlight, and cotton shows it sooner than a synthetic blend does. Washing inside out at a low temperature, skipping the tumble dryer and drying out of direct sun keeps a pair looking even for far longer. Avoid any detergent carrying a whitening or brightening agent, which is what turns black into a flat grey across the thighs first.

Are stretch panels worth paying for?

They are if the trousers will be worn climbing, kneeling or driving. A small proportion of elastane in the weave lets the fabric follow the knee and the seat instead of resisting them, which removes the need for the roomy cut that older patterns used to solve the same problem. The cost is durability, because stretch fabric is thinner and abrades faster against rock and brick. A gusseted crotch and a higher rise held by a tactical belt stop the waistband sliding on a stretch pair.

What sits alongside the standard cut?

Three quarter lengths stop below the knee for warm weather without going fully short, and the same pocket layout appears again in the black cargo shorts range. Women's fits are cut narrower through the hip and the thigh, so the waist number that works in a men's pair is rarely the one to order.