Hiking Trousers

Hiking trousers, where stretch and drying time beat toughness

What sets hiking trousers apart from ordinary trousers is not durability but behaviour: they stretch where the leg bends, they dry between showers and they carry almost no weight when soaked. The range covers stretch and three-layer trekking cuts, convertible zip-off legs, cropped women's versions and overtrousers pulled on over the top.

What makes a trouser a walking trouser?

An articulated knee, a gusseted crotch and a fabric with recovery. The articulation is a panel sewn with a bend already in it, so the cloth follows a raised knee on a step-up instead of pulling at the thigh. The gusset is a diamond of fabric at the crotch that removes the four-seam junction which otherwise splits when you stride uphill. Recovery is the fabric returning to shape rather than bagging at the knee by mid-afternoon. Heavier cotton cuts in the combat trousers range are built for abrasion instead, which is a different job.

Are convertible zip-off legs worth it?

They earn their place where the weather changes and there is nowhere to change clothes: a walk-in that starts cold and ends hot, or travel across two climates. The cost is a zip around the thigh, which can chafe under a pack belt and adds a seam that catches. Close to home, with a second pair in the car, a plain leg is more comfortable. The lightweight trekking trousers cuts cover the same ground without the hardware.

What should you check on a pair of hiking trousers?

• Stretch direction: two-way stretch gives along one axis, four-way gives in both, which is what matters when scrambling rather than walking a track.
• Hem finish: a drawcord or popper at the ankle keeps the cuff clear of a boot heel, where hems fray first.
• Pocket security: a zipped thigh pocket holds a phone when you sit on a stile, an open one does not.
• Waistband type: a part-elasticated or tab-adjusted waist absorbs a base layer in winter without needing a second size.
• Inside leg options: a cut offered in more than one leg length saves the hemming that ruins an ankle drawcord.

Do you still need waterproof overtrousers?

Yes, and they are a separate garment rather than an upgrade. Walking trousers shed a shower and dry fast, but in sustained rain the fabric wets through and the wind then takes the heat straight off the legs. Overtrousers from the waterproof trousers range go on over the top and come off when the rain stops, which is why full-length side zips matter more than the fabric: nobody stops to take boots off in a downpour. Cotton cuts from the military trousers range behave the opposite way, holding water and drying slowly.

How do you wash them without ruining the finish?

Water-repellent finishes sit on the outside of the fibres and are worn away by grit, sweat and detergent residue. Wash warm with a small amount of liquid detergent, skip the fabric softener that clogs the finish, and rinse twice. A low tumble or a warm iron through a cloth reactivates most treatments once the trousers are clean. Zip-off legs go in the same load with their zips closed, so the teeth do not chew the fabric around them.