Walking trousers

[Pickled Onion]

I bought some walking trousers from Cotswold, which have been excellent for taking on tour for off-the-bike wear in terms of packing light, quick-drying, etc. They've not lasted very long though, considering I spend most of the time in cycling gear.

Recommendations sought. Must fit cyclist thighs.

[orienteer]

Been pretty happy with Rohan trousers over the years, seem to wear well. Still have some very old bags which I now use as work trousers.

Only issue I've had is with some more recent ones which used a mesh material for the pockets, which wore through quite quickly.

[Butterfly]

Craghoppers pro stretch or Rab.  I also have some very nice quicksilver ones and colombia. It's worth going and trying. The stretchy ones are comfortable if not the lightest.

[hellymedic]

What brand were the onion's original trousers?

[Ian H]

These 'walking trousers'—do they work like e-bikes, where you still have to put some effort in yourself?

[Cudzoziemiec]

[Pickled Onion]

Brilliant, thanks, just ordered some Craghopper nosilife pro stretch and Rohan Trailblazers. There's no point trying to go to a shop as they never have my size, which is probably how I ended up with rubbish Craghopper-lookalikes last time.

[redshift]

I wore out a pair of otherwise decent Columbia trousers with a few days' paragliding.  Now, whilst it didn't specifically say I could paraglide whilst wearing them, I thought four or five days of of outdoor / hillside use was a bit thin for the price.  My Meindl boots, on the other hand (foot), are still going strong.

[fuaran]

Regatta action trousers are cheaper than Craghopper, and last much longer in my experience.

[phantasmagoriana]

Craghoppers Pro Stretch for me - I wear them all the time (wearing some now!) and have a few pairs in different colours (as well as some toasty lined ones for winter).

[Quisling]

I'm a big fan of regular Craghopper Kiwi's for everyday wear but they can be a bit variable in size (presumably depending on which factory they're made in).  Some are a bit baggier than others, some are a bit longer in the leg or have shallower pockets etc.  Mostly very good and sturdy.  Points of failure are generally
1. stitching under the crotch
2. right hand leg pocket velcro/inner mobile phone pocket issues.
To be fair, they have a hard life and I've never had any fail unacceptably early.
I've never tried any of the stretchy ones but might have to give those a go.

[TPMB12]

Used to have rohan uplanders. Outdoor mag claimed they were the toughest walking trousers you could get. They even took photos of the after effects of a rotary sander on the fabric...not much damage.

Of course my real reason for buying them was the extra long leg length for a 32/34" waist. IIRC 36" inside leg. Only walking.trousers available near me long enough. When they failed many years later (I went from 32" to 34"  waist) they'd changed the fabric and leg length.

Rohan are tough trousers though, if they fit you.

[Mr Larrington]

The zip on the RH pocket always lets go on my Craghoppers.  May take a year, may take two days but eventually it will cease to zip.  Which is annoying coz it's where I carry my keys.

[andrew_s]

My last pair were Berghaus Ortler II (from GO).
Black, so smart enough for work, and an elastic draw cord at the ankle for cycling.

I've been disappointed with recent Rohan, which have had the pockets made from sewn on patches on the inside. The stitching only has to snag once, and then the pockets start leaking stuff.
Old Rohan, from 10-15 years ago (or more) is much better, still going strong.

[fruitcake]

There are a few recommendations on this page which has quite a bit of detail :

http://tacticalgear.com/tactical-pants-guide#EOTAC1

[Pickled Onion]

So, they arrived eventually. Well the Rohans arrived quickly but I'd pressed the 32R instead of 32S so had to pop in to Covent Garden and swap them. Cotswold took a week to send the Craghoppers out, 2nd class, pretty unimpressive for 2017.

First impressions: The Rohan are as unflattering as they ever were, quite heavy but fit well and feel well made. I'll have to remember not to put keys in the top pockets which are mesh as mentioned above and won't last long if I do.
The Craghopper Pro seem pretty good, but they emphatically don't meet the requirement of "must fit cyclist thighs". I have lycra shorts that are less tight. They have been sent back; Cotswold don't cover postage for returns  The Craghopper cargo are a little better but not exactly loose, I've kept them.

[chrisbainbridge]

I agree about Cotswolds on line deficiencies.  I tried to order 4 down jackets to choose which one I wanted.  I was allowed to choose and pay for all four and 2 weeks later 1 arrived followed by an email to say that the others were out of stock and what would I like them to do?

I then sent back the first one as well!

having said that the service in the nottingham shop when my wife bought a pair of walking boots was outstanding.  i did not realise that you could get boots made for middle aged ladies whose feet were slightly broader than when younger.  Once they decided that was what she needed the fitting was perfect and my wife has done more walking in greater comfort than ever before.

[nobby]

Keela in Scotland do some good clothing including trousers.