Lightweight Walking Trousers
Sometimes a piece of gear comes along that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. That’s been the case with these excellent trousers, which I’ve had for the last three years but have never written about before. They were supplied for The Cairngorms In Winter film – Salomon were one of the sponsors – though they’re not really winter trousers. I wore them with long johns underneath and often insulated or waterproof trousers on top. After filming was finished they went into a box of clothing and stayed there until this year when I came across them as I was selecting gear for the TGO Challenge. I wore them on a day walk and decided they should be fine for the Challenge, especially as they are very light at 292 grams (34” waist) and I was hoping to wear shorts much of the time and carry the trousers. As it was I only wore shorts on the first day so the trousers got much more wear than expected.
The Wayfarers are made from very stretchy nylon (86% nylon, 14% elastane) but they still have a fairly loose fit – they look like normal trousers not tights. The stretch is four-way so they move easily with you whatever you’re doing. The thin fabric is wind-resistant but not fully windproof, very breathable and very fast drying. On the Challenge I only bothered with overtrousers in really strong cold winds and heavy rain. There are two zipped mesh handwarmer pockets and a zipped thigh pocket. The latter is made from the stretch nylon and holds a surprising amount.
I couldn’t fault the Wayfarers on the Challenge and I’ve worn them on several trips since. I think they’re superb lightweight walking trousers and I wish I hadn’t ignored them for so long.
£75
