Getting the right trousers is important when out on a trail. Get the wrong type and you could find yourself uncomfortable, wet and unable to move freely. Get the right type of preppers trousers and you can feel confident you are wearing clothing that protects you, is easy to dry and has room for the essentials.
Let’s look at the trail trousers you could or should be wearing.
Hard-wearing
You won’t know in advance just what conditions you’ll encounter – so the trousers you’re wearing could take quite a hammering as you scramble through woods, over rocks, or the debris of collapsed buildings in an urban area.
You’ll need clothes – and trousers most of all – that are tough, resilient to tears and scrapes so that they offer as much protection for as long as may be. That means heavier fabrics that are typically reinforced in areas that get greater stress – like the knees or your bottom. The seams might also be double or triple-stitched to make them even more hard-wearing.
Fabrics
Your first choice is almost certain to be denim or cotton – that’s the material used for the trousers in everyday use after all.
But when you need something special, when you need trousers that will stand up to more than just everyday use, think about choosing more weather-resistant, durable, and breathable, high-performance materials such as closely-woven nylon or polyester – that will also have the advantage of drying more quickly after a soaking and are also likely to be more comfortable to wear.
Many purpose-designed trail trousers are made doubly resistant to poor weather by treating the material with durable water repellent (DWR). Failing that, polycotton fabrics can be waxed for that additional protection against the weather.
Although you’re picking water-resistant or repellent fabrics, nothing is going to be completely waterproof – it’ll need to dry out while you continue to wear the trousers. That means the material needs to continue to breathe and that the trousers remain comfortable if you’ve donned waterproofs over the top of them.
Livable
You can reckon to be spending many, many hours wearing the same pair of trousers – whatever the terrain, the weather, and other demands throw at you – you’ll be well and truly living in them.
Sure, they’ll need to feel comfortable the moment you first put them on – but they’re going to have to stay that way after the very many hours you’ve been wearing them. Naturally, that can be quite difficult to judge or anticipate.
It’s likely to be a balance between trousers that give you plenty of freedom of movement, but which are not too floppy or baggy. A tighter fit is, in fact, going to give you greater freedom to move, especially if the bending and folding of the material is helped through design features like gatherings around the knees and crutch areas.
Pockets and vents
When you’re on the move in an emergency, even if it’s a relatively short haul to your next place of refuge, you’ll inevitably have a fair amount of kit, tools, and handy gadgets you’ll want to take with you – and your trouser pockets will be the instinctive and obvious place to store many of them.
The exact placement of pockets will make a big difference to how useful they are – with bigger pockets ideal for items such as maps and charts and zipped ones to keep particular items that little bit safer.
As well as the positioning of the pockets, also consider whether your chosen trousers have thigh vents that can be opened to provide that extra flow of fresh air as the walking or trekking becomes more arduous.
Trail trousers – examples
Let’s take a quick look at just three examples of what we’ve been talking about:
Craghoppers NosiLife Cargo Men’s Pants
- the clue’s in the manufacturer’s name in these NosiLife Cargo Men’s Pants from Craghoppers;
- made from sturdy and long-lasting NosiLife polyamide fabric, the trousers are light to wear, have plenty of pockets, and are made from materials that are both insect repellent and offer Solar Shield sun protection;
Fjällräven Vidda Pro G-1000 Men’s Trousers
- these Vidda Pro from Fjällräven meet the all-purpose demands you’re likely to have as a prepper;
- they’re made from waxed fabric that is water- and wind-resistant, durable, and breathable too – a combination that ensures they are comfortable to wear whatever the conditions;
- in addition to deep pockets, the Vidda Pro also feature inserts into which you can slip knee pads – for when you’re spending hours scrabbling around lighting fires, cooking, or doing other such chores;
The North Face Dryzzle FUTURELIGHT Men’s Pants
- The North Face (TNF) is a familiar enough name when it comes to outdoor apparel and the Dryzzle Futurelight range incorporates trousers that are waterproof, breathable, and rain and wind resistant;
- TNF also make a matching Dryzzle Futurelight jacket to pair with the trousers.
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