garethw
22-03-2012, 12:54 PM
I’ve been wearing Craghoppers Kiwi’s for the last two or three years, but have finally got fed up with the fact that they give up the ghost after that sort of time scale. The main gripe being that they split at the crotch area….
So after looking around the net for a brand in this price bracket, that hopefully would be more robust... I settled on a brand called Helikon, a Polish brand who make military cargo type pants & clothing, that have had some excellent reviews on the French Bushcraft forums.
Helikon SFU Tactical Pants
I ordered a couple of pairs as they retail at around £25 or 27€….I got one pair in Coytote and the other in OD. The Coyote is a weird colour, looking greener than one would imagine. But I'm fine with that.
The trousers are made of 50/50 nylon/cotton Nylco mix and are fairly light weight. They are however, heavier material than the Craghoppers Solardry. They feel a very substantial garment, which is nice. The seams are all double stitched, with the seat and knees double thickness.
http://www.croixblanchelakes.com/helikon%20pants.jpg
The waist has 6 belt loops, wide enough for military type belts… the waist is closed & flies are closed by buttons. 501 wearers amongst you won’t mind this, but the fly does gape a bit. I guess the fly is like this to allow you to have a ‘jimmy’ by opening only one button…. No zips is perhaps not a bad thing as my Craggies had a number of bust zips after a time, especially on the pockets.
There are a myriad of pockets. All are closed by Velcro. Two rear pockets, two cargo pockets, two hip pockets and two small pockets in front of the hip pockets, for a phone, lighter or pocket knife. Finally there is a strange pocket on the right calf… not sure when one would use that!!!!
The double thickness on the knees has an opening at the base, again closed by Velcro, which allows you to insert a knee pad, should you wish. Finally the ankle has a draw tape which means you can cinch it over your boots
Size wise, I ordered Large/Regular.. this equates to 35-38 waist and 32 leg. I find they are about equivalent to the Craghoppers Kiwi 34 regular.
All in all a very nice trouser… they are perfect for anyone into outdoors, fishing , hunting or bushcraft…. They are very well made, looks really robust, and practical. At around £25 you really can’t go wrong with these.. I’m well impressed.
Cheers
Gareth
So after looking around the net for a brand in this price bracket, that hopefully would be more robust... I settled on a brand called Helikon, a Polish brand who make military cargo type pants & clothing, that have had some excellent reviews on the French Bushcraft forums.
Helikon SFU Tactical Pants
I ordered a couple of pairs as they retail at around £25 or 27€….I got one pair in Coytote and the other in OD. The Coyote is a weird colour, looking greener than one would imagine. But I'm fine with that.
The trousers are made of 50/50 nylon/cotton Nylco mix and are fairly light weight. They are however, heavier material than the Craghoppers Solardry. They feel a very substantial garment, which is nice. The seams are all double stitched, with the seat and knees double thickness.
http://www.croixblanchelakes.com/helikon%20pants.jpg
The waist has 6 belt loops, wide enough for military type belts… the waist is closed & flies are closed by buttons. 501 wearers amongst you won’t mind this, but the fly does gape a bit. I guess the fly is like this to allow you to have a ‘jimmy’ by opening only one button…. No zips is perhaps not a bad thing as my Craggies had a number of bust zips after a time, especially on the pockets.
There are a myriad of pockets. All are closed by Velcro. Two rear pockets, two cargo pockets, two hip pockets and two small pockets in front of the hip pockets, for a phone, lighter or pocket knife. Finally there is a strange pocket on the right calf… not sure when one would use that!!!!
The double thickness on the knees has an opening at the base, again closed by Velcro, which allows you to insert a knee pad, should you wish. Finally the ankle has a draw tape which means you can cinch it over your boots
Size wise, I ordered Large/Regular.. this equates to 35-38 waist and 32 leg. I find they are about equivalent to the Craghoppers Kiwi 34 regular.
All in all a very nice trouser… they are perfect for anyone into outdoors, fishing , hunting or bushcraft…. They are very well made, looks really robust, and practical. At around £25 you really can’t go wrong with these.. I’m well impressed.
Cheers
Gareth