What Trousers?

[Aij29]

Hi Guys

What trousers do you recommend?

I`m after a couple of pairs of trousers but i`m not sure what to get,

I mainly need them for walking with a day pack or larger rucksack if camping out,
They need to be light but robust and available in 42" waist,

And sub £30 a pair

Cheers
Adrian

Ps I wear Dickies jeans for day to day so was wondering if there work trousers would be any good for walking/bushcrafting?

[garethw]

Hi there
The two I've worn for several years now are Craghopper Kiwi's and Helikon SFU's...
Both under 30 quid a pair.. Both are comfortable practical outdoor trousers.

Kiwi pros:
they are very light dry fast and are pretty robust.
Range of colours
Loads of pockets

Cons:
One negative point is that the crotch can come unstitched after a few months.. a needle and some fine fihsing braid solves this.
Oh and the supplied belt is rubbish.
I get mine mostly from Trewear.. but TKMAXX often has them at a discount.

SFU's Pros:
They are thicker material so dry slower, but are tough enough..
button fly
two large cargo pockets, hip pockerts and 2 neat little pockets great for a mobile phone.

Cons: buttons on fly come off easily if you're not careful .. I sew them on with fishing braid.

I got mine from Military 1st.

You'll no doubt get people suggesting 5.11 or Flajraven which are most probably better trousers, but I personally don't have the dosh for them..

Both the above get worn every day for hard outdoor work on my lakes and fishing trips.. I'm pretty hard on my clothes and so far they have stood up well.

Oh and the Kiwis are also available in a fleece lined version for winter... really warm.

For under 30 quid I don't think you'll find better trousers.

cheers
Gareth

[jacob karhu]

Just go to an old military shop, try many trousers maybe one will fit you.

Personally i essentially focus on the color, consolidation on my knees and bottom, and many solid pockets around it.

That's the mort important, in my point of view ...

[OakAshandThorn]

I second Jacob - got myself two pairs of army surplus pants, one from the UK, and the other from the Austrian military. Dirt cheap over here, even more so than the older/outdated clothing from our own armed forces. A set of US army BDUs can run anywhere from $20-$50 , but the foreign stuff costs next to nothing in comparison. I believe I got the Austrian army pants for $8 online.
But overall, I would say to look for trousers that are a strong polycotton blend. Jeans work just fine as well. If you're not one to wear shorts in the summer, I would consider getting a few pairs of lightweight, ripstop synthetic pants which will dry quickly and ventilate better than polycotton.
Extra points if they are in drab, khaki, or Earth-tone colours. It is best to always buy clothing 'out of season' at retail stores, because it is almost guaranteed to be on a sale markdown price.

[jus_young]

I wear either Dickies or Scruffs with the latter being my favourite at the moment.

[ian c]

I still wear my old issued combat trousers for anything from tree surgery to fishing and every day at work, they are good wearing and dry pretty quick which is good also they can be bought fairly cheap.

[happybonzo]

Dickies or Regatta; both seem to stand up to day to day work on the farm - so they should be more than OK for a bit of trekking/over-nighting etc

[Ehecatl]

I'm also for the ex military kit - specifically the British Army Light weight trousers. These are not made any more but I find them cheap and hard wearing. The last few pairs I bought we under £10 each.

[Humakt]

I'll second the Craghopper Kiwis and the Helikon SFUs.
That's what I wear as well!

That said, I have noticed the material and quality of the Kiwis are nowhere near as good as they were. I certainly wouldn't buy them now! But if you've never had a pair before then you may not notice the change in quality. The really good thing about the Kiwis are the zipped pockets - ideal for preventing things from slipping out.

I would suggest going for the Helikon SFUs. They are in your price range. The pockets have a horizontal (as opposed to diagonal) opening meaning that it is harder for things to fall out of your pockets (of course, having zips like the Kiwis is best of all). That is why I prefer the SFUs over other military trousers (which have diagonal pocket openings).

Pop into your local Mountain Warehouse and have a look. Or look in Go Outdoors, or even Sports Direct. Just decide if you prefer military trousers or civvy trousers. And then shop accordingly. In the price range you're looking at they're all pretty much a muchness.

If it was me, at the price you're looking at, I'd go for the Helikon SFUs. Or get two pairs - one pair of SFUs and one pair of civvy walking trousers with zips on pockets.

[Valantine]

I wear military trousers off of ebay. One pair I have even have waterproof liner in the knee pads.