Montane Mens Terra Route Pants RRP £95

Product Information

They’re a winter-specific alpine trouser designed to be worn during intense bouts of high-level walking, mountaineering or climbing; offering the wearer insulation, dynamic temperature regulation, and a high stretch construction. So, winter performance is great, and these trousers can take a serious beating but how about summer use? Although these will clearly run hotter than wafer thin summer walking trousers when the mercury rises, the leg vents and ankle zips do at least allow you to get some air flowing. It’s up to you whether you value the dependability and workwear like practicality of the Super Terra pants enough to offset the slight bump in heat over summer specific walking trousers.

There isn't currently a female fit version of these trousers, but they do come in a big range of men's sizes from S to XXL and in two leg lengths.The Montane Terra Pants are obviously tailored towards hikers. The active cut is ideal for the challenges and repetitive leg movements of long-distance hiking. High-rising crotch allows you to get your knees up high when you need to and avoids the fabric bunching up. There is no stretch in the standard version, but the articulated or pre-bent knees do compensate for this somewhat. Montane Terra Pants are the most popular technical hiking and adventure pants in the UK. While they’re amazingly lightweight and comfortable, the Terra Pants are too warm for late spring or summer hiking in New England where you’d sweat to death if you wore them. But they are ideal for our shoulder seasons in spring and autumn, when cooler temperatures, wet conditions, and cold winds are the norm. Technical Pants This Montane Terra Pants Review has been a long time coming because I have been wearing them for years now. They are my go-to choice for lightweight hiking trousers which are breathable for summer and perfect for layering up in winter. Made from a combination of TACTEL fabric with TEFLON surface finish and reinforced CORDURA patches on the bum, knees, and ankles.

While we tend to mostly showcase the latest and greatest new releases of the season in the Outdoor 100, we’re not adverse to featuring a bit of an old timer. So long as it can still more than pull its weight amongst the newbies. From kneeling down, and lying on the ground to film lower angles, the stretch of the fabric makes in very comfortable and easily manoeuvrable. Some outdoor trousers I’ve experienced with a good amount of manoeuvrability, then compromise on the longevity of the fabric. However this isn’t the case with these because they’ve reinforced the stress points - namely the knee area.The pants are machine-washable at 40°C. As the fabric is very thin and doesn’t absorb much water, they dry very fast. Testing The Terra Route Pants have been cut in Montane’s Classic Fit, Legwear that has been designed for all-round mountain use. The trousers are available in a variety of leg lengths, so in practice, they should fit a wide range of body shapes and types. The extra room in the trousers can make them more comfortable than some other outdoor fit trousers that take a slimmer fit approach, but Montane made sure not to add too much material to make for a baggy fit, the last thing you’d want when out in the mountains, especially when it gets windy. The Terra Route pants are durable, weather-resistant, exceptionally comfortable, and all-round trousers designed for trekking, however, they can be used for a wide range of other outdoor activities. A truly versatile pair of softshell trousers. It’s as if they are custom fit. They are incredibly comfortable, even after 12 hours of hiking, kneeling and rolling around on the ground. Even though these trousers aren’t designed specifically for cold temperatures, I was very comfortable in -12C. The wind proof aspect of the GRANITE STRETCH fabric helped on this front.

Aside from the aforementioned belt, soft-lined waist and reinforced patches, you’ll find ankle zips and poppers rounding out the feature set, allowing you to achieve the perfect fit over boots. Montane Terra Pants Verdict It’s worth noting that Montane recommends washing the Terra’s with Nikwax Tech Wash, which is the way I’d normally care for a hard shell pant (to preserve the DWR) and not a pair of hiking pants. While this makes the Terra’s a bit higher maintenance to care for, it speaks to the fact that they share many of the performance characteristics of a softshell pant, such as water and wind resistance, without the associated price or weight. That said, I’ve been washing the Terras with regular detergent with no ill effects and plan to continue doing so because I wouldn’t count on them in the rain anyway. I carry hard shell rain pants year-round for that purpose.

Washing and drying

The 110g/m² lightweight nylon TACTEL is super tough and able to put up with an endless barrage of hard wear and tear. No matter how many times you scuff, scrape, snag, or catch your Terra Pants on rough or sharp objects, it never seems to leave a mark. I have managed to put a tiny hole in one pair thanks to some barbed wire but that small hole has never gotten bigger or compromised the strength.

The Montane Terra Pants are remarkably wind resistant and warm, even though they feel so thin. I’ve taken them down to the 20 degrees (F) on hikes without feeling cold and feel confident that I could take them down even further without having to put on a long underwear base layer. I attribute this to the tightness of the weave which prevents the wind and cold from getting through and helps hold on to some of my body heat.For this review I opted for size small and the regular leg length. This is my usual size and the sizing in this case came out spot on. Around the thighs and lower leg there is just enough material to keep them loosely fitting but without loads of excess material. I really like the inclusion of the press stud around the ankle to bring the trousers in around the hem. I have this constantly buttoned up as it gives you a slightly neater fit at the ankle, which I like for climbing. I wore the Terra Route Pants in size Large, with Regular leg length. Much like the XT Hoodie, I found the Terra Route Pants fit very well. I like how Montane have a simple, yet a wide choice of sizing; they offer XS - XXL, in addition to offering a short, regular or long leg length fit. An additional feature that they included was a simple, removable belt which is always a bonus for me. Made using Montane's Granite Stretch, a nylon double weave fabric with a PFC-free DWR, the Terra Route Pants are durable and abrasion-resistant, making them perfect for the rigours of multi-day treks. This fabric is primarily made using high-quality nylon and features a durable water repellent coating (DWR) which will resist the rain and wind when exposed to the elements. The Granite Stretch fabric offers great levels of stretch, so the Terra Route Pants offer excellent levels of comfort and freedom of movement.