Fall/Winter Hiking Pants

Hi Christoph, As a fellow European I swear by the Montane Terra-trousers. They exist in multiple versions but the regular one fits my bill for everything outside summer (so everything under 10°). They come in different lengths and have a side-zipper for extra venting. Even Chris Townsend recommends them ;) In very cold circumstances I might pair it with a 'long-john' (for instance the Rab Meco-series, affordable and comfortable) but it has to be really cold for that; my legs usually aren't that cold. The Terra-trousers have a great fit, are lightweight and dry very quickly. They also come with a DWR and Montane actually suggests you wash it with Nikwax. I don't actually do that but the DWR seems to hold up. As for fabrics, the reinforced areas are made out of Cordura-ripstop and the other parts of Tencel. Some kind of nylon fabric. All in all very durable stuff. I really don't like Fjällraven. The G1000-material is not as durable as marketing claims it to be and it's more of a glamping-pants then anything else. Plus: it's super-heavy, super-expensive and requires awkward care (waxing? why on earth?).

Hi Christoph, I actually use practically the whole year the same hiking pants, so summer to winter and from +20°C to -0°C. They are though not made anymore. For really cold weather I use an older model of Mammut Champs in Schoeller Dryskin.

"They are though not made anymore". The Montane Terra not made anymore?? Not what I am finding. Am I misunderstanding here? They are a great pant and if I had enough money I would wear them every single day.

any of the pants that are Schoeller (or Schoeller like) should work well; they come in several different weights- light to heavy. I use a mid weight pant- Patagonia's Simple Guide pant- they keep changing their linuep so hard to follow. If it's milder weather in fall/spring- I like my OR Ferossi pants- similar design/fabric, just a little lighter weight what they have in common is they have a decent DWR finish; they stretch; they block wind, but still breathe; cut nicely so you can move with ease and have enough room to layer over a base layer and decent pockets- including some zipped ones.

My mistake. I meant that I use a certain model of hiking pant practically the whole year. Not the Montane Terra's but a pair from MHW.

Thanks for the suggestions – are you all referring to the same Terra model from Montane? As there are different ones.. I don't like those patches so much :)

Montanes are great for all of the reasons above, not so good in summer though. Just go with the black and the patches don't stand out. The drw is the best and a quick shake or two sheds snow. You might need a base in winter for below 20F. Sizing is spot-on. Happy Shopping!

I guess the regular ones. Or the Terra Pack without the Cordura patches. And yes, users like them. But there are other ones from other brands. Just look at the features you want.

"As a fellow European I swear by the Montane Terra-trousers." Add an American to the list of those who swear by the Terra. I've been wearing the same pair of regulars for ten years now, and they're still doing fine. Best pants I've ever worn. For fall and even colder dry weather, just wear them over a thin base layer, e.g. Capilene 1, Under Armour Cold Gear Base 1.0, Arcteryx Phase, etc.

Can you guys give some insight as to the fit of the Montane Terra Pants? Slim, roomy, etc? Inseam length? They sound great for cool weather. +1 on watching out for breathability. The RailRiders VersaTac Ultralight pants fit great, fully block the wind and have good features. But they just don't breathe well at all. If the temps are over 50 degF they become a sweat factory for me. You just never know what the balance of wind resistance and breathability will be until you try a given fabric.

Cheap, thrift store sourced polyester-wool blend dress pants (I've become partial to 65% polyester to 35% wool blends more specifically). Great breathablity, decent dry times, decent durability, decent weight, decent odor prevention, and a price nigh impossible to beat. Perhaps because of Scottish descent (along with not making much money), i tend towards being thrifty and resourceful. If it's very cold (15*F or colder), i combine them with Polartec Powerdry High Efficiency grid fleece baselayer bottoms. These tend to be pricier, but are worth it. I will use nylon pants (of all kinds ;) with the above baselayer if it will be consistently cold enough, but i find all/most thin nylon on bare skin sometimes feels too cold/uncomfortable. Perhaps this is because nylon is more conductive than polyester and wool?

I should mention that i prefer to bring a combo of quite breathable pants, with a very lightweight nylon windbreaker pants because it's much more widely adaptable and comfortable than just using pants that have too little or too much breathability. Yes, a bit heavier.

"Perhaps this is because nylon is more conductive than polyester and wool?" I think it's tightly woven fabrics that are more conductive. I have some polyester pataognia shorts that are super tight woven, when they get wet they are like ice on my skin in colder weather. I was in Montana in may and I was wearing tights over them in the cold rain. My lower legs felt fine but it felt like the shorts were sucking heat away from me. My crotch and butt was super cold. That's what I got for going commando. I have had this issue with other tight woven shorts as well. Long inseam underwear prevents this issue. I've never had that issue with knit/meshy shorts, like the soccer/basketball type. Also, I've noticed wearing short sleeve merino wool shirt under a windshirt, when soaked the windshirt is very cold on my arms while my the merino shirt part is much less cold. So, in my experince, open knit is not thermally conductive while tight woven is conductive next to skin especially when wet.

I ended up with Prana Brion pants. Slimmer fit, multiple inseams (30, 32, 34), DWR coated, multiple colors, stretch fabric. Found most hiking pants were too baggy, only offered in one inseam, or had too many extra pockets. I also have Montane Featherlite wind pants when there's bigger temperature changes throughout the day so I can switch between shorts and pants.

That's probably a definite part of it Justin. The more fabric material against the skin, the more it will tend to conduct heat away, especially when wet. Companies have been making more cooling fabrics lately, by using fibers that are more flat, with a wider surface area that touches more of the skin. Air is much less conductive than most of even the best solid materials. If one could make a fabric much less conductive, it would make a better cold weather baselayer especially when wet and the fiber interstices have the air displaced by conductive water. But then again, one can just use fishnet or Cap 4 type fabric, which is pretty good in those situations. One of the reasons why i really like Cap 4 leggings in very cold weather backpacking.

"Can you guys give some insight as to the fit of the Montane Terra Pants? Slim, roomy, etc? Inseam length? They sound great for cool weather." The fit is loose, at least on me, but that would depend on body type. Designed roomy for range of motion in rough terrain. Inseam comes in even sizes, waist as well, which was a minor problem for me. I have a 31" waist and 30" inseam, but the Terra only offers a 30" inseam in a 30" waist. I had to size up to a 32" waist and live with a 32" inseam, which I had shortened. It was pricey, but worth it. As I said, I am still on my first pair after 10 years. The side thigh ventilation zips and "Tactel" fabric are a great combination for hiking in hot weather, and the ability to use base layers of varying warmth underneath offers a lot of variability for hiking in cooler to cold weather. The main limitation in cold weather would be windy weather, because they are definitely not wind resistant.

I use The North Face Verto soft shells for late fall/mild winter/spring conditions and Marmot Scree for cold winter conditions. The TNF pants are great. Really light stretch woven fabric, great articulation and stretch, no back pockets, hand pockets and one FLAT thigh pocket. 6oz for a 28×32. You can read all about the Marmot Screes in earlier posts on BPL. People love them. Great winter pant. Get them in light khaki and you could theoretically use them any time outside of summer. I would but they just feel to hefty for me to use outside of winter. Not as agile as the Vertos.

I have the REI Schoeller type that I have worn with no complaints but am now equally satisfied with an old pair of Army wool/poly blend. They are especially comfortable in cool, damp weather.

How does the Terra compare to the Terra Pack in terms of seasons/suitability?