Knickerbockers is a US term, I think. Here in the UK it’s only used for retro 1930s fashion items. The functional garment has always been called breeches or breeks.
When I was a kid they were pretty much universal in the hills – both in the UK and the continent. Here’s 1960s legend Joe Brown in his breeks.
It wasn’t till the ’70s that people moved to trousers. But for the kind of walking I’m doing, I’m increasingly thinking that breeks have advantages over both trousers and shorts that people have lost touch with – they are a very flexible garment when teamed up with the right kind of rainwear and gaiters. But that’s a different discussion…
Nowadays the fashion has swung so far that it’s hard to find breeks at all. They are still popular with the stalking community, but they are mainly using traditional tweed, which I can tell you from long experience has some major drawbacks. It’s remarkably hard-wearing, but it’s also heavy, uncomfortable and VERY slow to dry. You can also get breeks in traditional moleskin, a heavy cotton fabric which is even slower to dry.
There’s almost nothing in modern technical fabrics, which is why I compromised with the Klettermausens, despite their design quirks. But I can’t really recommend them, even at the sale price. They seem to have been designed for looks rather than function. I also have a pair of breeks in the post from downmarket UK brand Regatta, but they were end of line and I had to buy a womens version, so we’ll see how that goes. If you are searching for breeks in the US, try knickerbokers as you say, and also capri pants and 3/4 pants. Please ping me if you find something functional.
As Roger says, to get what I really want I may have to add tailoring to my rather limited sewing skills and make my own. The main constraint there is finding a suitable fabric.
