Walking Trousers

Craghoppers NosiLife III Cargo Trousers | Review

A good value pair of hiking trousers that we’ve found to be fine-tuned for travel, particularly in warmer places.

Craghoppers trousers are hugely popular around the world. In fact, 10 million pairs of their Kiwi model alone are estimated to have been sold. This pair, the NosiLife Cargo, is part of their more travel focussed line, and it’s the third and latest iteration. I’ve been testing them out in the mountains of North Wales and we’ve deemed them worthy enough of inclusion in our Outdoor 100 Gear of the Year list.

The Top Line

These trousers are definitely finely-tuned for travel. They’re water resistant, UV-blocking and insect repellent and they’re also designed to prevent odours from building up. Then there’s the functionality, with a diverse range of pockets and even a very nifty waterproof pouch to store your phone.

Buy The Craghoppers NosiLife Cargo Trousers III: £60 at Craghoppers.com

How I Tested The Craghoppers Nosilife Cargo III

I’ve worn these regularly over the last couple of months, most notably in North Wales’s mountains while surveying walking routes for a guidebook I’m working on, but also just day-to-day on dog walks around my local area. The temperature during my test period through March and April, has generally been chilly and I’ve worn them through blustery winds and rain. I’ve also had the opportunity to wear them through some hot spells we’ve had more recently.

The NosiLife Cargo trousers come in a relaxed fit.

Key Features

Fabric: The fabric is made from 100% recycled polyamide. This has a good resistance to light rain and quick drying properties. I found that it will eventually saturate in prolonged rainfall but it’ll dry up quickly when the rain stops. Polyamide can typically get smelly but the anti-odour treatment here helps to prevent bacteria build up.

Pockets: There are a total of nine pockets – on my last count! You’ve got loads of options here, including handwarmers, well-covered back pockets, bellowed pockets on the thighs and zipped security pockets which are ideal for your phone, wallet and passport, and there’s a key clip and a waterproof phone case.

Buy The Craghoppers NosiLife Cargo Trousers III: £60 at Craghoppers.com

Fit

I’ve found the fit to be comfortable around the waist. I’m about a 33R and I tried these in the 34R. They fit nicely without a belt when worn casually but I use them with a belt when out hiking as my waistline can change a lot throughout a day in relation to my snacks and exertion. I’d call it quite a baggy fit. This means they feel comfortable, relaxed and airy, though it also means they flap a bit in the wind. I like the fact that the trousers ends can be cinched in if you want some air at the ankles, or if you need to ford a stream. It’s also useful for extra defence from biting insects.

Protection

On paper, UPF 30-50+ protection, means these provide a totally safe barrier from the sun. In the field, I haven’t had any issues, though I haven’t been able to test them out in an extreme environment just yet.

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Then there’s the Nosilife insect repellent and odour elimination treatment. The insect repellency aspect seems to work as far as I can tell. I wore these in North Wales where my dog unfortunately picked up a couple of ticks and I also found one crawling inside my tent. Luckily, I escaped being bitten. I’ve also worn these in boggy marshland and for relaxing by mountain streams and haven’t had any issues. I feel I can’t comment that much on the insect repellency because I haven’t been exposed to any swarms… but maybe that’s because they’ve been kept away.

Here you’ll see the waterproof phone case that neatly tucks away into the roomy thigh pocket. Photos: Dave MacFarlane.

I’m a big fan of odour reduction treatments in outdoor clothing. From my experience, it often does a very good job and is perfect for those expeditions where you can only really carry one pair of trousers and won’t really have the means to wash them. From what I’ve seen of these, it does work. I’ve never noticed any bad smells building up. It’ll have its limits though; don’t expect to be able to store these away when they’re damp and then eventually find them smelling fresh a few days later.

Durability

These are quite light trousers. They can keep out a bit of rough brush but they’re not really tough enough to withstand heavy levels of abrasion – not something to wear while you’re hauling yourself over a slate ledge on a scramble in North Wales, for instance.

Verdict

These are comfortable and certainly fine-tuned to suit adventure travel and summer hiking in the UK. The loose cut might not appeal to everyone, but it makes the Nosilife Cargo III very comfortable to wear. If you’re venturing into a hot and humid part of the world and would prefer to wear trousers instead of shorts, these should suit you well. If you want something for cold and breezy hikes, then I’d recommend looking for a pair of trousers with a thicker or more tightly woven fabric.