These are durable and warm softshell walking trousers that have all the right attributes for winter hiking.

The fleece lining inside them is very comfortable against the skin, while the softshell blocks out the wind and shrugs off abrasion too. The PFC-free water repellent treatment and synthetic materials make these capable of withstanding light rain but there is a threshold, so you’re going to want some waterproof overtrousers if anything more than light rain is forecast. They have good articulation; I found I could scramble in them without any tension at the crotch.

There are 5 pockets altogether, all of which are zipped. They’re all a similar size and are only really big enough to accommodate a phone or map that’s folded in half.

The ankle cuffs have looped toggled bungees for volume adjustment and there’s therefore some risk of entanglement with crampon spikes. I’ve seen worse though – the bungee is at least held by a little tab that keeps it from dangling out of the trouser leg. There’s also a handy hook for securing your trouser ends down over your hiking boots.

The waist has an integrated belt and a zipped fly topped by top press studs. I was surprised to find that the 33 waist was far too small for me when I tested these. It had me thinking I’d put on weight, but I’ve since found out that all my other trousers, which are 32, still fit me just fine. So you might want to go up a waist size with these.