Ultralight walking/hiking trousers...

[Alf Outdoors]

Yes, surely UL only matters if you are carrying it on your back when you're on your feet. If you are carrying a pair of trousers you've got to ask yourself why. I usually hike in the spring, summer and early autumn in shorts and calf compression tubes. If I'm carrying trousers it is to wear in camp and maybe bed if it is cold. I've just convinced myself that Tracksters are the perfect answer for me.

Why?...Well anything that increases the stress on your legs, such as wearing heavy trousers and other heavy clothing, uses up more calorific energy as you walk and move around, leaving you more a fatigued and requiring more food to replace that lost energy, which in turn weighs more...It's a vicious cycle of weight gain. The only way to break the cycle is to wear ultralight clothing (Or go naked, but there are laws against that ).
I like wearing comfortable skinny jeans to go shopping in but they weigh 700g with a lightweight belt...Ridiculously heavy for hiking, so these Domyos are ideal for that use.
Another thing you may not have appreciated is that they actually weigh less than most pairs of shorts.
Weigh your favourite hiking shorts, and you will probably find they are heavier than these trousers...I know all mine are, even my lightweight Decathlon shorts.
So with these you can now have bug protection, against Mosquitos and Ticks, whilst staying ultralight.
They are also highly breathable, and dry extremely fast, unlike heavier cotton alternatives, so you can stay just as cool as when wearing shorts on hot days, and you don't need to carry the extra weight of waterproof trousers with you as they dry really fast when the rain stops.
And finally, they offer sun protection, which saves more weight as you don't need to carry heavy sun cream or spray to protect your legs from the sun.

 

[TinTin]

Found them. XL with stirrups removed are 252g I also have some optimistic large ones that are 223g and I'd estimate 215g with stirrups removed.

 

[Odd Man]

Have you considered dry weight vs wet weight? Fabrics with lot of elastane weigh a lot more wet and dry slower than fabrics with mechanical stretch.

 

[TinTin]

Why?...Well anything that increases the stress on your legs, such as wearing heavy trousers and other heavy clothing, uses up more calorific energy as you walk and move around, leaving you more a fatigued and requiring more food to replace that lost energy, which in turn weighs more...It's a vicious cycle of weight gain. The only way to break the cycle is to wear ultralight clothing (Or go naked, but there are laws against that ).
I like wearing comfortable skinny jeans to go shopping in but they weigh 700g with a lightweight belt...Ridiculously heavy for hiking, so these Domyos are ideal for that use.
Another thing you may not have appreciated is that they actually weigh less than most pairs of shorts.
Weigh your favourite hiking shorts, and you will probably find they are heavier than these trousers...I know all mine are, even my lightweight Decathlon shorts.
So with these you can now have bug protection, against Mosquitos and Ticks, whilst staying ultralight.
They are also highly breathable, and dry extremely fast, unlike heavier cotton alternatives, so you can stay just as cool as when wearing shorts on hot days, and you don't need to carry the extra weight of waterproof trousers with you as they dry really fast when the rain stops.
And finally, they offer sun protection, which saves more weight as you don't need to carry heavy sun cream or spray to protect your legs from the sun.

Nice try

 

[Bmblbzzz]

They look like 1960's Finnish skiing trousers, because of the stir ups

<sings> Stir it up, little darling, stir it up...

<becomes serious but not sombre> I always cut the stirrups off. Not cos I'm bothered about the 5 grams or whatever, just prefer the feel of them without.

 

[TinTin]

<sings> Stir it up, little darling, stir it up...

<becomes serious but not sombre> I always cut the stirrups off. Not cos I'm bothered about the 5 grams or whatever, just prefer the feel of them without.

7g

 

[Foxster]

I'm in the stirrups-on camp.

Leg bottoms are held down and so keep ankles cleaner/warmer/drier. Trousers are less flappy when running too.

 

[Fossil Bluff]

I just let me stirrups flop out the front.

 

[TinTin]

I just let me stirrups flop out the front.

I must admit that quite often happens even if I don't do it deliberately. I've been meaning to try a pair with no stirrups for years so at least this thread has pushed me to get the craft knife and scissors out. I think I'll try them on Sunday.

 

[Balagan]

Ron Hill Tracksters. A tribute to a time when eating scampi was both posh and exotic.

 

[Fossil Bluff]

Ron Hill Tracksters. A tribute to a time when eating scampi was both posh and exotic.

And came in a basket...

And there’s nothing wrong with a prawn cocktail starter, provided it’s washed down with Mateus Rose.

 

[Bmblbzzz]

I just let me stirrups flop out the front.

Not in public I hope!

 

[WilliamC]

Does anybody know how Alpkit trousers fit? From the size guide I appear to be between sizes.

 

[Alf Outdoors]

Can't beat a nice pair of "Domyos Eco Friendly Fitness Bottoms" from Decathlon. They are extremely comfortable to wear, they are vented so you never sweat in them, they have two large and secure zipped pockets and you can get them in long leg lengths, which is a rarity these days and the ankle cuffs are elasticated.
I have a pair in 34" waist/ 34" leg, my perfect size, but even if I had a 36" waist they would still fit me fine as the waist is both elasticated and has a draw cord on the inside.
The fabric is a surprisingly tough and abrasion resistant ripstop Nylon...And I can vouch for the ripstop as I accidentally landed on some barbed wire when trying to cross a fence in them several months ago and the tiny 8-9cm rip in the groin area I got had not progressed since then. I stitched it a couple of days ago, which didn't take long.
Despite the length my pair are just under 215g, making them lighter than most pairs of outdoor specific shorts.
They are also very easy to wash and dry extremely fast.
The best bit is they are extremely cheap too...Just £13.99 a pair!...You really cant go wrong with them.

 

[WilliamC]

Can't beat a nice pair of "Domyos Eco Friendly Fitness Bottoms" from Decathlon.
The fabric is a surprisingly tough and abrasion resistant ripstop Nylon...
The best bit is they are extremely cheap too...Just £13.99 a pair!...You really cant go wrong with them.

£12.99 if you go for them in grey. But perhaps the fabric has changed as the website says that they're polyester.

 

[Rob Mac]

Does anybody know how Alpkit trousers fit? From the size guide I appear to be between sizes.

I am just under 6ft and have between 34 / 36 inch waist. Bought some Teleki trousers earlier this year in a large and they are too small. Swapped for XL regular which are the correct length and fit around thighs etc but perhaps slightly big at the waist. I would say go a size up as bigger is more comfortable than tight and chafing in the wrong places!!

 

[TinTin]

£12.99 if you go for them in grey. But perhaps the fabric has changed as the website says that they're polyester.

I have a shorts version of these<< link. They are excellent. Polyester with a stretchy panel above the backside.
I'm going to order a pair of these and a pair of the ones recommended by @tarptent

 

[WilliamC]

I have a shorts version of these<< link. They are excellent. Polyester with a stretchy panel above the backside.
I'm going to order a pair of these and a pair of the ones recommended by @tarptent

I recently bought a pair of the trousers in your first link. They're incredibly light (210g in the 30" waist if I remember correctly). The material is nylon for the trousers, rather than polyester. However, the fly is incredibly short - so short that you have to unfasten the trousers to relieve yourself.

 

[Alf Outdoors]

£12.99 if you go for them in grey. But perhaps the fabric has changed as the website says that they're polyester.

You may be right...I assumed they were Nylon, but they are probably Polyester.

 

[Alf Outdoors]

OK, I went back to my local Decathlon today to get another pair of the Domyos Eco Friendly Fitness Bottoms...I noticed there are actually two different versions...The version I have (which is probably the original version?) which is not made of stretch fabric, and the other version, which is made of stretch fabric.
They differ a lot in weight...The new pair I bought which are the same as my old pair, weigh 206g with the labels on, but minus the coat hanger...The other version weighed 265g!
So be careful you don't get the wrong ones.
To avoid any doubt, take a digital kitchen scale with you and weigh them in store.

 

[Bmblbzzz]

What's the sizing of those Domyos like? When they say 32", is that actually 32 statute inches or is it what I call "trouser inches". You know, when you buy a pair to trousers labelled 32" they actually fit someone with a waist of 35". But if you go to the next size down, 30", they actually fit someone with a waist of... 30", leaving you with an actual 32" waist and nothing to fit you.

(My nearest Decathlon is 80 miles away, otherwise yes, I'd go and try them on. But I've bought things from them in the past and trust their delivery service!)

 

[Alf Outdoors]

I would say they are fairly accurate in their sizing...My 34" waist pair will stretch to 36", so a 32" waist pair will stretch to 34"...You can always try them on in store to make sure.