Montane Mens Terra Pants Review

Offering great breathability and durability, the Terra Pants are a serious pair of walking trousers that are ideal for anyone wanting a good mix of comfort with great technical features. Their price bracket puts them within the mid-range for walking trousers however for this cost you get some serious value for money, they were tried and tested over the course of a 3-day excursion to the Peak District where they were put through long day-hikes, wet weather and even scrambling…and they survived.

So first things first, the fabrics. There’s 2 main fabrics used on the trousers which I will aesthetically refer to as the ‘light grey’ areas and the ‘black’ areas. Both offer great breathability and wind-proofing which makes them perfect for a mix of weather conditions so whether it’s hot or cold they manage to keep your core temperature the same which really helps to make your hikes much more enjoyable without having to worry about constantly being too hot or too cold.

The fabrics are also very soft against the skin to ensure no irritation occurs. I wore these for 3 days straight and didn’t once have any discomfort with the fabrics rubbing against my skin.

The light grey areas are the softer fabrics which are a little more flexible and lightweight and these are used in all the general areas to cover the legs and give protection from the elements. The black areas however are a much more rugged material which offers some serious durability in all the areas you’re going to need it such as on the knees, inside leg, back of the heels and even on the bum for taking a break.

Both materials are very durable but this black fabric is surprisingly strong, especially due to how lightweight it is you just don’t expect it, but these were bashed around a lot whilst climbing over boulders and scrambling up a 600meter waterfall and not a single scratch mark or stain has appeared on them!

My only quarrel about the fabrics is that there’s no stretch to them whatsoever which is a shame since I’d have liked a little more freedom of movement within the trousers when scrambling etc and I did feel quite restricted in some instances when lifting my leg up and over a boulder.

On the lower leg you’ve got a nice array of poppers which will allow you to tighten the grip around your boots as much as you’d like, I personally used them when the heavens decided to open and I quickly poppered the lower trouser tightly to help get my waterproof layers over the top.

Leading from the cuff you also have the added bonus of a nice sized zipper on either side which really helps to increase the gap around your lower leg whilst getting your big heavy boots on and tying up laces. Moving up the trouser you then have these additional zippers which run from the hip to just above the knee area, unzipping these opens up very generous ventilation ports on either side. These really help when the sun decides to come out and you just need that little extra bit of air flushing through, and there’s a soft mesh fabric behind this to ensure good amounts of air can pass through, but keep out unwanted insects etc.

The usual two pockets are fine, again the soft mesh fabric is used as an inner lining so they don’t rub against your skin and also ensures whatever items you put in the pocket wont scratch. A nice added touch is the internal pocket which they’ve incorporated in the right hand pocket which folds out and just gives you a little more storage space and is also zipped so I used mine just to put change and receipts in.

Then at the top of the trousers they feature a very thin belt which in all fairness I didn’t really have any preference on, if it wasn’t there I probably wouldn’t have missed it, but I guess it can’t hurt to have one there? But the great feature at the top are the elasticated edges of the trouser. These things were a godsend for me personally, especially when we were climbing, it just gave me that added flexibility in the trouser to be able to move into awkward positions without any discomfort around my waist and also comes in handy after a nice big pub lunch! 

Overall a top walking trouser from Montane here, offering a great amount of features on a mid-level trouser and giving a very comfortable experience whilst wearing them. My only personal issue was that I’d have liked more flexibility in the overall fabrics of the trouser and not just some elasticity around the waist, but we were doing some very demanding activities with the scrambling etc so if you’re just looking for a good trouser for general hiking and walking, this will do the job nicely and more.