Hiking Trousers - Wide Leg Unisex Walking Trousers, Water-Repellent Softshell

Order by your waist measurement, not by the size you usually buy. These follow Asian sizing and come up smaller than the usual UK sizes, so measure your waist and pick the matching size from 26 to 40 inches, and if you are between two sizes, take the larger one. The waistband is elasticated with an internal drawcord, so a size up still sits snug. Check the size guide on this page before you order.

No. They are water-repellent: a PFC-free finish on the softshell face makes rain bead and roll off, so a passing shower or a damp morning doesn't get in, and the fabric dries fast if it does. An hour of steady rain will eventually come through. For that, carry shell trousers. For every other day, these are the pair you wear.

Yes. The woven softshell face is wind-resistant, which is the main thing a softshell does that jeans and cotton trousers don't. On a ridge or a coast path the wind stays outside while your own heat still gets out through the fabric.

That's what the side zips are for. Long zips run down the side seams; open them on the way up and heat leaves without stopping to change. The fabric itself breathes, so these are nothing like a pair of waterproofs over jeans. On a hot summer day you may still want a lighter trouser; see the quick-dry pair linked above.

Not when it's cuffed. Every leg has an ankle drawcord: pull it and the hem cinches above your boot and out of the mud, let it out and the leg falls straight. Most people walk cuffed and wear them straight afterwards.

There is one leg length per waist size. If it comes up long on you, the ankle drawcord takes up the slack and gives a tapered, cuffed hem rather than a crumpled one. If you are tall, wear them straight; the relaxed cut sits lower than a slim trouser would.

Both. They are a unisex trouser ordered by waist size, 26 to 40 inches, and the relaxed wide leg suits either. Measure your waist, pick that size, and go up one if you sit between two.

Two slash hand pockets, both zip-secured, so a phone and keys stay put. There are no thigh or back pockets; this is a clean, plain trouser rather than a cargo, which is part of why it works in town.

No. A softshell has a soft, quiet handle, which is the first thing people notice after years of waterproof overtrousers. They move and sound like ordinary trousers.

The water-repellent treatment on the fabric is a BIONIC-FINISH ECO finish made without the fluorocarbons used in older coatings. It does the same job, making rain bead and roll off the face of the fabric, without the chemistry that lingers in the environment.

They are not insulated. In cold weather the wind-resistant face does a lot on its own, and a base layer underneath turns them into a cold-day trouser. For sleet, snow and standing around in the cold, the insulated pair linked above is the one.

Send them back. They're covered by the 30-day return policy. If the fit's the issue, the size guide above is the place to start: measure your waist, match it to the chart, and remember these come up small, so the larger size is the safer order.