The Softshell Trail Trousers are wide-leg, water-repellent walking trousers built for changeable UK weather and everyday wear - light, soft and cut to move from the trail straight into town. A BIONIC-FINISH ECO water-repellent finish sheds a passing shower while the softshell face stays breathable and quiet, so you are not stuck choosing between technical kit and something you would actually wear off the hill.
Made from a 100% polyester woven softshell with a wind-resistant face and a soft handle, they carry an elasticated drawcord waist, two zip-secured slash hand pockets, long side-seam zips for airflow and an articulated knee that keeps your stride free over rough ground.
Cinch the ankle drawcord for a tapered, out-of-the-mud fit or wear it straight for a relaxed wide leg - one trouser that works on the hill and everywhere after it. You order by waist size from 26 to 40 inches, and the elasticated drawcord waistband gives a flexible, comfortable fit.
Key Features:
Whether you are heading up a fell or just out for the day, the Softshell Trail Trousers are the pair you reach for when you want to dress once and forget about it. Layer them with a Terrabound fleece when the temperature drops.
• Free delivery on orders £50+
• We have a 30 day return policy
Check out our shipping policy and our returns policy for more information.
A wide-leg walking trouser in a quiet, breathable softshell with a water-repellent finish, side zips for the climb and an ankle drawcord you wear straight or cuffed. One trouser for the hill and everything after it.
A wide leg cut like a pair of fashion trousers would. These are cut like walking trousers that happen to be roomy. Pull the ankle drawcord and the hem cinches clear of the mud and out of the wind; let it out and they fall straight for the walk into town. The knee is darted so a high step never pulls at the thigh, and the waist is elasticated with a drawcord, so nothing digs in on the climb and nothing slides on the way down. Room to move, not room to flap.
The softshell face carries a PFC-free water-repellent finish, so rain beads and rolls instead of soaking in. You keep walking through the shower that would have sent you back to the car for the waterproofs.
A wind-resistant woven face takes the edge off a ridge or a coast path, and because it is a softshell and not a membrane, your own heat gets out. No sweatbox, no rustle.
Long zips run down the side seams. Open them on the way up and the heat leaves without stopping to strip a layer; close them at the top when the wind picks up.
An ankle drawcord in every leg. Cinch it for a tapered hem that stays out of the mud and the bike chain; let it out for a straight wide leg at the pub. Same trouser, no change in the car park.
Two slash hand pockets, both zip-secured, so a phone and keys stay put over a stile and through a scramble. Nothing to think about, nothing on the path behind you.
Elasticated drawcord waist, darted knee, relaxed wide leg. Comfortable on the hill, and plain enough that nobody in town knows they're walking trousers.
to wear every pair: ankle cinched for the mud and the wind, or straight for a relaxed wide leg. The drawcord decides, not your wardrobe.
from 26 to 40 inches, ordered by your measured waist. An elasticated drawcord waistband takes up the slack between sizes.
Meadow Purple, Black, Graphite Grey and Beige. Same softshell, same finish, same zips and drawcords in every one.
Keep the waterproofs in the pack for the day it sets in. These are for every other day.
The two-trouser day goes like this: jeans for the drive, waterproofs pulled on over them in a lay-by, sweat on the way up, rustle all the way down, then back into the damp jeans for the café. A softshell with a water-repellent finish is the whole fix. It beads off the shower, breathes on the climb, blocks the wind at the top, and looks like a pair of trousers when you sit down afterwards. Dress once in the morning. Forget about it.
Three decisions in the build, and each one answers a complaint you'll find in any walking-trouser test:
Honest limits: the finish is water-repellent, not waterproof, so an hour of steady rain is still a job for shell trousers. They are not insulated, so on a cold day they go over a base layer, and for sleet there is the insulated pair below. And there is one leg length per waist size: the ankle drawcord takes up any slack.
Want something lighter and quicker-drying for warm days? See the Men's Hiking Trousers. Sleet and standing snow? The Insulated Hiking Trousers. When the temperature drops, layer these with the Men's Fleece Jacket or the Women's Fleece Jacket.
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.
We prioritise rugged durability over fast-fashion trends.
Quality equipment backed by a clear 30-day return policy.
Practical advice and help from a team that actually cares.
