The Vault Regulars

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Rohan Ether trousers (Not Pants)

 At the end of our last walk we headed back to the bus station in Manchester via the Rohan Shop which was having a Sale.
 Since losing a bit of weight over the last few months, i’ve gone from 88.7kg to 74.0 kg so far btw.
But it now means that all my current walking trousers are too big.
 Rohan can be a bit on the pricey side to say the least but the quality is generally assured. We do like the gear from them (boots apart) and my birthday is fast approaching.
 So i had it in my head to have a look at the Ether trousers which are said to be extremely light.
Eventually a pair was picked, purchased and Sheila has kindly bought them for my birthday.

         -   The stated weight is 200 grams per pair so i was shocked to find that the trousers less the belt was actually 160 grams. Size 32 waist, regular leg length.

        -    The material is Hollow Core polypropylene which gives them the windproof property.
        -    Total UV sun block and have been treated with Dynamic Moisture Control which will keep you cool in hot and humid conditions. (Not that we get too many days like this in UK) Great for those holidays abroad.
        -     Non Iron, crease resistant. (Believe that you’ll believe anything.) Non Iron maybe, but crease resistant! No.
        -     Drying time - 2 hours
        -     Highly wind resistant.
        -     Pack size 0.6 Litres
        -     Pockets, 2 front hand pockets, left one has a key fob. 1 rear wallet pocket. All 3 are mesh type for good ventilation. The rear wallet pocket also doubles as a packaway pocket.
        -     Zips, All YKK. (Std zip type)
        -     Articulated Knees.
        -     Durable material.  (TBC)
        -     The belt supplied is a quick release type and i am pleased to say it’s design is different to ones i have used in the past which i have found comes undone much too easily when wearing a rucksack. It will be interesting to see how i get on with this one.
  The belt weight is 35 grams and is also held secondary to the trousers by a press stud. So all in, the trouser and belt weighed 195 grams. For those who want to save weight even further, the belt could be replaced with a lighter one. I’m happy with the one supplied although i have found one on an old pair of Peter Storm Pocket pants that weighs 15 gr.
        -      Colour - Charcoal.
The one thing that surprised me a little was that they had not been treated with an insect repellant like the Craghoppers Nosilife range of clothes, considering anywhere hot and humid is bound to have mozzies of one type or another. So when i wash these i will be doing so with a Permethrin additive.

 The stitching quality is excellent as you would expect on a pair of trousers with a retail price of £88. The Sale price was £70.

So that’s a first look at the trousers. I will update the page when i have had them for a while.

Update January 2014
Definitely not suitable for backpacking but ideal as a second pair for those evenings after a wet day. Suitable for summer day walking or holidays/light travel.  

7 comments:

  1. Might look for those trousers. Where I live we would call them pants. Well done fror losing the weight I am currently giving it a go, but 74Kg wow you must be like a skeleton.

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  2. Hi Greg.
    Hardly a skeleton.4kg to go.
    Pants are undies to me.
    If its lightweight you want, I doubt there are many much lighter, if any, out there.

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  3. Seems pretty light for a pair of pants ..... sorry, trousers! But they sound good for summer, so it'd be interesting to find out about your longer-term experience.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jules, obviously i have not put them through their paces yet but i would be looking for them to cope with 3 season use. They should do this with being windproof but we will see and i will report back later.

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  4. In your update in January you state that the trousers are not suitable for backpacking, could you elaborate on this?

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    Replies
    1. Hi, After a 3 day backpacking trip wearing the Ether’s i had a number of small holes in the seat area of the trouser. In my honest opinion, if i used them on long trips then my feeling is that the small holes would end up much bigger and the quantity would likely increase. They are just not man enough for a sustained trip where you need to depend on all the equipment you take. Now if they had a double layer on the seat and knees then they may be ok. Yes the weight would increase slightly but should be far more suitable. These trousers cost me £80 so i really want to say they are fantastic but my review is an honest reflection of what i found.

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    2. Sorry that should be £70 not £80.

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