Columbia Silver Ridge II Convertible Pants Lightweight Walking Trousers for Men
Product Review & Walking Gear Test

Silver Ridge II Convertible Pants Lightweight Walking Trousers for Men Vital Statistics: Colours: Shade, Suede, Sage, Fossil Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL Leg Length: 30, 32, 34 SRP: £50.00 Features to Note: 100% nylon Mini Rip fabric Omni-Dry® advanced evaporation Omni-Shade® sun protection; UPF 30 Zip-off legs convert pant to shorts

Columbia says:"One minute you're tackling a ridge, the next minute you're running a river. These convertible pants are the ideal solution for both multisport outings and unpredictable weather conditions."

In-use Test:

The material is soft to the touch and very light weight. There's little or no rain repellancy but the fabric dried very quickly. I was very comfortable all day no matter what my activity level - the breathabiility of the fabric was fine.

The fit was good and seemed true to the label. Even better is that the unlined waist band includes some discrete stretchiness. The trousers come with a belt - although I did find this was prone to loosening particularly when I had a digital camera attached.

I've worn these trousers on a variety of low-ish level walks which included variously sized stiles and gradients - I found the freedom of movement to be good.

Pockets are not in short supply either. There are two relatively low jean-type pockets at the front which were easy to get my hands into.

There is also one zipped side pocket at the front. Rather surprisingly, this zip runs top to bottom so that when it's 3/4 shut, the bottom part of the pocket is still open making it possible for items to fall out. I had to remember to make sure that the zip was completely shut to be sure of securing it.

There are also two small back pockets - one with velcro, the other with a zip.

At the front there are two cargo style pockets both of which fasten using velcro. Rather splendidly, both these Velcro fastenings have little tabs which make opening them relatively easy - particularly with gloved hands. Both these were wide enough to hold a folded OS map ... but not deep enough to close the flap.

Whilst I needed to first take off my boots, the conversion to/from shorts conversion was really easy. The zip is really light weight so there was no chafing at all when in long trouser mode.

The trousers wash well and dry quickly - although require a cold wash which I must admit I find a bit of a nuisance because everything else I own I wash at 40 degrees!

Buying Advice:

These are a good value all-round summer trouser with one of the best short converting mechanisms I've seen. They are not robust enough for scrambling but great for lower level summer walking.

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