Montane Men’s Tenacity Pants: first impressions
Lightweight and functional, Montane Men’s Tenacity Pants are perfect for a whole range of outdoor activities across three seasons, but they are primarily designed for trekking and walking. I have been testing them out for a few months, to see whether they’re worthy of joining the pantheon of pants that Advnture deems the best hiking pants on the planet.
• List price: $129 (US) / £100 (UK)
• Style: Softshell hiking trousers
• Gender specificity: Men’s only
• Sizes: 28in-40in
• Leg length options: Short / Regular / Long
• Weight: 425g / 15oz
• Materials: Nylon (88%), elastane (12%)
• Colors: Black / Oak Green / Olive
• Compatibility: Three-season walking, hiking, trekking and backpacking
They are constructed with a softshell material Montane calls Granite, which is primarily nylon, but contains a comparatively large percentage of elastane, providing these trousers with a massive amount of dynamic stretch.
This Granite fabric is lightweight, but gives a decent degree of thermal protection from the cold, and also shields the wearer from the worst of the wind. It’s also been treated with a PFC-free DWR (durable water repellent).
These pants have two hand pockets, plus one thigh pocket and one back pocket, all of which have YKK zips, so you can keep things secure. There is no large map pouch, however, and the interior backing of the pockets is mesh.
The Tenacity trousers are done up with a sliding popper and come with a simplistic (but perfectly functional) belt, which is integrated into the design of the pants by passing through a long waist sleeve. They have a zipped gusset at the bottom of the legs for use with larger boots.
Montane Men’s Tenacity Pants: on the trails
I’ve been wearing these Tenacity hiking trousers on a wide range of coastal and countryside day walks during a fairly feisty spring, which has thrown everything at me, from torrential rain and biting chilly winds to some generous sun. So far, I have found them to be an ideal for all kinds of trail pursuits in fast-changing conditions.
These softshell trousers are very light – in fact, they’re so light on your legs you do occasionally have to look down to check they’re still there. Despite the thin material, the Tenacity pants provide decent protection from the wind and keep your legs fairly warm. And, although they’re not waterproof, they do shrug off light rain thanks to the PFC-free DWR treatment – and if it does get soaked, the material is quick to dry.
The knees are articulated and the four-way stretch of Montane’s Granite material works exceptionally well. The Tenacity pants don’t restrict your freedom of movement at all, and I found I could clamber over boulders, walls, stiles and fallen trees with no problem. They’re also ideal for fastpacking, scrambling or even full-on rock climbing. One downside of all this stretch, however, is that these trousers do seem prone to giving you wedgies.
The pockets are fairly functional, although personally I prefer non-zipped hand pockets on the front of trousers, because they’re more comfortable. The thigh pocket isn’t big or baggy enough to be much practical use – you certainly can’t get a sheet map in it. All the pockets are backed with mesh, which is great for ventilation and keeping the garment’s weight down, but it does mean they’re not particularly robust; a set of keys would probably put a hole in them after a while and you can often feel the contents against your leg.
The integrated belt is basic, but it works well enough. Some people might dislike the lack of belt loops, because it makes it harder to wear these trousers with a belt of your choice (or to clip anything to said belt when camping) but I found the one supplied to be more than adequate.
The zipped gusset on the bottom of the legs allows you to pair these trousers with more serious hiking boots, which proves useful during bigger backpacking escapades and on technical terrain, when bulkier boots are required. These pants are capable of tackling such adventures, but only during the warmer months, and not at too much altitude. They’re really in their element during long day walks and fair-weather overnighters.
