Páramo was founded in 1984 by Nick Brown, the same chap we have to thank for popular clothing and gear aftercare brand Nikwax. In fact, you’ll notice the Nikwax logo on all of Páramo’s products, the brand constructs all its clothing using various Nikwax directional textiles to achieve the desired performance.
What are directional textiles? I hear you ask. Well, pretty much all of Páramo’s fabrics are designed to let moisture escape while keeping varying degrees of wind, water and cold out, depending on the fabric. It’s the brand’s own take on performance fabrics and it means you won’t find any hint of a Gore-Tex or Polartec logo here – everything is done in-house.
I was eager to test the Alta Trek Trousers (available direct from Páramo), which boast the Nikwax Wind Resistor fabric, to see how they’d perform when hiking, scrambling and generally having a jolly good time in the mountains of North Wales.
Meet the reviewer
First Impressions
List price: £125 (UK)
Style: Windproof hiking pants
Gender specificity: Men’s and Women’s versions available
Sizes: Men’s: S to XXL; Women’s: XS to XXL
Weight: 428g / 15oz
Materials: Nikwax Wind Resistor – 100% polyester microfiber fabric
Colors: Black
Compatibility: Walking, hiking, trekking, scrambling
Some of the benefits of the Wind Resistor fabric are apparent immediately. The Alta Trek Trousers are supremely comfortable. In fact, I’d go as far as to say they're the most comfortable hiking pants I’ve ever worn, certainly in terms of everyday wear. Not only is the fabric wonderfully soft against the skin, its 4-way stretch provides excellent freedom of movement. I’m someone who liked to move fast, light and unencumbered, so I felt as though I’d found the pair of hiking pants I’d always wanted.
Features
As its name suggests, the Wind Resistor fabric blocks gusts and gales but isn’t fully waterproof. However, it is water-resistant thanks to a Nikwax PFC-free DWR (durable water repellent) treatment, which can easily be reapplied with Nikwax’s aftercare products when performance starts to suffer. This means that the Alta Treks are fine in changeable conditions and they kept my legs dry even in some pretty heavy showers, though I’d always carry a lightweight pair of rain pants to throw over the top in case of prolonged downpours in the mountains.
The fabric is also highly breathable, moisture wicking and fast drying. My small pair of men’s trousers weighed in at 428g (15oz), which is relatively lightweight for a pair of hiking pants. It will be interesting to see how hardwearing they prove to be in the long run but, having tested them for several months, I’ve no complaints as of yet.
Personally, I like plenty of zippered pockets and the Alta Treks come with four. There’s two hand-warmer pockets above larger, map-sized thigh pockets, which gave me ample storage on the trails. Perhaps the top pockets would have been better as open pockets for those who like to rest their hands in there, after all, that’s why they’re called hand-warmers.
But, hold on, there’s zips down the side too? These aren’t pockets, but zippered openings that reveal an interior mesh that's designed to be opened up to provide additional ventilation. The openings aren't huge and I was dubious about how much of a difference they would make, yet I was surprised at just how much airflow they provided on warmer days.
Another plus are the adjustable hems at the bottom of each leg. Three popper closures enabled me to open them up for fitting around a pair of hiking shoes, before tightening to the inner closure to keep everything snug. I’ve snagged loose fitting hems in the past, which can have dangerous consequences when scrambling, so these little touches go a long way in terms of performance in the mountains.
The waist features dual popper closure, a zipfly, belt loops and three brace loops. There’s a little bit of stretch here and for casual wear you can get away without having to wear a belt. However, once out and about in the hills, the ability to tighten them up is a big help. At the back, the yoke is high sitting, providing additional protection.
The Alta Treks are only available in black but they’re smart looking. Besides, black goes with everything, doesn't it?
In the mountains
I tested the Alta Treks on various hikes and scrambling routes in North Wales' Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, as well as for everyday wear. Aside from a cozy pair of jogging bottoms, these are pretty much the comfiest pair of pants in my closet.
I hugely appreciated the freedom of movement they provide in the mountains, allowing me to scramble totally unrestricted. If you like dynamic hiking adventures, these are the trousers for you.
When the side vents are zipped up, they’re pleasantly warm, which is great for shoulder season hiking. They’d be too warm for balmy summer afternoons, were it not for the zippered side vents. Yet, vents open, I was totally comfortable scrambling around on hot days.
Now then, the Alta Trek Trousers aren’t marketed as rain pants, though Páramo say the Wind Resistor fabric "deflects the rain". I'd previously questioned Páramo's claims about rain repellency when testing its otherwise great Páramo Bentu Windproof Jacket, although the jacket used the brand's Duology fabric, not the Wind Resistor fabric used here.
However, my experience of wearing the Alta Treks in relatively heavy rain was overwhelmingly positive. Somehow, my legs stayed remarkably dry, even though the trousers appeared to be saturated. Not only this, once the deluge ceased, it wasn’t long before they were totally dry again. I’m not saying that they’d keep you completely dry for several hours in sustained downpours, but they do cope very well in the wet, better than the vast majority of standard hiking pants.
All in all, I can highly recommend these excellent and highly useable pants, both for everyday wear and fast adventures in the hills.
