Meet the reviewer
Revolution Race Nordwand Pro: first impressions
Revolution Race's Nordwand Pro pants are a slightly improved version of the brand’s excellent flagship Nordwand pants. Designed iteratively over several years, this product helped turn Revolution Race into one of the biggest Scandinavian outdoor brands today thanks to the well-thought-out features, the pants’ durability, and their stretchy yet comfortable fit. So, how do the ‘Pro’ trousers compare to this already beloved line, and are they worth splurging £30 more on?
• List price: $149 (US) / £119 (UK)
• Sizes available: XS-3XL
• Materials: Fabric 1: Polyester (65%), cotton (35%); Fabric 2: Polyamide (94%), elastane (6%)
• Weight (medium): 620g / 22oz
• Colors: Forest Green, Anthracite, Mud, Rusty Orange, Deep Ocean, Moonlit Ocean, Kalamata, Burnt Olive, Charcoal Black, Brindle/Chocolate Chip, Black/Aloe, Earth Camo, Forest Camo
• Compatibility: Hiking, trekking, climbing, scrambling, camping
Weighing 620g in size medium, Nordwand Pro trousers from Revolution Race are a thick, durable and relatively heavy pair of hiking pants that are designed for reliable year-round use on the toughest adventures. Windproof, water resistant and stretchy along both the knees and in the crotch in order to deliver maximum flexibility when traversing arduous terrain, these trousers have been ‘built to last’ – and they’ve quickly become one of the Swedish brand’s most popular trousers.
When bought directly from Revolution Race, Nordwand Pros will set you back $149 / £119. While that’s by no means cheap, they still come in almost £100 cheaper than the ever-popular and eerily similar Fjällräven Keb trousers, which will set you back £215 when bought directly through Fjällräven.
Revolution Race Nordwand Pro: in the wild
I’ve had the Revolution Race Norwand Pros for quite a while now, and in that time I’ve been able to test them in a ton of different conditions. Wearing them through the winter, I’ve taken them on icy climbs in the Cairngorms, snowy walks through Bannau Brycheiniog (née Brecon Beacons), on rainy woodland wanders through the Chiltern Hills and even on a rare balmy winter’s day in the Alps when the temperature hovered around 18°C.
I’ve put them up against howling wind and pouring rain, as well as snow, crampon spikes and the odd rocky scramble. So, while I’ve not been able to test these pants long-term or over multiple seasons, I still feel pretty informed in regards to how they perform. So, what are they like?
The first thing I really appreciate about the Revolution Race Nordwand Pro pants is the clear consideration that’s been made on the panelling. When you first put them on, they can feel super thick and a little wooden, like you shouldn’t be able to move in them at all. But the second you start going, the stretchy panels around the knee, groin, rear and hips literally spring into action. There’s no chafing, no rubbing and no restriction in movement whatsoever. These perform more like a pair of jogging trousers or long, stretchy running pants than a pair of heavyweight hiking pants – only that they keep you warm and dry in wet and windy conditions.
What’s more, the pockets and – perhaps more importantly – where they’re placed is also really smart. For starters, you’ve got the standard hip pockets you get on most trousers, as well as two larger zipped pockets above the thigh. These are perfect for storing bits and bobs you want in easy reach when ascending or descending, and the left one even comes with an internal net pouch that’s the perfect size for a smartphone. As all of the pockets are built into the hypershell material, anything you put in them will be safe from wind and rain showers. Which brings onto another feature I found particularly useful when out on winter hikes: their ability to keep you dry.
Revolution Race Nordwand Pro: how dry do they keep you?
Now, just to be clear, the Revolution Race Nordwand Pro trousers are not waterproof – nor does Revolution Race claim them to be. Instead, they’re sold as being water ‘resistant’, which means they’ll put up with light showers.
In my experience, however, this is often meaningless, implying little more than the material comes with some sort of DWR coating. But not with the Nordwand Pros.
I wore these on a rainy hike out to a bothy in the Cairngorms in January where, because the forecast promised a dry day, I packed my waterproof rain pants right in the bottom of the main compartment of my bag. Not wanting to pull everything out just to put them on, I walked over 10km in sustained (albeit light) rainfall, assuming I would now have to spend the whole night drying out my trousers over the stove in the bothy.
To my surprise, however, these trousers fended off the rain the whole time, with my legs arriving bone dry after about two hours of wet weather hiking. And I didn’t even need to take them off, let alone dry them over a stove. That’s not to say that you should wear these in a deluge, but it is nice to know that you’re still safe if you get caught out and can’t get your overtrousers on immediately, as tends to be the case with most ‘water-resistant’ products in my experience.
How windproof and warm are Revolution Race Nordwand Pro pants?
What’s more, the Revolution Race Nordwand Pro trousers also perform excellently in the wind. Even when trekking through 80km/h gusts across the summit of Cairngorm, these trousers shut it all out completely.
Thanks to the windproof nature of the trousers, as well as the durable material they’re made from, I’ve found them to be a little too thick when hiking on the warmest days. For hikes in anything above 20° Celsius, I’d therefore opt for something thinner and more breathable, which is a rare consideration in the UK. For that reason, I see the Nordwand Pros as solid three-season legwear, the type of trousers you’d wear through fall, spring and winter.
What extra features do Revolution Race Nordwand Pro pants have?
When it comes to extra features, the Nordwand Pros also come with handy clips around the ankle to cinch these trousers down over boots. They also come with a clip to attach the front of the pants to laces, as well as reinforced panelling around the sides of the boot for extra protection against crampon spikes.
Finally, it’s also worth noting what these trousers cost. Coming in at £119, they’re substantially cheaper than many of the alternatives out there, and are remarkably reasonably priced for what you get. Especially when you compare these with the Fjällräven Keb trousers (the design I suspect Revolution Race was inspired by), the difference in quality, utility and feature set is minimal, whereas the Nordwand Pros cost almost half as much.
That’s why, for me, the Revolution Race Nordwand Pros represent serious value for money, and I think they offer some of the best bang for your buck on the market right now.
