A great, lightweight, slim fitting pant that is suitable for climbing and hiking.

I’ve been climbing in a pair of Rab Copperhead jeans and Hueco cords for a season now and have been very impressed with the fit and function of the new style Rab legwear. With that in mind I was very keen to try out the lightweight, technical version – the Rab Traverse pants. The Rab traverse pants are a great lightweight pant styled in a similar way to the jeans and cord but with some differences that you would find useful in the mountains or general travel.

The cut and style is just about the same as the Copperheads and Hueco pans so if you have used either of those your fitting will be the same. If you haven’t they are a slim fit – so narrow hips, close to the thighs and straight leg. My waist can be anywhere between a 32 and 33” (UK sizes) so I find the the 32” waist fits around the waist but is ever so slightly tight across the backside. However, I do a lot of running and mountaineering so my legs would be bigger than your average sport climber and boulderer. If you if do not run so much then the fit would be better. The general style, though, is very modern with a nice slim cut that wouldn’t look out of place in the pub or in a casual social situation.

The features include 2, jeans style, front pockets; a zipped back pocket on the right hand side; a zipped thigh pocket that was plenty big enough for phones or route descriptions; articulated knees for those high step ups and reinforced instep patches for durability when scraping along those gritstone traverses or heading down rough scree. So, a nice set of features without being overloaded. I had some minor issues with the zipped thigh pocket – I would have liked to have a pull tag on the zip as when the zip went into the ‘garage’ it was tricky to access (especially with gloves on) and also the zip direction was facing down as I unzipped and it would be better if it zipped the the other way as it makes accessing the pocket easier for climbing. The thigh pocket is finished with an embroidered Rab logo in the same colour scheme with adds to the understated look. The waistband has belt loops and the button closure has a neat cover that helps comfort when wearing a harness or pack waist belt.

The material is single weave Matrix (which is a standard material used across the whole Rab range) with a little stretch in it. It’s nice and lightweight and the size 32 weighed in at 285g. They are definitely much lighter than the Copperhead jeans and even the Hueco cords (which are quite light themselves) and the Matrix material has proved durable enough for all the climbing activities I have used them for. The other benefits are that they are quick drying both on the move and from the wash and they don’t need ironing (always a bonus in my book). I didn’t give them any special treatment and just chucked them in the washing machine with everything else and they have come out fine.

So, I would say that the Rab Traverse Pants are more versatile in the mountains than the Hueco Cord or Copperhead jeans. They’re the same fit but with the quick drying Matrix more useful as they look great both on the crag and in the pub and would be a great item for your travel and adventure wardrobe.

The Rab Traverse Pants come in men’s sizes 30 to 38” waist and regular inseam. Colours are Cumin (tan) and Steel (grey).

SRP: £70 and they are available direct from Rab and various retailers.