Keela Nevis Trousers Review 2022

Excellent 3 season, well priced pants for all mountain use. 

Pros

• Lightweight
• Excellent freedom of movement
• Stretch Tec fabric super stretchy

Cons

• None really

We recently reviewed the great Keela Pinnacle Jacket and we here at GCR always like to big up British manufacturers so we are pleased to be given the opportunity to review another Keela iconic product: the Nevis Trousers.

The Keela Nevis Trousers are a lightweight, 3 season pant suitable for all mountain use with a host of useful features. I have been using them through the autumn months for hiking and climbing in various conditions and have found them excellent in use.

Style wise the Nevis pants are a classic shape and fit. I liked the sizing options which should cater for all shapes and sizes. Although I was non plussed with then inseam sizes of 29”, 32” and 34” which seems to be mixture of American and British inseam sizing. Being 5’7” (170cms) I found the short (29 inch) inseam worked well even though I thought it might have come up short. The shape is classic straight leg and the 34” waist fitted perfectly with a belt.  

The material is Keela’s own Stretch Tec. It’s super stretchy and provided excellent freedom of movement when hiking and climbing. They will be perfect for alpine mountaineering as well as technical rock climbing. I have used them mostly for hiking and they have been super comfortable and felt light on. They also have a DWR finish so able to shed a light shower when needed.

The Keela Nevis Trousers were fine in light rain, shedding mizzle easily.

They have quickly become my go to pants for this season and I have worn them for everything except indoor climbing – but I’m sure they will be fine for that too so maybe I’ll give them an outing at the climbing gym.

The seat, knees and ankles are made from a harder wearing material which also provided stretch in both directions. This should help make the trousers more hardwearing and tear resistant, especially for when I need to use my knees climbing – which seems to be more often these days!

The Nevis trousers fitted well with a climbing harness. A bitterly cold Almscliffe Crag, Yorkshire.

There are three zipped pockets, two side and a rear pocket. I liked the size of the rear pocket which is plenty big enough to hold a wallet or phone. There are also ankle zips which are surprisingly useful for lacing up hiking and mountaineering boots and getting the trousers on and off in those confined climbing hut bunks.

The Stretch Tec material is also very fast drying so I found that an hour in a drying room was enough to dry them off and wear around the hut. Also they dried super quick on the line at home so very easy to wash and use the next day.

The Keela Nevis Trousers were super stretchy, perfect for those fast descents.

The Nevis trousers are a 3 season piece of kit. I’ve been using them through November (it has been mild this year) including some cool and breezy days and I have found them perfectly fine. I think if I use them with a base layer legging I’ll be happy using them throughout the winter. The only time I might think twice is very cold weather – perhaps Scottish winter but I think with a hardshell layer over them they would be fine. That said, I would need a more robust trouser for full on winter technical climbing but the Nevis trousers aren’t designed for that and there are better Keela alternatives.

Final touches include YKK zips throughout, a neat rise, press stud fastening on the waist belt and 2 inch belt loops to take a variety of belt sizes.

In conclusion the Keela Nevis Trousers are a great all mountain pant suitable for conditions from mid spring through to winter. They will easily pass for a warmer winter outing such as spring alpine conditions in Scotland. They are more suited to fast moving activities such as hiking and mountaineering but will perform well for rock climbing. They are well made, feel durable and use premium fabrics. The cut is generous enough for a variety of body shapes and the finishing is excellent. A recommended product at a great price from a sold UK manufacturer.

The Keela Nevis Trousers come in sizes 28” – 44” and three leg lengths: short (29”), regular (32”) and long (34”) and two colour options. I tested the Night Blue (navy) which made a nice change from usual black or grey.

There is a female specific version that comes in sizes UK8 to UK 20 and also three leg lengths: short (29”), regular (31”) and long (33”) and the same colour options as men.

SRP is £69.95 and they can be bought direct from Keela and specialist retailers.

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