Durable, versatile, and full of special features, take a look at Oli’s experience with these superb all-round walking trousers from one of our most popular outdoor brands.
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One of our most popular brands, Fjällräven has a rather enviable reputation within the outdoor industry for having a full catalogue of durable and very highly regarded outdoor clothing, packs, and tents. Scandinavia, in general, produces some of the world’s best outdoor gear, we all know it! I’m quite into my Scandinavian gear and I’ve been using a pair of Fjällräven’s Vidda Pro trousers now for 2 years. My trousers have been with me across much of the UK including countless walks and wild camps on Dartmoor, many bushcraft and campfire sessions in the woods, up mountains in the lake district, around the South West coast path, and beyond our shores. In 2019 I went trekking in Sweden for 5 nights, snowshoeing over up to 3 feet of snow in conditions as cold as –30 ͦc, I wore these trousers every day with some merino base leggings underneath. I can confidently say that these are the most dependable pair of trousers I have owned, I trust them greatly to perform as I need them to and they have not let me down once.
Where to start?
The very special trousers are absolutely packed with terrific features, enabling them to take on a great deal of different outdoor activities. To give you a brief summary of the many features hidden within the trousers I’ve annotated a picture here, I’m going to unpack each feature as we go.
Features
As you can see, with such a great pair of trousers, there is a fair amount of things to cover and what better place to start than with Fjällräven’s very special fabric, G-1000. This is Fjällräven’s very special polycotton blend material which they have used across their range on the majority of their garments. It is very durable, perfect for hardworking gear which is often brushing against hard abrasive surfaces such as a rough woodland floor or sharp Dartmoor granite. It is mosquito-proof meaning that thanks to the tough weave of the fabric, the biters can’t penetrate making it a good option for warm-season walking and camping. Due to its tight weave, it is also windproof, making it ideal for chilly days wandering the hills and peaks year-round. The fabric also breathes very well during hard activity, which makes it excellently versatile year-round, protective against the chill, and well ventilated when hot. Despite the trouser cotton content, I can absolutely promise you that the trousers are very quick drying thanks to their polyester content. What the cotton does add is durability, breathability, and very nice next-to-skin comfort. Finally, G-1000 is adaptable – the water resistance of the garment can be customised to your needs using Greenland Wax, Fjällräven’s own beeswax, and paraffin hybrid which can be applied and heat-treated in using an iron. This means that you can apply this wax to different areas of the trousers to 1 – optimise the water resistance in areas such as the front, and ankles forcing water to run off instead of absorbing into the fabric whilst 2 – keep hotter areas such as the backs of the knees supremely breathable. It’s an old-fashioned, but very effective idea for optimum performance in the outdoors.
Fjällräven certainly knows what they’re doing with these trousers and it shows, the trousers are entirely constructed from G-1000 original and are reinforced on both the rear and knees, where most pressure will be placed on the fabric. This construction certainly makes for an almost indestructible feeling garment, the stitching is excellent and the metal components used such as the poppers and zippers are superbly reliable and strong. The trouser’s sewn-in articulated knees provide and an excellent range of movement, hiking, kneeling, tree climbing, you name it, all have a very natural movement that goes completely unrestricted. To really get the point across, I can confidently say that after two years of wearing these trousers on almost every outdoor adventure I’ve taken, they still feel and look great and I am very confident that they will last me many more years to come. Fjällräven stands very strongly and proudly behind the durability of their garments, as a company with a strong ethical approach to their products and ethos, they want to make garments that last as long as possible. What’s more, they also make their products to be easily repaired by hand if say fabric was to eventually rip, not that I can really see it happen, but I do get the feeling that if I was to rip my beloved trousers, the G-1000 would be easily sewn or patched.
The features are what make these trousers special, so here we go! Let’s talk about pockets. The trousers themselves have seven in total, one decent large hand-sized pocket on each hip, and one large pocket with a press buttoned (what we call poppers) flap on the right thigh with a secret phone/snack bar pocket within. On the left thigh, you have two additional large overlapping pockets with press-buttoned flaps perfect for all sorts of things, I’ve had knives, trail mix, tent pegs, keys, dog toys, gloves, beanies, buffs, sun cream, and a spork all in there at some point plus more. Having loads of pockets is great! Furthermore, you have a specialised multi-tool pocket on the left thigh tucked behind the large pockets, it is intended predominantly for a small forest axe and it is possibly the single most Scandinavian thing ever made, move along Lego, move aside Poang chairs, dynamite, zips and pure yeast, Fjällräven’s axe pocket has you beat!
If you’re the sort to be hanging out in the woods all day, sitting under tarps by the campfire whilst whittling your favourite utensil you’ll enjoy that the knees have a flap in the bottom which allows you to slide kneepads, very useful when down on your knees getting the fire started.
The ankles on the trouser are probably my favourite feature of the trousers, hidden beneath the front hem is a small hook which is designed to latch on to the laces on your boot. This combines with the sturdy elastic strap which tightens the hem of the trousers and adjusts with poppers around the side. This is best seen in the picture at the top of this page. This keeps the hem from getting caught up in any foliage but also when combined with Greenland Wax impregnated in, it creates a decent water-resistant gaiter which keeps the wet from running into the top of your boots, I’ve found this to be a great feature that keeps the hem neat and tough providing excellent performance.
To conclude
It comes with certain gear that when they go with you to great places, perform to their best and get you through tough times, you tend to form an emotional attachment. I’m not ashamed to say that these trousers fall into some of my highest-rated kit and it is an absolute pleasure to have them along with me. They are an excellent piece of gear and with the proper care and use, I know I can push these trousers for many good adventures to come and they, in turn, will certainly help look after me. I would happily recommend these trousers to all those heading out on frequent treks, wild camps, and other rough adventures through all 4 seasons in the UK or across the sea with our Scandinavian neighbours.
