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Montane’s Terra Alpine Shorts form part of the Terra Pants range that cover a variety of activities in a range of weathers. In this case, these softshell shorts were designed for milder conditions. To test this out a few days hiking in, what happened to be, changeable weather was certainly the ideal start for someone that hasn’t tried this range of gear before. To give you a brief introduction about myself I’m one of those people who will happily wear shorts for 99% of the year, come rain or snow, date night or a meal with the in-laws, so testing Montane’s Terra Alpine Shorts, was the perfect opportunity for me.

For hiking, I tend to use more of a lightweight running short, as I am always warm. I also like to stash any items in my rucksack and prefer to wear a more breathable option so the first thing I really noticed when putting these on was the 276g weight of this item- one of the ‘heavier’ pair of shorts we stock. I was concerned that this would be very noticeable throughout my walk but once moving and enjoying the surroundings heading up Fremington Edge, in stunning Swaledale, it was easy to forget about this aspect of the short as they were highly flexible. The length was just right for me- covering my knee and limiting the exposure for when I went through areas that could be prone to ticks.

For those who love pocket space there are 3 zip pockets one of which includes a hidden zipped credit card pocket- what a great addition and perfect for not having to dig into my rucksack to get my card out when I popped into the nearby ice cream parlour and for cake at the Dales Bike Centre during my time here. I’m still unsure as to why a third pocket on shorts are required though, they always feel to me to be at the wrong height and I feel that if you do put in anything heavier than a lip balm in it you just feel it constantly knocking against your leg. Despite this I did trial it with a few things- phone, lip balm and nibbles but in the end I got frustrated by this sensation on my leg and left it empty.

As I headed up in what was surprisingly warm muggy weather, I didn’t even notice the fleece lined waist band which felt more padded than anything but I would certainly appreciate this more on those milder walks later in the year. At this point I opened all of the mesh pockets to allow some more air in but within minutes the first of many downpours struck. Thankfully the DWR coating helped here and I didn’t feel anymore weight added to the shorts and they dried before I had even had time to check how wet they were.

I’m an awkward 33” waist but the medium fit was the right size for me and the belt didn’t need much adjustment at all. I reckon this would cover anyone from a 32 – 34” waistline. The belt also felt solid and reliable, plus, with the addition of the double press stud closure on the waist, there was no movement at all on the waist and this combination felt strong and reliable.

I wore these for the full weekend, hiking, scrambling up muddy slopes, climbing over gates, getting lost/taking a diversion, pitching a tent and attempting to get comfortable sitting on rocks not designed for humans, whilst the rain came and went all weekend and couldn’t find a fault with them, apart from the one lower pocket but that’s more of a personal problem. I’m new to the world of Montane Terra Pants but I can certainly see why they’re a very popular range and come the next milder day or multi-day hike I would certainly use these again.

Rob Farquhar
Rob has always enjoyed being on a bike ever since he was a child. It started out with road bikes but he now prefers mountain biking. Since moving closer to the Yorkshire Dales and now the North York Moors he’s started to do more walks and is hoping his 18 month old, stubborn, dog will start to join him on some soon. He has completed the Coast To Coast (C2C) on his mountain bike, the Yorkshire 3 Peak challenge twice, has attempted to hike up Ojos Del Salado; the highest volcano on earth and highest peak in Chile. He also enters at least one mountain bike event a year, just for a laugh. Rob has been working in the outdoor retail industry since 2012. Read more from Rob Farquhar