Blog

I spent 2 whole weeks, day in, day out in  Haglofs rugged flex Pant, a soft shell, durable hiking trouser. I walked a coast-to-coast crossing of Scotland and, wanting to save weight, brought one pair of trousers to hike in, and a Marino woollen base layer to sleep in, so this pair of trousers and I became well acquainted, they come with one caveat, as I will get on to, but overall, these are the best pants I could have taken for such a journey.

Their main quality is in the name, they are indeed rugged and they flex. Built from 2 main fabrics, a harder wearing weave, Haglofs call Climatic, over the front of the trouser and also along the back of the leg, as well as a 4-way stretch double weave called FlexAble, this makes up the leg, and rear seat of the trouser, which provide a lot of stretch and also a good amount of wind resistance. These two combine to create a very tough, yet flexible technical trouser, which is basically suited to all outdoor pursuits.

They shed dirt and water incredibly well, I’m not one for carrying waterproof over trousers, so I can attest to the high DWR of these pants. They repel even moderate rain well, but of course, over a two-week trip across Scotland, I did at times get soaked, sometimes by the rain, other times from river crossings, they dry very well, and quickly. At the end of my 2-week trip, I was shocked at how clean they looked, and I had the bright orange ones on, so it would definitely show up.

They are an excellent fit, a true technical trouser, meaning they are a close fit, but by no means constrictive. In fact, the amount of movement they allow is liberating. The Elasticated waistband increases movement and comfort, and also eliminates the use of a belt ( or at least it did for me) which is always a bonus, especially when taking a hip belt into consideration, one less thing to potentially cause irritation or rubbing. The duel buttons used to fasten the trouser, provide a secure and comfortable fastening, that once again helps increase movement. The bottom hem of the trouser has a Velcro fastening so, the, already close-fitting trousers, can be cinched even tighter for activities such as rock climbing, this was a real boon in Scotland as the tics were rife, and the trousers did an excellent job of repelling the little blighters, my walking buddies, who had chosen to wear shorts were not so lucky.

I have heaped a lot of praise onto these trousers, so let’s address a feature I’m not such a fan of, most notably the pockets. The trousers have 3 pockets in total: two hand pockets and a hip pocket, and all of them are on the small end of the scale. My mobile phone, not the largest model, protruded uncomfortably and unsafely from all 3 of the pockets to the point I had to store it in my hip belt pocket on my rucksack. A few notes, a credit card, and maybe a chap-stick is all you will comfortably fit in your pockets, which isn’t so bad if you have a 60l rucksack on your back, but if you were going on a faster and lighter adventure, it is worth taking into consideration.

My Scottish adventure was during the month of May, and they were just about perfect for this time of year, if touching on slightly too warm occasionally. I wouldn’t wear them if the weather was any hotter, in peak summer, I would be looking for something lighter, such as  Haglofs Breccia Lite Pants or the Lite Slim pants which are essentially the Rugged Flex just made from a lighter material. The rest of the year, unless summiting in the depths of winter, these will be your go-to outdoor trousers, as they are now mine. 

Andy Neil
Andy has been a keen long-distance hiker and wild camping enthusiast since he completed the Cleveland Way in 2015. Since then, he has walked thousands of trail miles all over the UK and is an active member of the Wild Camping UK community, being an admin of the largest wild camping community on Facebook. He strongly advocates for responsible wild camping and believes it is important to leave no trace when camping in the wilderness. He joined the UOG team in 2021 and works as a website developer and content creator. Read more from Andy Neil