Cut and styled like a pair of jeans, you’d have no qualms popping into the pub for a post tramp drink in these pants.

Using a blend of nylon and spandex fabric, the Quandary offers plenty of stretch. Designed mainly for activities like bouldering and rock climbing, they won’t restrict movement. Articulated knees and the gusseted crotch in particular allow freedom of movement. Despite the end user Patagonia has in mind, they are suited to tramping and I found them to be comfortable on the trail – breathing effectively so that I never felt too hot. The stretch worked well too.

A DWR coating does a good job of keeping the user dry in light rain.

A subtle feature is the fabric backing on the button closure. This is to ensure the metal button does not stick into the stomach when you’ve got a hipbelt drawn tight.

The fit is relaxed – somewhere between not too loose and not too tight. The curved waistband follows the contours of the hip and left me feeling like I needed a belt, though in use they stayed put.  

There are multiple pockets: two handwarmers, one zippered side and two rear, with the front handwarmers capable of holding a map.

There’s lots of stitching which gives confidence these pants won’t stretch themselves apart. They are also light, weighing 318g (w – 286g).

These pants are cut and shaped for slim to medium builds and look smart as well as being practical on the trail.