Review – Rab Exodus pants

Modelling on a budget – nuff said

“The Rab Exodus pants are best suited for autumn and winter. Due to the fit, comfort and all round durability of them – I’ve been reluctant to part with them on recent trips. And I suppose that says it all, really. Messrs Hairy White, Charlie Crotch and Benjamin Bottom have even shed a tear too.” 

My favoured choice of trousers for hiking out on the hills in autumn and winter are the Paramo Cascadas – being warm, highly water-resistant, extremely breathable and relatively tough.

Warm because they have a ‘pump’ liner – this acts as a barrier to water ingress from the outer shell. In laymans terms – wicking sweat while keeping any rain at bay but consequently maintaining warmth.

The outer shell fabric isn’t waterproof per se, but highly water resistant. Heavy rain in strong winds can force it’s way through, but the underlying liner tends to keep it out.

Just in case you forgot – the Exodus pants are made by Rab

The pants do dry extremely quickly and so if you do get sodden through – it’s no drama really.

On top of this, they’re bloody comfortable to wear and don’t rustle as you walk. But they’re not a match made in heaven for your lower limbs come the summer months.

Bearing all this in mind, during last winter and up until very recently was somewhat different for my gangly legs as they became acquainted with Rab’s Exodus soft shell pants.

So, how did Messrs Hairy White get on with their knew found friend?

If you fancy flashing some leg – it’s easily done with the YKK zips

Well, as soon as pulled on the trousers there was an immediate chemistry between the three of them – and a good one at that.

The mid-weight soft shell fabric proved easy to snuggle into, felt soft on the skin and gave good stretch.

The zipped thigh vents were easy to slide and adjust to your comfort needs and the articulated cut wasn’t too loose as you sometimes find with trousers of this type. Just enough slack, shall we say.

Not to be left out, Charlie Crotch and Benjamin Bottom commented on how they didn’t feel trapped, could breathe well and were generally very happy with the Exodus slipping into their territory – good job really, as Mr Bottom is quite a big fellow often popping out to say “Hello!” around my waist line to the amusement or distaste of some poor soul behind me.

These trousers sit comfortably over shoes, boots et al

Out in the field, the Rab Exodus pants kept all but the heaviest of downpours at bay – taking quite a beating before they were wet through. So, some kind of overtrousers are required in the worst of damp conditions.

When it came to me scrambling about on sticky gritstone, rolling around in dirt, plonking Benjamin Bottom on rough heather and so on – the pants took it all in their stride. Not one rip – not even a tiny tear. This is a hard wearing soft shell make no bones about it – that surprisingly easily sheds dirt, too.

Often you’ll get the odd stain in the knee area if you crawl about a bit, or when lounging at camp – but no, the Exodus pants spit it back out over a short period of time. They linger for a while but by the time you remember they were there – BANG! The dirt is gone!

I regularly look like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards – literally – when boarding a train or bus on my journey home. I was pleasantly surprised to find these trousers kept my lower half looking reasonably tidy. I felt like a respectable hiker for once in my life.

Handy side pocket for keys, etc – but not a map

When out in the bitter cold winds and snow the trousers really come into their own – and just as well really because they’re strictly speaking a garment for ski touring. So, it comes as no surprise to discover that the hem at your ankles is wide enough for any boot with an adjustable cinch system (and crampon patches). To be fair, I didn’t require it’s use that often and I did find it a little fiddly – a minor almost irrelevant quibble for backpackers such as myself in the UK.

You may well regularly wear a pair of thermal long johns underneath such garments in the winter – and more often than not, I just didn’t need to. One’s legs don’t tend to feel the cold when active in sub-zero temps but on days where the wind is above 25mph whipping along a snow laden hill top – you can feel the cold. But the Exodus pants I found to be a tad more windproof than the Exodus jacket – perhaps that’s just a quirk of my perception/psychology?

For those that like their ale and food, there’s good stretch in the waistline, too. Something I particularly like because my weight goes up and down like a yo-yo. It fastens up well and there are belt loops – handy for those who are stick thin with long legs maybe.

Now we’re entering warmer climes the trousers comfort levels have somewhat decreased – not majorly so, but enough for you to raise an eyebrow or two on a long hike. Granted the thigh zips help for venting/cooling, but I don’t think anyone wishes to chance upon me flashing a bit of leg when out on the hills.

The zips, by the way, have a lovely soft sheet of rubber following their track – keeping any rain out but not to the annoyance of Messrs Hairy White.

On reflection these trousers are not ideal for warmer climes -especially if you’re the sort of person who wishes to wear the same pants all year round when in the great outdoors. Don’t get me wrong they’re not too warm like a pair of Paramo Cascadas but they’re not ideal, either.

• Reasonable weight at 600g’s+, comfortable and very breathable
• Great stretch and fit and extremely durable
• Sheds rain and dirt very well – but not particularly quick drying
• Fantastic value autumn/winter walking trousers

The Rab Exodus pants are best suited for autumn and winter. Due to the fit, comfort and all round durability of them – I’ve been reluctant to part with them on recent trips. And I suppose that says it all, really. Messrs Hairy White, Charlie Crotch and Benjamin Bottom have even shed a tear too.

All in all – I really like the Exodus pants. It’s another top quality garment from Rab which is fantastic value for money.