Together with the Fjallraven Keb Down jacket we recently reviewed, we also got the Trousers from the Keb series to review. You might have spotted them in the (video) review of the Down Jacket; in this video and review, we take a separate look at the trousers.
The Keb Touring line from Fjällräven is a technical line for the more intensive and more demanding touring. That can be long technical mountain walks, climbing, cross-country skiing and/or ski touring or split boarding. The Keb Touring trousers are trousers for colder weather, made of a strong, robust four-way stretch material and strategically reinforced with the well-known Fjällräven G-1000 fabric.
Circumstances
I have used the Fjällräven Keb Touring Trousers under different circumstances and during different activities:
- In the Netherlands camping temperatures from 0 to +10 degrees.
- On hikes in Stubai, Austria temperatures -5 (north slope around 3000m) to +10 degrees, south slopes around 1800 meters.
- Film shoots outdoors in the Netherlands in December, with rain wind and a lot of moving and running.
Review
Comfort and fit
First and foremost, these pants fit and wear really, really well. The pants fits perfectly, looks nicely cut, and the four-way stretch material gives so much comfort while moving. Interestingly, it has a fairly tightly cut fit but doesn’t feel tight or restrictive at any moment. You are not limited in any way in your freedom of movement.
In addition, the pants are quite warm. I wore the pants high in the mountains and during rainy cold weather in the Netherlands and did not feel cold once. And when it gets too warm you have ventilation zippers running from your hip to your knee. They can be opened quite widely. You get even more fresh air when you open the zippers on the leg endings. Actually meant to help fit ski or snowboard boots, it provides a bit more ventilation if you wear it in combination with regular hiking boots.
Weatherproof
As mentioned before, the pants are nicely warm and on top of that certainly windproof. The pants are not waterproof, but the stretch fabric is very water-repellent due to a PFC-free DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating. The light blue parts of the pants are where that stretch fabric is used. The dark blue surfaces that are placed as reinforcement on areas where you will find a lot of wear and tear, namely your knees, lower legs/calves and rear, are made of G-1000 fabric. This is a very strong and robust fabric, which in combination with the use of Greenland Wax (which you iron or blow dry into the fabric) becomes very waterproof. Sitting on your rear or on your knees on damp surfaces you notice how well that works.
In the Netherlands, the pants were still dry after a 2.5-hour film recording session with a lot of intense drizzle showers with strong winds. I also did a few simple water tests in the mountains, under dripping water and even standing in a mountain stream. Even in the latter case, the light blue fabric remained surprisingly dry. (Only my shoes were flooded #mistersmartypants).
Features
Unlike the Vidda Pro that we recently reviewed, the Keb only has a limited number of pockets. Two zippers on the hips and a pocket with flap on both thighs. The pockets are again (just like the pants) quite tight and do not seem very spacious, but because of the stretch fabric you can still get easy access and store more than you think. The ventilation zips and zips on the lower legs we have talked about, and what is worth mentioning (although I did not use it), is that you can put padding under the knee pieces for when you expect to sit on hard or rocky ground on your knees a lot.
Looks
I have reviewed the light blue trousers but it is also available in black and deep dark blue color (Storm-Night Sky). Of course, you can argue about taste to no end, but I have to say that I liked these colors very much. I find the contrast between light and dark very cool. On the other hand, because of that, it does have a clear “technical/outdoor” pants that maybe would keep you from wearing it often in everyday life. So in some cases that can be a disadvantage.
Conclusion
Simply put, these trousers are very good. Super comfortable with a perfect fit, certainly during movement. Very weather-resistant and well complete in its features. If you buy this you are just going to be really happy with it.
Fjällräven Keb Touring Trousers M
Winkeladviesprijs: € 279,95
