Aye Up Dante10,
'Is it worth getting a pair of Fjallraven/or other expensive outdoor trousers?'
That all depends on exactly what you do with them and what you expect from them.
I use my kit three or more days per week, year round, all weathers and it gets hammered!
I have been using FJ Barents trousers (G1000 material) as my 'green season' outers for the best part of 10 years now (I've got 3 pairs).
They are lightweight; well constructed; comfortable; fast drying; reasonably robust; quiet and great colours for my purpose.
I walked across a field of wet, knee high grass yesterday and from knee to ankle they became saturated in minutes despite having been triple waxed.
I put up with that because of all the pros mentioned.
They are ridiculously expensive (now over £100!) but all three pairs are still in service after all those years albeit with various minor repairs.
Over that same period I have also been using the Austrian military surplus KA03 ripstop, polycotton field trousers as my brown season option.
These have been priced at between £25 - £35 dependent on grade but I have also purchased a brand new pair from a shop in Austria for closer to £50.
These are slightly heavier than the FJs, (still what I would class as lightweight) and don't dry out as quickly but they are very, very robust.
In both FJ and BH instances I have modified the trousers to varying degrees - increased the waist height on the FJs; added a waterproof/breathable lower leg section and seat to the BHs and behind-the-knee pockets to both versions for the insertion of pieces of German army surplus ground insulation matting as knee pad/protectors. It is surprising how frequently you 'take a knee' during bushcraft activities. Notably the latest FJ Barents trousers now have those behind-the-knee pockets as standard.
In the past I have used the Craghopper Kiwis (issued with about a dozen pairs over 10 years) and they were initially very good trousers with similar qualities to the FJs, perhaps slightly less robust (and a third of the price!)
but I found that the material and construction quality bombed mid 00s.
HMQ also 'gave' me several sets of the British Army lightweights way back and they too are a very good trouser (and relatively cheap even when new!), for me though the colour just isn't quite right for year round use and yet I don't feel the same with the Austrian KA03 trousers which I think are less quickly recognised as (ex) military clothing.
Re under garments - I
always wear a base layer - top AND 'leggings'- winter it's Helikon Level 2; summer it's the lighter weight Helikon Level 1. That is as much about counter-tick protection as warmth/perspiration transfer.
It is probably also worth mentioning that it is wise to choose a trouser size 'with a bit of room' to allow for comfort; base-layer wear AND activities - I have often seen cat-walk fit clothing literally burst at the seams as soon as the wearer lifted/climbed/knelt/squatted
To summarise, I
could use the KA03s year round, save a lot of brass and they would be fine - but I do like the FJs.
It is worth doing some 'active' research and maybe buying a cheaper pair as someone has already suggested before going the expensive route.
