Páramo Merapi Vent Trousers

I have never been one who buys the latest gear just because it's in the shops. However if I need gear then I am always prepared to shop around and get the kit that suits my needs. Price is usually a secondary consideration with performance the main test.

A parcel arrived on my desk a few days before Easter and inside were a pair of the latest trousers from Páramo. A quick inspection soon found they were well made and the advertised "vent" was soon zipped open. With a short walking holiday in the warmer climes of Andalucia over the Easter period, I had got a prefect test-bed and wondered how they would perform.

My impression of Páramo has always been that they are different to other companies. The company has a statement to make and endeavours to be at the top of the game when it comes to performance and styling. The trousers I was testing were in a cool shade of green which is Marsh in their catalogue.

So it was off to Spain where some fairly hard walking would give these trousers their first taste of action. It was warm and sunny and I would have been tempted to wear shorts or convertibles but with a job to do I headed off into the mountains wondering how these long trousers would perform. The going was quite tough and with a steep ascent through prickly undergrowth I soon decided that shorts would have been a liability.... cool air was drifting over my knees and thighs .... the vents were working.

A week later and I can look back at the test. Six days of hard walking, a lot of ascent in warm sunny conditions. The lightweight material (Parameta® A by Nikwax)was perfect and with built-in UV protection of Factor 50+ they were perfect gear for the job.

What will happen to them now? Thrown in the gear box never to be seen again. No. They will be seeing loads more use throughout the summer both in the UK, where they will be perfect walking through knee-high heather, and in other parts of the World where the climate will be much hotter. In three or four days Páramo Merapi Vent Trousers became part of my essential kit.

Any bad news? Not really - they retail for £50 which in my book is a competitive price to pay for a well made and well designed item that will last for many days in the hills.

Rating - why not 5 stars? I would liked to have seen a wider vent - a personal preference and probably an injustice to this superb pair of trousers.

For more information visit the Páramo Web Site

Review date - 26th April 2006 - Reviewed by LJ