As the name implies, Berghaus advertise the MTN Guide Alpine Pant (trousers) as a "lightweight softshell pant" that "will perform all day and night during an Alpine summer". Unfortunately we didn't receive them to review until after we'd returned from our summer trip to the Alps, so instead we've tested them over the last few months for walking, climbing and scrambling in Scotland and the Lake District instead.

We've done a joint review of these trousers rather than a separate one for men and for women as they are very similar in terms of their style, fit and functionality.

For men there's one model but a choice of colour, black or red and black. Mike opted for red and black and they are really nice bright colour.

Fiona: For women there's two styles - a trouser (pant) and a legging - but unfortunately no colour choice so it's black or black which was a little disappointing. I doubt I'd ever wear leggings for summer alpine days out or UK walking or climbing, and would far rather have had a choice of colour in the trousers instead.

Weight

These are fairly lightweight softshell trousers. The relatively close cut of the legs means there's very little excess material flapping around. Berghaus quote weights of 360g for a women's size 10 and 375g for a men's large. Ours weigh in at 377g for women's size 12 and 391g for a men's medium plus a few extra grams for the belts that we added - but that we didn't count. They're quite a similar weight to something like the Rab Torque.

Fit

The fit of the trousers is interesting - we both found them to be a definite try before you buy.

Fiona: I normally wear a size 10 in Berghaus trousers and most outdoor legwear. In thnis case the sizing is a bit strange, the close fit means the legs are tighter than you'd like if you go with your normal size but to get a good fit on the legs you need to go up a size and then the waist ends up much too baggy. This can be easily resolved with a belt and the trousers have plenty of belt loops.

Mike: For the men's version I'm normally a 32" waist but also needed a belt to avoid spending the day hitching them up. I found them slightly tight around the quads but this wasn't noticeable in everyday use. Dropping down a size would have resolved the waist issue but made the rest of the trousers too tight.

The leg length of these trousers is determined based on the size with smaller sizes having shorter legs than the larger ones. For Mike this isn't an issue (although it might have been had he gone for a small) but Fiona would have preferred to have the option of a slightly shorter leg.

Fabric

The trousers are made from a tough and stretchy 90D softshell fabric, with a more durable fabric used in the high wear areas i.e. the knees, backside and also around the leg below the knee to ankles to protect against crampon damage. It feels nigh-on fully windproof, and shrugs off a bit of moisture thanks to its PFC-free DWR (Durable Water Repellent) treatment. We have not yet worn them in torrential rain but for light showers the fabric seems to cope fine, and they dry off quickly.

Fiona: If anything I have found the trousers a bit too warm for summer or sunnier autumn weather when hillwalking in the UK. For cragging and scrambling they are perfect as you tend to be stood still a bit more and thus they keep you cosy whilst stationary.

Features

The pockets are all equipped with zips and are harness compatible which is great as some manufacturers don't get this one right and you end up wrestling things from under a harness. The big pocket on the thigh is appreciated and is perfect for stuffing a phone in or an A4 map rolled up.

The long thigh vents are brilliant when walking in warmer conditions as they enable some much needed ventilation.

The legs have ankle width adjustment so that you can adjust to suit when wearing boots, trail shoes, rock shoes etc. The zip for this is at the back of the leg rather than the side which works quite well as it goes over the heel of your footwear rather than up the side of your leg as most other trousers with such zips seem to.

Value for money?

At £130 these are quite pricey for a pair of softshell trousers advertised for summer alpine use. In the UK you'd likely be able to use them in late spring and into autumn too which would certainly extend their season.

Fiona: If the fit were perfect on me, and they came in something other than black, I'd definitely consider these as an alternative to the (slightly cheaper) Rab Torque softshell trousers that I usually wear.

Ethics and Environment

These trousers come under Berghaus's "Fixed for Life" scheme via Repairhaus. Basically, you cover the cost of sending the trousers back to Berghaus and they'll fix them for free.