Fjallraven G-1000 drying qualities?

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Andy801 05 Aug 2019

Hi There,

Can anyone with experience or knowledge share anything about the drying qualities of Fjallraven G-1000 material?  Obviously dry time depends on various factors, but in general, as compared to cotton for example, how quickly it drys, assuming it's no longer currently in rain or high humidity?  I'm assuming the question with roughly the same amount of wax as is pre-applied to a brand new pair of G-1000 trousers.

Also, if it soaks up water and feels considerably heavier when wet or has good non-retentive properties for water?

I've read this review https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/clothing/legwear/fjallraven_keb_trousers-97... (specifically near the end some negative qualities expressed about the G-1000) then searched old posts and read a few conflicting opinions, so I'd really appreciate anyone with experience to share about the material, in order to broaden my view about it.

I just bought some Vidda-Pro's online, to take to India / Nepal for hills and lower mountain walks, thinking they would be great for non-water retention and fast drying as well as strong and wind resistant, but after reading the aforementioned review, I'm wondering about returning them. 

Anyone with experience of the material G-1000-lite, any sharing on that would also be deeply appreciated. 

Many many thanks

Post edited at 16:36
 richprideaux 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Andy801:

It's less water-retentive than cotton, but will still hold some water and be a little slower to dry than a synthetic softshell. I wore a pair of kebs (the review samples actually) yesterday one a damp-ish day in Cwm Tryfan and the lower legs were still damp by the time I had driven home (45 mins).

If you're taking them to wet places then you'll want to wax them, but the wax will gradually degrade/wear off as the fabric flexes. 

The Viddas should be fine for India/Nepal, although possibly not the lightest. 

Andy801 05 Aug 2019
In reply to richprideaux:

Hi Richard,

that's very handy to know about the drying scenerio from the 45 minute car journey.  I'm considering switching to some Fjallraven's made of their G-1000 Air material (I incorrectly referred to it as "lite" before) as I'm understanding what you mean about "possibly not the lightest", at least in terms of trekking when the sun is on, even if temps not too hot.   I figure the "Air" material will also have a faster drytime.

Anyone reading with experience in G-1000 Air material, especially if it's trousers, would love some feedback in various trekking scenerios.

Many thanks

 leon 1 05 Aug 2019
In reply to Andy801:  Slightly off subject but possibly useful to you regarding waxing them.

I have both a Skogso Jacket (G1000 lite) and a High Coast Jacket (HC Lite aka waxed poly cotton)

As I`ve found the waxing to be a total ball ache on other Fjallraven clothing Ive owned, Ive washed these in Nikwax Tech Wash to clean them and then used Nikwax Cotton Proof.  Both jackets have come out really well with rain beading on them and so far no water ingress (but only using them in showers not downpours)

It was a much easier experience than waxing and the jackets are not as stiff and seem more breathable whilst being just as water repellent as smearing wax over them and ironing etc .

Personally for India + Nepal I use M+S Trekking Trousers. They dry ridiculously quickly, convert to shorts and at £40 a pair are a wee bit cheaper and an awful lot lighter than Viddas (Long Johns under them if its getting cold)

Hope that helps

Post edited at 18:57
Andy801 06 Aug 2019
In reply to leon 1:

Hi Leon, thanks, that's helpful to know about the M&S trousers and short drytime.  What's the G-1000 material like compared to the M&S trouser material, in terms of thickness and strength?

I tried on some Ayacucho Camp Bay Zip-off's which are non-synthetic (something I appreciate) and very comfortable and make really nice shorts.  For some peculiar reason, UK suppliers seem to have opted to hold only some unattractive dark grey colour, rather than the nice smart beige colour available elsewhere, otherwise I'd have bought the pair I tried on from Cotswoldoutdoor.  The scenerio with the M&S and Ayacucho is that they are both (I'm assuming with the M&S) quite thin, which is great for warm weather and I'll probably grab a pair of one or the other, but I'm specifically looking for a mid-weight for a little heat retention if necessary and a little more protection against ripping.  I love the breath-ability of the G-1000  and it's the only predominant man-made textile material that I feel fine with against the skin for long periods.  I don't suppose you've felt G-1000 in a shop or elsewhere and compared it directly to the G-1000 Air / Lite by any chance? 

I went to London but Fjallraven trousers are seriously limited there.  Now waiting to hear back from Fjallraven on the relative thickness difference between G-1000 and G-1000 Air, but direct experience of the materials and comparison info would be great to hear first hand.

Post edited at 11:14
 leon 1 06 Aug 2019
In reply to Andy801: The M+S ones are thin but I found them to be great in Ladakh, Zanskar and also around Delhi They do come with a `golfers crease` in the leg but don't be put off by that when you try them on. Just wash them and they lose the crease and come out great.

I certainly wouldn't be wearing Viddas in India or Nepal trekking as personally I think they're way too heavy and you spend too much time sitting, or in my case often rolling in the dirt, for such expensive trousers. I dont mind too much if I rip or screw up £40 trousers (think a plate of dal spilt over them) I certainly would at £180 a pair

Ive  used some Alpkit Chilkoot soft shells trekking and to 6200m and they were light windproof and very stretchy and I`ll be using them again next year trekking in Nepal when we get higher (only going up to 6000m so nothing too much needed with long johns underneath)

You could call the Fjallraven Store in Manchester 0161 819 2001 about the fabric differences The guys there are usually very helpful

 MischaHY 06 Aug 2019
In reply to Andy801:

Personally I'd be much happier with something more technical like Lundhags Authentic or Makke. Fjall kit is more made for forest trekking IMO. 

 Graeme G 06 Aug 2019
In reply to MischaHY:

>  Fjall kit is more made for forest trekking IMO. 

Or ordering a cappuccino and chocolate cake in a posh cafe?

I have the Greenland winter and summer jackets. I  wouldn’t consider wearing them in proper hiking conditions. Sunday walks with kids maybe. I know G-1000 is meant for tougher stuff but they just don’t seem like proper outdoor gear for me.

 MischaHY 07 Aug 2019
In reply to Graeme G:

The Greenland is from the casual range, to be fair. The stuff like Barents Pro and the Keb range is definitely appropriate for outdoor use, but more in cool/misty/damp conditions. It's designed to hold up to bushwhacking in Scandinavia and is definitely a bit warm for hotter countries hence my recommendation. 

What you do get from Fjall kit is a very long lifetime (think 10-20 years of moderate to occasional use on a pair of walking trousers) which is not something most brands can claim these days. 

 Graeme G 07 Aug 2019
In reply to MischaHY:

> The Greenland is from the casual range, to be fair.

Fair point

Andy801 08 Aug 2019
In reply to MischaHY:

All the discussion is proving very helpful thanks.  I've had a chat with Fjallraven Manchester (didn't know about them until this discussion) who are very friendly.  However, I also never looked at Lundhags Authentic before and despite my feeling that they're a bit lame on the pockets I really like a lot about them (have trawled many online reviews but not got the full picture yet), I was wondering if anyone has  a pair of these (Mischa?) and can advise anything about pro's and con's - I'm especially interested about drying qualities of the material and how warm they are (looking for something comfortable at general sort of 8 - 20Cel. range).

My Vidda Pro's are size 48 and the waist is fine although an extra inch or so space would be fine with a belt (size 50 is 2 inches extra).  Main reason I'm asking is that the Vidda Pro's have a cut where I would like more space around the 2 sides of the groin area - the cut seems unnecessarily restrictive (and I'm fairly lean build) when raising the leg i.e. to walk up a steep incline.  Unfortunately, Lundhags don't seem easily available to try in a UK store to understand if the cut is better designed for movement variation, though I read something about the material having stretch characteristics which is hopeful.

Definitely I'm not after 100% synthetic.  Nice to see the Lundhags have 35% cotton!

 MischaHY 08 Aug 2019
In reply to Andy801:

I don't own them but I sell them a lot at work so am familiar. The Authentic is good for mixed trekking whereas the Makke is what I'd recommend for more serious pursuits. 

The Fjall kit can take a while to dry in my experience although it must be said it remains comfy whilst it is damp.

 Qwertilot 09 Aug 2019
In reply to Andy801:

> Unfortunately, Lundhags don't seem easily available to try in a UK store to understand if the cut is > better designed for movement variation, though I read something about the material having stretch > characteristics which is hopeful.

That principally depends on whether they fit! What they do have is a big rear stretch panel and the same at the knees - purely synthetic, Schoeller of some sort.

No way I'd wear mine in 8-20. That's a temperature range for substantially lighter trousers.

It does sound like the Fjallravens don't fit you well, in which case there's little point keeping them.

Andy801 09 Aug 2019
In reply to Qwertilot:

I think it's more that the standard Fjallravens are not meant for anything much in the way of overally dynamic activity, hence their inclusion of the stretch material in some trousers, which i suppose makes all the difference.  I got the Vidda-Pro's for 98 pound, so possibly I'll keep them for UK local forest walking.

Right now I'm caught between Fjallraven Abisko Lite Trekking Zip-off (apparently the "Lite" are approx 20-25% thinner than standard G-1000, whilst the G-1000 Air is even more so) and Lundhags Authentic or Authentic II.  Authentic II are 60g lighter and have some added adjustable waistband and have now incorporated Schoeller Dryskin with the Sch. Dynamic (hopefully the ass isin't as likely to get wet when sitting on damp.......I had wondered about that on the originals).    It looks to me like the Authentic II's have tighter knees in the cut (slightly off-putting to me if that's the case).......I'd love to know if anyone's tried them and can compare to the previous Authentics ?

I'm packing already some light cotton trousers and prob. a  cotton/tencel zip off pair and the third pair needs to be good for slightly cooler weather, hence why I wrote 8-20C.  It's just my guess at varying temps from early morning to nighttime in Nepal / North India hills / low mountain (not in winter).  I want a pair that breathes well and preferably have venting or zip off function and will not make me cold when the temp drops to around 8cel.  In some ways it's over fussy, because I can just carry some light gore tex overtrousers for back-up, but I still need to buy a 3rd pair of trousers for a years travel, so I might as well get as close as possible to whatever can provide those multi-functional properties.  Also I find thin cotton trousers not warm enough on long airplane flights, so I'm kind of taking that into the equation. 

I'm not overly keen on the feeling of Fjallraven's 4-way stretch on my skin and am running on the suspicion that Schoeller fabric will feel that little bit nicer.  My whole decision ultimately now comes down to right temperature to wear the respective trousers in.  What sort of maximum temp do you feel the Lundhags Authentic are good for, until too warm?....assuming light walking is going on. 

Post edited at 16:41
 Qwertilot 09 Aug 2019
In reply to Andy801:

The stretch panels are basically there to make them fit a wider range of body shapes reasonably. 

Dunno when they would be too warm but the main fabric is quite thick and very wind proof. I can’t see wearing them in summer, and not sure about good Spring/Autumn weather really.

Andy801 09 Aug 2019
In reply to Qwertilot:

Yes, I've noticed the Vidda Pro's are 30g lighter than the Lund. Authentic, which made me wonder about them being too warm.  I've read quite a lot of reviews of the Lundhags and some people remark they seem to adapt very well to both warm and cool weather.  At least a testament to their breathability I guess.  Abisko lite's are 470g.  Hmmm, I really liked the look of those Lundhags.  They should get their act together and make some Authentic Lightweight version.

Post edited at 21:04
 TobyA 10 Aug 2019
In reply to Andy801:

Could you possibly be over thinking this a bit?

Having lived many years in the Nordic, I never really got why Nordic outdoor firms couldn't move on from cotton and poly-cotton, beyond perhaps that it is quieter when hunting. Having said that those Fjallraven trousers aren't sold to the hunting crowd anyway. It's like going backpacking with a cast iron frying pan - it makes no sense beyond "that's what Finnish/Swedish/etc hikers do." Perhaps if you sit around campfires a lot (which Nordics do!) having all cotton trousers makes them more spark resistant - definitely the case once they are damp because they never dry out!

Modern synthetic trousers don't feel any less breathable than cotton, but they dry much quicker, are light, often are harder wearing and keep wind off better. And, short of Arcteryx, they don't cost as much as hipster Fjallraven stuff!

Andy801 10 Aug 2019
In reply to TobyA:

Hi Toby, appreciate the thought and I am open to the sort of 65% synthetic / 35% cotton of Fjallraven's G-1000 or possibly Lundhags (though haven't tried that), but I do not like the feel or the energetic vibration of pure synthetic materials directly on my skin.  I went up to London and into every large outdoor clothing shop and tried ALL the various brands materials and the Fjallravens were pretty much the only one's with synthetic that feel fine to me.  Even the Craghoppers Kiwi which I had expected to like ..... didn't feel nice to me.   The idea of bringing expensive Fjallraven or Lundhag gear to India area (after 3 trips experience and over a year there previously) where it could disappear easily is not number 1 on my list, but if they work, they work.  I just ordered some Abisko Lite Zip off's to see how they feel.  I really have to say, being someone who heavily dislikes the feel of synthetics, I'm wearing these Vidda Pro's about the house and can't help but like the feel of them and breathability.......Fjallraven I think must be doing something right. 

1
 Doug 10 Aug 2019
In reply to Andy801:

"the energetic vibration" ? could you explain ?

 Siward 10 Aug 2019
In reply to TobyA:

Just jumping into this thread, but my experience- Scotland mostly- is that standard Kiwi trousers which are really just your basic polycotton, the same as the better sort of army surplus trousers I used to wear, are suitable for 99% of everything. They dry remarkably quickly, which is the main thing, they are robust, cheap and versatile (and I can fit in with the red socked ramblers in the pub ). I don't see the advantage in £100 trousers unless they do something better, much better.

 Dave the Rave 10 Aug 2019
In reply to Siward:

> Just jumping into this thread, but my experience- Scotland mostly- is that standard Kiwi trousers which are really just your basic polycotton, the same as the better sort of army surplus trousers I used to wear, are suitable for 99% of everything. They dry remarkably quickly, which is the main thing, they are robust, cheap and versatile (and I can fit in with the red socked ramblers in the pub ). I don't see the advantage in £100 trousers unless they do something better, much better.

I wear Kiwis for work and they’re great, if a little thin for winter outdoors. I wash them 3 x a week and they last a year before the stitching fails.

I wear Barents Pro when I get in and wash them once a week. They get some hammer.

My 3 year old Barents are much more hardy than the kiwis but don’t dry as quickly. 

Horses for courses. But the kiwis don’t last anywhere near as long.


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