Built for abuse with a tough Polyamide weave, triple stitching on the main seams and heavy reinforcements on the knees and backside. Despite the armour-plating, the Rugged II weighs in at a respectable 800g (in large) and also manages to offer a great range of movement through its 4-way stretch material.
A classic from Haglofs, and inexplicably labelling "trekking" pants. We would happily scramble, hike, camp, climb, snowshoe and probably ski tour in these pants, if they would fit over ski boots.
In fact so capable are they that we took them to the Swedish High Coast to test against the varied abuse of hiking, wild camping, sea kayaking and via ferrata. At the end of a long weekend, they barely looked dirty, so effective is the material at deflecting everything you can throw at it.
They ought to have felt a little heavy on the hikes, but given the varying temperatures of Swedish autumn (and the handy leg vents for dumping heat), these pants went almost unnoticed the whole time, keeping us warm in camp and ventilated on the trail.
The range of pockets is also a welcome addition to an piece of gear that can effectively become your workhorse - whether to stash a hat, or tinder, or store a haul of blueberries on the trail.
A pair of trousers so flawless might not make for an interesting review, but so be it. We'd happily go to war in these pants.
