Fjallraven Barents Pro Trousers

The Barents Pro Trousers are tough and well-made. Unfortunately, I found them too close-fitting to be comfortable.

Fjallraven’s Barents Pro Trousers come in an asymmetric design with three cargo pockets—one on the right leg and two on the left. They also have two deep hand pockets on the hips, a mobile phone pocket inside the right cargo pocket, and an axe pocket on the left leg.

Mobile phone pocket inside the right cargo pocket

The arrangement of the cargo pockets is excellent. If you’re on a hiking expedition in unfamiliar territory, and you’re navigating with a map and a guidebook, you can keep your map in the top left pocket and your guidebook in the right. This way both documents are readily available but you don’t need to carry them in your hands all the time. This is what attracted me to these trousers.

Left leg with upper and lower cargo pockets

The trousers are also tough. They are made of Fjallraven’s G-1000 material, a heavy-duty polyester-cotton canvas, and they have a reinforced seat and knees. The knees have openings for knee pads.

However, the material is warm. These trousers are not for hot weather.

These trousers come in European sizes, but Fjallraven provides a conversion chart. Size 50 is given as equivalent to my normal waist size of 34, and it turned out to be spot on.

According to Fjallraven the Barents Pro Trousers have a regular waist and regular fit. But this is not how I would describe them. They are low-waisted and slim-fitting. I am not used to wearing slim fit trousers and I found these too tight about the hips and crotch.

They are so tight that whenever I put my hands in the hip pockets and took them out, I drew out the pocket lining. I tried walking in these trousers to see if I could get used to them, but I was always conscious of their tightness and I could not imagine sleeping in them on a camping trip.

The trouser legs too are on the narrow side compared to my other hiking trousers, but they have articulated knees so they are not unduly restrictive. They come in raw length so you have to get them hemmed to suit you.

Right trouser leg with cargo pocket and articulated knee panel

I really wanted to like these trousers but I had to conclude that they were not right for me because of the tight fit. Luckily Fjallraven also makes the Barents Trousers, a variant of the Barents Pros with a more relaxed fit. When I got the opportunity to try the Barents on in a shop I found them to be much more comfortable, so I got a pair as a replacement for the Barents Pros.

The Barents Pros might be for you if you are used to wearing slim fit trousers. But I would still advise that you try them on before buying, or else be prepared to send them back. If you don't like the idea of hiking in slim fit trousers you may be better off opting for the Barents like I eventually did.

For those who want more information, I have uploaded a review of the Barents trousers which makes a detailed comparison between this model and the Barents Pro. 

Tough trekking trousers with reinforced seat and knees, six pockets, and raw-length leg endings.

Though described as trekking trousers, I wear these Fjallraen Barent Pro trousers for a range of activities from hiking/trekking to working in the woods. They are more suited to cool weather as they are comparatively heavy and my pair, being black, really soak up the sun as there are no air vents.

Made from tough G1000 material, the cut is excellent. This allows for free movement when walking and bending down to do repetitive tasks such as chopping wood. The generous pockets (three on each side) are really useful. It's a case of if you've got them you'll fill them and mine always get filled with stuff! The pockets have poppers so you don't have to worry about losing things.

The waist has belt loops which is useful, especially for forest work as I can hang my axe from it. The trousers come with a "raw-length." The benefit of this is that the trousers can be tailored to your exact inside leg measurement for a more precise fit. Cut them a little longer for style and to help stop critters entering or a little shorter if you spend a lot of time splashing through water.

It is possible to add a degree of waterproofness to the Fjallraven Barent Pro Trousers by treating them with Greenland Wax. This is achieved by rubbing the wax onto the fabric then melting it in with an iron. The drawback is that they lose their breathability and it has to be done regularly as it comes out if the trousers are washed. 

As I have already said, one of the drawbacks of the Fjallraven Barent Pro is their weight. I use them for hiking and working in the woods in the winter months. They are superb in these conditions as they take a real beating and they still look as good as new thanks to the reinforced knees and seat. The only damage they have suffered is dropping my freshly sharpened axe on the bottom of one of the legs and it sliced right through—a testament to my axe sharpening capabilities I suppose. Then there's the cost but, as Charles Rolls and Henry Royce said, quality is long remembered while the price is soon forgotten. 

In summary, though expensive and heavier than some trekking trousers, the Fjallraven Barent Pro really delivers on quality and performance beyond just trekking, as long as it's in cooler weather. 

Background

Hiking in the winter months in Snowdonia and on the South Downs. Forestry work and Forest School activities.