Gear Blog Fri 27th March
Gear news
24 March 2009 16:09
Water resistant Alpkit jeans at the Outdoor Show
Alpkit’s latest invention is the Jenius Jeans, a £55 pair of highly water-resistant jeans designed for outdoor types. The Jeanius Jeans are made from Epic fabric, which coats the cotton fibres with silicone so they repel rather than absorb water. They launch the men’s version this weekend at the Outdoor Show (Birmingham NEC 27th-29th March). See how they repel water on our video here.
Trail’s lightweight gear tester Pete MacFarlane has been wearing a pair for months.
Trail Can hill-walkers hill-walk in them, Pete?
Pete I've used Epic fabric in the past and it's basically just a super-Pertex sort of thing, the denim weave on the Jeanius's actually weakens the performance compared to finer technical fabrics as it allows more water to penetrate I think, so if anybody thinks they're fine for mountain use they're in for a disappointment.
Trail So why would a hill-walker buy ‘em?
Pete As weather proof casual wear they're great, for taking on hill trips to wear at camp or to the pub or for walks in the park so you don't feel over dressed in hill gear they're spot on.
The baggy cut with a diamond gusset and slight stretch is good if you are bouldering (see Alpkit’s Jeanius wet bouldering video here), a skateboarder, a hip-hop artiste or a 40 year old Scotsman trying in vain to look cool again.
Trail Like ‘em?
Pete Yes. I like them a lot. They repel dirt and look like a good pair of jeans. For Trail readers I'd say they were probably vital kit!
And ladies?
At the moment they’re only available in men’s, but a women’s test version should be available to try at the show. So ladies, get your legs inside a pair and give Alpkit your feedback.