Columbia Skien Valley Cargo Hiking Trousers review: lightweight hiking and camping pants with in-built pest protection

First impressions

The first thing you notice about the Skien Valley Cargo hiking pants from US brand Columbia is how light the long-legged pants feel, whether you’re picking them up or putting them on, which bodes well for a garment intended to be worn in warmer months.

Previously, when testing Columbia trekking pants such as the Silver Ridge convertible trousers, I noted how the leg length was short, even before you transformed them into hiking shorts. Columbia conceded this was true, and started advising buyers to order a size longer than they would normally.

So, when I first tried on the Skien Valley Cargo strides, I was surprised to find the same problem persisted. Not only is it disappointing to see that the brand hasn’t addressed the issue, it’s actually a more serious draw back with this model, because no matter how effective the Insect Shield treatment is, mosquitoes and midges are going to target ankles, especially if they’re temptingly exposed. While the pants feature a draw cord at the ankle hem, it’s of little use if there's still bare skin between the sock and trouser.

Of course, once you’re aware of this, you can factor it in and order a size with a longer inside leg (inseam) than you would normally wear. Although, that still leaves tall folk at a disadvantage. So, Columbia designers, if you’re listening, why not design an extended leg for future Insect Shield trousers in the same way some fleece tops and waterproof jackets have an extra-long back panel to stop them from riding up and exposing skin?

This aside, there seem to be plenty of good features on the Skien Valley pants, including several vents backed by mesh to stop bugs from getting in, the aforementioned draw cord on the bottom of the legs, and plenty of pockets on both the men’s and women’s versions. So, I was looking forward to trying them out.

Design and materials

Made from 100% recycled polyester (credit where credit’s due, Columbia), these pants are well designed for hiking in hot weather. They have mesh on the inside of the pockets and vents backed by mesh in various places, including around the knees, to prevent those pesky bugs getting in.

The Skien Valley cargo pants are part of Columbia’s new Insect Shield collection, which means the fabric has been impregnated with an insecticide called permethrin, a repellent that stuns – even kills – biting insects such as mosquitoes and midges, which can be dangerous as well as annoying. You can either combine such protection with the application of spray-on insect repellents, or if you don’t like dousing yourself in DEET and other chemical-based potions, wrap yourself head-to-toe in light clothing, using long socks and base layers to cover up completely.

Aside from waging chemical warfare on insects, Columbia’s product designers have put a lot of thought into how to make these pants as pest-proof as possible. The lighter colorway is less attractive to insects and the draw cords on the trouser cuffs mean you can pull the treated material in close to your ankles – that's if you have gone for a size with sufficiently long legs, but more of that below.

The Skien Valley trousers come with a belt – always a mixed blessing, since such inclusions are rarely great quality, and true to form, the belt here is very basic. It's also hard to undo, but it’s not integrated, so you can replace it with a better one.

A proper positive, however, is the number of pockets these pants have, even on the women’s version, which is a rarity. On the men’s pants, there are a pair of hand pockets, cargo pouches on each thigh – one with an additional zipped pocket above it – and two back pockets, again one with a zip for extra security.

Besides acting as a shield from biting insects, the material offers UPF 50 protection from the sun, and boasts Omni-Wick properties, so sweat travels outwards and evaporates.

On the trails

Hiking and camping in the late days of summer can be sensational, but on still evenings the experience is often ruined by the arrival of midges, mosquitoes and other biting bugs. Gear in Columbia’s Insect Shield collection, including these pants, promise to protect you from such annoyances. But beyond that, these lightweight trousers are also designed to be comfortable and functional for hiking escapades from late spring through to early autumn.

I have spent this long and unusually hot summer testing out the Skien Valley trousers while hiking on Dartmoor and in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland, to see how they perform.

The pants are deliberately offered in pale colorways, which research shows makes them less attractive to insects. This might be true, but if I’m honest it makes them less attractive to me too, and I suspect I’m not alone in this. The pair I have been testing – supposedly ‘Dark Stone’, but more cream-colored to my eyes – looked grubby within an hour or so of being on the trails. Not the end of the world, but I prefer hiking pants that don’t need laundering after every single wear.

On a much more positive note, the lightweight fabric and multiple vents mean that the Skien Valley trousers feel nice and cool to wear, even when hiking during the multiple heatwaves that we perspired through this year.

I can’t actually recall ever wearing a lighter or more breezy pair of pants in my life, and that felt great when I was on exposed parts of moors and mountains in the full glare of the sun. On that note, the UPF 50 sun protection totally protects your legs from sunburn, and if you do manage to work up a sweat, the moisture effectively gets wicked away by the material, and quickly evaporates.

I also loved all the pockets. The hand pockets are a little shallow, so you need to be careful your phone or whatever you're carrying doesn’t fall out when sitting on boulders or moorland, but there are plenty of other pouches for putting important things in. Two have zips and the others have Velcro tabs.

In terms of the insect protection, I endured several evenings, especially in the Wicklow Mountains, when the midges (no-see-ums) were out in force. These pants, along with the Skien Valley shirt, hoody, light jacket and Booney hat, came to my rescue, making camping just about bearable, and enabling me to stay out long enough to cook dinner on my stove. However, as I have already moaned at length about, the trouser legs are simply not long enough. They leave my ankles exposed to the blood-thirsty beasts, and make me look like I raided Michael Jackson’s wardrobe.

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