Klattermusen Misty 2.0 hiking pants review: comfy, super-flexible and very tough-wearing

Klattermusen Misty 2.0: first impressions

As you’d expect from this Swedish brand, the Klattermusen Misty 2.0s (available to buy direct from Klattermusen) are super smart, premium hiking pants that immediately impress you the minute you stick your legs in them. They have a soft inner, which feels lovely next to your skin, and boast a whole host of functional features, as well as claiming top-end capability on crags and among the hills and peaks.

Rated as MFR6, according to Klattermusen’s “Mass Flow Resistance” system, Misty 2.0 pants have “good” wind resistance, offer a decent degree of water repellence and are ideal for adventures at medium-to-high altitude in temperatures between 3°C and 10°C, in gusty and occasionally damp conditions.

The softshell “WindStretch” material employed in these pants is bluesign approved and made with 70% recycled polyamide. It also contains 10% elastane and offers a serious amount of dynamic multidirectional stretch, and has been doused in a fluorocarbon-free water repellent treatment. The seat and the knees have been reinforced with a Duracoat layer, and the inner leg seams have been deliberately curved to avoid stress being placed on the material during hill hiking and other high-impact activities, such as climbing. 

The Misty 2.0 pants offer multiple pockets and pouches, including open hand pockets and a zipped back pocket for keeping things secure. There are large pouches on each thigh too, both of which close with zips and feature a protective over-flap to keep the elements out. Both are mesh-backed, and the one on the right leg has internal dividers, including a phone-sized inner pocket, to help with organization.

All of the zips on these trousers, including the fly, have cord pull-tags so you can operate them with hiking gloves on, or when your hands are cold. The waist closes with a snap button, and there are good-sized belt hoops all the way round.

These pants have an elasticated adjustable hem on the bottom of each leg so they can be tightened around boots, plus there’s a detachable hook for securing them onto laces. Other clever features include triangular reflectors on the front and back, for increased visibility and safety when you’re walking on roads and lanes used by vehicles in poor light or complete darkness.

Klattermusen Misty 2.0: in the wild

I’ve been walking and climbing in the hills in the Klattermusen Misty 2.0 trousers for several months, and they are absolutely among the best hiking pants I’ve ever worn. They are certainly right up there with the most dynamic, offering an incredible degree of stretch. On test, while climbing and scrambling, I found that they didn’t inhibit my freedom of movement at all, and I could clamber over boulders and other obstacles easily, and contort myself into all sorts of undignified shapes and positions while reaching to get a foothold on ridges and crags. 

With a very forgiving soft-feel inner lining, the Misty 2.0 pants have a luxurious next-to-skin feel and are extremely comfortable to wear. But these are tough trousers too, built to last in properly rough and rugged environments, and areas susceptible to heavy wear-and-tear – such as the bum and the knees – have been reinforced with a Duracoat layer. This bodes well for the longevity of the trousers (a very serious consideration when the price tag is as high as the one attached to these premium pants).

Pleasingly, though, despite all this extra padding, they remain fully flexible, and they are quiet to walk in – unlike some reinforced pants, which feel stiff and rustle annoyingly every time you take a stride. The fabric is quite thick, and these pants will keep your legs warm on even the most exposed crags, ridges and hillsides. In fact, they can get a little too toasty at times, when you’re climbing hard or the weather is warm, and there are no vents.

To be fair, I’ve been testing my Misty 2.0 pants in fairly warm conditions so far, but there has also been plenty of rain and I’ve discovered that the water-repellent treatment on these trousers does successfully keep light rain from soaking into the material.

I’ve found the pockets and storage on these trousers to be excellent. The thigh pouches are large enough to take an OS sheet map and zip shut (only just, but that still counts), and the internal sections are useful. I’m looking forward to getting out in some higher and colder conditions in the Misty 2.0s, when I’m sure the pull tags on the zips will be very handy (the one on the fly in particular is a simple but clever design addition missing from most other technical pants).

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