UKC

REVIEW: Mountain Equipment Anvil Cragging Trousers

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 UKC Gear 22 Nov 2024

These mid-weight, stretchy organic cotton cragging trousers offer comfort, freedom of movement, and a tailored fit that's perfect for climbing. Versatile and stylish, they perform well both on and off the crag, making them ideal for casual bouldering, a day cragging, or everyday wear around town - and all at a fair price.

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 afx22 22 Nov 2024
In reply to UKC Gear:

Does anyone know anyone who is stocking these, in the Yorkshire/Peak area?

I’d be keen to try some on but I find some ME stuff doesn’t fit me so well - and some does.

 Blackmud 22 Nov 2024
In reply to afx22:

Also curious about the sizing of these, they look nice and I am a huge fan of the ME ibex trousers, best do-everything outdoor trousers I've owned, but the sizing is a bit odd and I wonder if the cut is similar with these.

 lloydabe 22 Nov 2024
In reply to Blackmud:

These are a baggier fit on me. I have two pairs , extremely patched up but still going as I live in them. 

 gekitsu 22 Nov 2024
In reply to UKC Gear:

i second the appreciation of ME’s waist/length choices. my do-everything outdoor trousers are a pair of their comici model that i got on an incredible bargain in 34″ long, and they couldn’t fit any better. i also have a pair of their dihedral trousers (lightweight stretchy synthetic) in 34″ regular and while they’re technically ok (i can do with a slightly too short leg for climbing), the fit is just off enough to wear them outside the gym or the crag.

how are the fasteners on these? that’s been my only quibble with ME trousers – the comici have a somewhat fiddly snap button and a very cheap-feeling plastic hook buckle connected to their integrated belt over top. the plastic doesn’t inspire confidence. it scratches up not just easily but *deeply*, and it always feels like it’s just a couple days shy of breaking at the hook/recess part. the dihedral have no closure at all, just the integrated webbing belt with a ladder lock. the material is better, but the webbing looped through the ladder lock doesn’t have enough friction to stay put. unless you pull it tight and then overhand knot the remainder around it, the trousers are going to work themselves loose almost immediately.

both of these feel strangely out of place, given the otherwise great cut, materials, and manufacturing quality.

In reply to gekitsu:

Waist fasteners are really good I think - low profile, easy to use and solid.

A solid metal button (you can see this on the product page here: https://www.mountain-equipment.com/products/anvil-mens-pant)
But what I like most is the low profile internal belt (middle pic low down in the review). It feels solid, it's easy to use even though it's internal, and is kept out the way so doesn't scratch up. I just pull this and it keeps at my desired tightness without going slack.

So sounds very different to your experience with the comici - Anvil potentially a winner for you?
 

 gekitsu 23 Nov 2024
In reply to John McKenna - Rockfax:

lovely, thank you! that button looks solid indeed (i love those buttons that are affixed by a loop of webbing through 2 slits!), and if the belt works, that’s definitely nicer than what i’m experiencing with the dihedral. (the comici is the one where i dislike the soft plastic closure)

now if only they made those anvil trousers in a synthetic. with cotton, i always end up really quickly with that unsightly dark butt crack sweat mark. (very curious that they seem to have a different system for each model of trouser. there’s probably a good reason, but my naive impression sure would be that it’s advantageous to figure it out once, for good, and then apply everywhere)

 Sean Kelly 24 Nov 2024
In reply to UKC Gear:

The only downside I can see is that being cotton they will hold water after a shower and take ages to dry!

In reply to Sean Kelly:

Yes, this is predominately why they are a cragging trouser and not a mountain trouser where you wouldn't want to get caught in bad weather with a decent amount of time from the road.

They are however, nice and light so will dry fast compared to many other cotton garments.

 afx22 25 Nov 2024
In reply to John McKenna - Rockfax:

I don’t get why a cragging trouser wouldn’t be more hydrophobic and quick drying.  Damp vegetation is often a factor on many walk ins.  Cotton is great for inside or when it’s warm, but not so good at this time of year.

In reply to afx22:

From my last comment I didn't mean to imply that cragging trousers should only be cotton.

If I was going out on a day where I was maybe going to encounter damp vegetation, then I would dress appropriately for that.

 gekitsu 25 Nov 2024
In reply to UKC Gear:

in that inbetween space, where you don’t necessarily *need* highly technical garb, but it’s also not quite lounging at home and nobody on the zoom call cares what you’re wearing on your legs, i feel there’s a lot of latitude that’s down to a host of individual factors.

i know that if i wear cotton shirt and trousers to a bouldering outing in nonrainy weather, i’ll all but inevitably be carrying a soggy set of clothes on me by the time i have my crash pads at the blocks. keenan takahashi, on the other hand, climbs several orders of magnitude harder than i, and in a much warmer climate, and said that there’s zero need for technical clothing in bouldering, period, that cotton was perfectly adequate.

no one material fits all.


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