Sherpa Guide Pants review: urban style that translates effortlessly to the trail

Sherpa Guide Pants: first impressions

Sherpa Guide Pants offer the best of both worlds. Kitting yourself out with a specialist hiking wardrobe in addition to your everyday clothing can be an expensive business, which is why we love it when a pair of pants turns up that can do double-duty whether you’re trekking across town or hiking local trails. The Sherpa Guide Pants are a case in point. 

Despite their name, these aren’t technical mountain pants designed for high-level routes (see hiking trail difficulty rating system explained). Instead, they’re stylish and well-made chinos with a contemporary straight cut plus a few added extras when it comes to performance and comfort. This makes them well-suited to more strenuous activities than simply sitting around drinking coffee. 

The overall design points to Nepalese brand Sherpa’s outdoor heritage: these pants feature articulated knees and a gusseted crotch for greater mobility and comfort. A seamless back waistband should ensure you avoid chafing. Similarly, the fabric – despite being mostly cotton twill – also incorporates nylon for added abrasion resistance and a little spandex for stretch (and is rated UPF 50 for full solar protection). So, they’re soft, practical and comfortable, but easier to move in compared to standard chinos. 

Reinforced jeans-style hand pockets and additional ankle panels also ensure better durability if and when you do hit the trails. Lastly, a low-profile back thigh pocket is designed to hold your smartphone, which is a thoughtful touch that makes these pants even better equipped for modern life.

It’s also worth noting that, for every item sold, Sherpa make a contribution to provide education and resources for children in Nepal for the entirety of their education.

Sherpa Guide Pants: on the trails

As soon as we put these hiking pants on, we were impressed. They fit great, they felt like they were built to last, and they were super comfortable too, with just enough stretch to give them the edge over standard chinos or jeans. 

Those impressions weren’t dispelled after a few weeks’ and then a few months’ worth of wear. In fact, they soon became our go-to everyday trousers, and we came to regard them as a superb value proposition – not necessarily because of the price point, but because they proved so comfortable and versatile that we pretty much ended up wearing them all the time. 

The midweight 7.4 oz fabric is tough enough to withstand daily wear, yet is a much cooler and more breathable fabric than denim or heavyweight cotton twill. Of course, if we were heading out on a big mountain day or a multi-day backpacking trip, these wouldn’t be our first choice. The cotton blend means they’re not the fastest-drying, at least compared to fully synthetic softshell fabrics. 

They’re not particularly weather-resistant either, so if you get caught in the rain, your legs are gonna get wet. But for more casual use – think dog walks, family hikes, pub trips and all sorts of other day-to-day activities – these are fantastic.