If you’re new to venturing outdoors to have a bit of fun, then you may think that an outdoor specific pair of trousers is well down the list of essentials. And then you’ll head out on an eight-mile hike in your supermarket jeans, quickly get cold, wet, and sore where the seams rub your legs until they glow red. Then you’ll hobble into your local outdoor shop to buy the pair of trousers we recommended you did in the first place.

If you’re after a pair of go-anywhere, do-anything winter walking trousers that mix style and effective design, then the Kiwi Pro Winter-Lined trousers from Craghoppers have to have a place in your kit-bag. The Yorkshire-based company have been producing quality outdoor gear for over 50 years now, after founders Brian Gaskin and Roy Holmes climbed Mount Everest and wanted some appropriately hardy outdoor clothing for the job. As such, it’s no surprise that the pro edition of these Kiwi winter trousers (or pants, if you insist) are absolute belters.

“These smart strides have a comfortably snug layer of brushed lining inside that offers reliable insulation for those brisk winter days.”

The Kiwi are Craghoppers’ flagship walking trouser, much loved and respected by those that know the outdoor life well. The Kiwi Pro Winter-Lined version ramp up that heritage to make a truly special trouser. At just 525g, they’re a good, light weight, which you’ll really appreciate when you’re half way up the Howgill Fells in Cumbria.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that the Kiwi’s diminutive mass means they’re lightweight on the performance front. These smart strides have a comfortably snug layer of brushed lining inside that offers reliable insulation for those brisk winter days, and the tightly woven softshell outer will keep out any chill from the wind as well.