Don’t buy this jacket… With campaigns like this one, Patagonia has earned a worldwide reputation. Once founded by Yvon Chouinard with the desire to have better climbing gear, Patagonia has now established itself as one of the leading internationally successful outdoor brands.

And even if you talk about sustainability, there is no getting around the US outdoor equipment supplier. The company is considered an eco-pioneer. As early as 1991, Chouinard had the consumption of raw materials and environmental pollution caused by the processing of cotton, wool, polyester, and polyamide investigated. This revealed that traditionally grown cotton is the most environmentally harmful crop in the world. In 1996, Chouinard, therefore, had the production of cotton clothing, which accounted for 20% of its turnover, switched to organic cotton from controlled and GMO-free cultivation. Together with Polartec, Patagonia also developed fleece clothing made from recycled PET bottles, and since 1985 has donated one per cent of its turnover to environmental initiatives.

On trial: the Chambeau Rock climbing trousers

While we are on the subject of synthetics: For testing, I got the light Chambeau Rock Pants made of recycled functional fibers. Designed for maximum mobility and comfort on all-day routes.

This was one of the reasons why I was suspicious when I first inspected the parcel that the courier handed to me. Is there anything in it at all? When I opened it, of course, I was relieved to discover that you would not have been able to really notice the 224-gram trousers.

As soon as you slipped into it, the elasticity of the fabric was immediately noticeable, which goes hand in hand with a pleasant feeling when worn. However, Patagonia was a little too generous with the clothing sizes. The trousers in size S are considerably larger than comparable climbing trousers, e.g. from Mammut, E9 or Prana. In this case, it is advisable to choose one size smaller for safety’s sake. The trouser pockets are kept very flat to provide sufficient comfort under the climbing harness. The contoured waistband sits comfortably on the hips and does not become more uncomfortable under a climbing harness.

Chambeau Pants on rock

Get out on the real rock and test the whole thing thoroughly. Unfortunately, there was no nice 400-meter granite wall available, so I chose the option that came closest to the area of use of these pants and got stuck into a Franconian bouldering cave. The conditions here could easily cross over to an alpine multi-pitch route in bad weather: wet and cold only without wind. So for me almost perfect conditions for a test.

When walking through wet meadows and woods I noticed that very little water came through. Sure, because the trousers are treated with a DWR (Durable Water Repellent). The DWR treatment is a functional, chemical, and very effective coating, although perfluorocarbons, or PFCs, are still used. However, Patagonia is already working on a solution and plans to be 90% PFC-free by 2022. They are also working on the remaining 10%.

But back to the trousers: On the right leg, there is also a “secure” zip pocket, which is placed in the middle of the thigh. The tapered cut on the trouser legs allows a clear view of the feet and prevents trouser creases which, e.g. when hooked, can get caught between the wall and the shoe rubber. If you need it a little tighter, you can adjust the ankle cuff.

An overview of the materials:

• 139 g/m², 90-denier material made from 87% recycled polyester
• 13% elastane with 4-way-stretch
• PWR treatment
• bluesign-certified material
• Fair Trade certified ready-made clothing

Conclusion

If you want to support the philosophy of the Patagonia company and thus have a presumably longtime partner as a climbing pant at your side, you are well-advised to buy the Women’s Chambeau Rock Pants. The elasticity of the fabric as well as its durability are well balanced with the weight. The only drawback for me is the size of the pants, here you will have to take a closer look when buying them.