Hiking pants

I almost always hike and climb in a long sleeved shirt and long pants. Besides helping against scratches and dirt, sun protection is also very important though generally still an undervalued factor in SA. This also gives a wide temperature tolerance range and its actually not as hot and uncomfortable in warmer weather as some might think. I have a favourite pair Cape Storm pants which are old and have taken a beating. They have been repaired and patched a number of times but still have lots of life in them. The double layer of material around the bum and knees is great. I do have problems now with the zipper sneaking open though. I have a pair of Columbia technical pants too, which were a ladies model but fitted me fine and I bought them because they were 3/4 zip-offs (a very useful feature....3/4 pants are a good compromise between protection and keeping cool, and work great with gaiters in the wet). Unfortunately the material got worn out quickly and I'm still looking for someone willing to try repair the ripped backside.

Actually those pants are grey. The pink you see are my underpants visible through the tears.

An old hiking buddy of mine had a system where he would whip a pair of Gortex pants on and off, over his shorts, depending on the temperature. But Gortex will only keep you cool to an extent. The waterproof pants generally available here will all cause you to overheat I think.