There can’t be many serious walkers here in the UK who have not heard of Paramo. Many of them swear by the stuff. In my experience there is nothing more comfortable to wear in really heavy rain than Paramo waterproof gear.

Those who worry about Paramo worry about its weight. Paramo waterproofs are made of two layers an inner pump-liner which sucks moisture away from the body and an outer layer which protects the liner. However, Paramo waterproofs do replace two layers and for most of the year a walker can happily exist with one of these waterproofs over a simple base layer. But as an increasing focus is put on weight Paramo have had to respond with a new, lighter, series of waterproofs. The first of these products was the Velez Adventure Smock and now this has been joined by the Velez Adventure Trousers.

Paramo waterproof trousers can be wonderful. They are properly waterproof and can be worm all day without having to stop and pull outer shell trousers on and off. For many Paramo users it is their trousers that they would give up last. The best seller trouser is the Cascada. While I really appreciate my Cascadas I have never really been properly comfortable with them. The problem with the Cascada Trousers is not the waterproofing but the cut.

I have now owned two pair of Cascada Trousers and I’m somewhat confused at who these have been designed for. The problem is in the cut of the leg for they seem to have been designed for those who have legs like tree trunks. As a result there always seems to be tons of surplus material flapping around and getting soaking wet. The Velez trousers are not only made of lighter material they are cut very differently and it was the cut that made me buy a pair.

And I’m glad I did. The Velez trousers are cut like a normal pair of walking trousers and as a result feel more comfortable. Comparing them to my Cascadas they seem to use a hell of a lot less fabric and this must contribute to the lower weight as well as to comfort.

The Velex trousers save weight by using an all round simpler, design and not just by using lighter outer fabrics. For example, there is still a gaiter system but this is achieved by the use of velcro rather than poppers. Heavy wear areas are reenforced a little but gone is the heavy knee reenforcement of the Cascadas. The waist system is also more conventional, using a belt that can be removed rather than the old draw chord system. There is still a thigh vent but this finishes at knee level whereas the Cascadas are able to zip right down to the ankle (which involved using more heavy poppers). The new vents are similar to that found of Paramo’s summer clothes, and they work well.

While lighter and simpler the Velex trousers remain fully-fledged Paramo waterproofs. I thoroughly enjoyed using mine and suspect that I will be using them more often in the cooler months than I did the Cascadas. Indeed, their first outing was on a reasonably warm and dry February day.

Over the last few years I think a few of us have shown how Paramo can sensibly find itself at the centre of lightweight, cool month, walking kit. These new trousers underline this.

The average weight quoted on the Paramo website for a pair of Cascadas is 572 grams and the Velez 398 grams.

On my last two TGO Challenges I have relied on Paramo Stretch Pants and a pair of lightweight Montane windproof trousers. The average weight for the Stretch Pants is 256 grams and the Featherlite Windproofs weigh in at 120 grams (for a medium size). You can see that this combination is only a few grams lighter than the Velex pants. I’ll do a real weight comparison over the next few days.

Ultralight Colin Ibbotson has had his own Paramo trousers for him. These use the light Pertex fabric that is used with Featherlite trousers. These are probably the lightest Paramo-type trousers ever produced. Most of us aren’t going to go to the trouble of having our own trousers made for us but the Velex Trousers do give us a new lightweight option. It might be that I use the new trousers on this year’s Challenge, if I manage to get on. I’ll certainly be using them on many more occasions that the Cascadas.

A good move Paramo. These should sell in big quantities.

One final thing, the Velex trousers seem only to be available in regular leg lengths at the moment, fine for me but not for someone like Colin. Different leg lengths are promised soon but have not arrived yet.