Skip to main content

Decathlon Quechua Bionassay Trousers

I spoke a while back about my winter trouser dilemma and after doing battle with Decathlon over their overt sex discrimination in the pricing of the Quechua Bionassay Trousers, I thought I might as well give these £39.95 trousers a go. They've been on half a dozen times so far and they are certainly going to get used on my next few outings too.


They're packed with features that a lot of top end winter troos don't have. Made of Decathlon's own version of softshell which seems quite tough and so far has handled drizzly damp stuff and snow very well. Not had them in persistent precipitation yet so unsure how they'll respond.

I ended up with the male version, not because the women's didn't fit (the usual reason) but because the men's had a thigh pocket, something that I find invaluable in giving me easier access to small stuff than putting it in the two zipped hip pocket. The fit is reasonable though I need to keep the braces on as they do tend to drift south without them. The waist band doesn't have belt loops and its part elasticated which does loosen off as the day goes on. Other than that no real gripes about the fit.

The things I really like about these trousers are the thigh vents and the nifty internal gaiter. I've seen many trousers with thigh vents but so many of them end up exposing bare flesh to all the elements, not something you want. These troos vents have mesh so you're able to preserve some decency on the hill along with doing the job they are designed to do. So far the weather has been cold enough for me to be wearing my merino leggings underneath which has kept me toasty. Even on the days I've not had the leggings on the temperature control has been good. Only condensation I've had so far is on the waterproof sac I keep my phone in when I took it out the thigh pocket. Will be interesting to see how the breathability is when it's raining.

The gaiter is made of two materials, the lower is tough nylon the upper softer polyester which zips into the trouser. It has a metal clip to attach to your boot and velcro closing. At first I thought this might be uncomfortable and possibly rub but I've had no issues. I was surprised at how well the gaiter coped in the thigh deep snow I've found myself in on the last few outings with only minimal moisture getting through. Securing the bottom of it with the Kahtoola microspikes worked a treat at stopping it ride up. The inside ankle of the trouser has reinforced patches, zips and velcro closings.

You can't deny that for just under £40 they pack a lot of features and have so far delivered the goods, even keeping my rear end dry when I have done some tactical sliding in the snow :-D

 

Comments

  1. These trews are a steal. I've proofed mine and they've been OK. That said, I've not given mine the "falling over" test yet, so I can't judge the "butt-leakage" factor.

    I might go back and get another pair.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aye BG a steal they certainly are. I think I might proof mine before we head for the hills this weekend as I suspect that the weather isn't going to be as dry.

    Now I am the Queen of Arse Planting so of course I have to test the suitability of the product for this task ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice review! ;-) It is a real mix Decathlon stuff with the odd gem! My first ever backpacking tent was from their range and it was great. I rate some of their cheap base layers too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. They do look rather good for the winter. I've not been up a hill for months like, but it's chilly down the park at half six in the morning with the dugs.
    ;0)

    I've no' visited that Decathlon shop yet. Seeing as how it's only about 10 minutes up the road, I really should make the effort - looks worthwhile.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Scott the trousers are certainly good at keeping the elements out, evn if it just for walking the dugs ;-)

    Having been in several Decathlons in the UK & Europe the Glasgow store is still just carrying the basic range but they do still have some bargains. It'll be interesting to see how the stock develops

    ReplyDelete
  6. Has the Glasgow store got any TSL snowshoes in stock? The website says that my nearest has them but a phone-call to their no-helpdesk revealed that their stock is zilch.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Haven't been in for a while so no idea BG. Suspect that they don't.

    I must admit I wasn't impressed with the lack of Customer Service when I had my dispute over their sexist pricing. Hopefully it'll improve

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's tough getting any trousers to fit me - summer or winter. They're either are too long in length or they just don't fit right. I've got a great pair of Mountain Equipment Chamois pants though which are softshell as well. But like my boots I seem to wear them all the time!

    Us women do not get a lot of choice really. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  9. We certainly don't Ange

    Not being a standard femail shape with legs that are longer than most men I always struggle for trousers but for once I found that these, although not perfect they do the buiness.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Salomon Mission GTX Boot

I've had these on a few times now and so far they are just what I've been after to get me through the winter for most of my days out. Salomon describe them as being perfect for "light hiking" - take that whatever way you want ;-) They come in at 1210g for the pair and feel fairly easy on the feet. They've handled saturated grassy stuff without me applying the famous arse plant (so far!!). They even seemed to be OK on rocky stuff too. Where I have been really impressed with them is how they handled the snow on Na Gruagaichan. It was hard enough that we were kicking steps. This was easy enough for Steve in his Scarpa SL's and Iain in his La Sportiva Nepals. Initially I followed their steps then decided to give it a go myself. I occasionally had to kick a couple of times on some of the really hard stuff, probably more down to my poor technique than the boot, but they managed well on the cover we had for the ascent. As my balance is rubbish I decided to apply

Creag Meagaidh MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Creag Meagaidh has been on the to do list for so long. The past couple of years have seen us have to abort at least three attempts at the last minute because conditions weren't for us. So were we going to get it done this time................. YES  The weather bods said mostly dry with a risk of potential showers later in the day.  It was warm so even if it did rain it would be warm.  Off we set having smothered ourselves in factor 50 and Smidge. Warm they said.......... baking I said!!!! We had decided our ascent would be via Coire Ardair and The Window to ease us into the walk on a good path.  It felt more like a slow roasting.  It is a gorgeous walk out to Coire Ardair on a very good path but as soon as we were out of the forest the heat and humidity kicked in.  When we reached Lochan Coire Ardair there was only one thing on my mind, getting my boots off and getting in.  It was at this point I began having major doubts as to whether we would get this done. Bre

Ben Lomond

Storm Hannah tried to wreck the planned Craggy walk to Ben Lomond. Thankfully, she had moved off quickish to allow the walk to be rescheduled to Sunday.  For once wind was not going to be an issue, all the makings of a good hill day.  So off we trotted.  While there were only a few folk heading in the same direction as us, there seemed to be a constant stream coming down Ptarmigan.  I suspect this is a result of the route description in Walk Highlands.  My body was having issues at moving at anything more than snail pace, earning me the title of Pace Setter of the Day for keeping us at a steady 1.9km/hr.  I have to thank the gang for being super patient on what was a longer than anticipated ascent of Ptarmigan.  We had some Ptarmigan Ridge virgins in our midst, some requiring reassurance from Steve "trust me" Morley. Plus Quote of the Day 1 from Carol "so where's this ridge we're doing?" ( said at approx 700m on said ridge ) We eventually ma