Post - The Project Magazine

British brand Alpkit launched their two latest jeans designs towards the end of 2019, and we've had a pair of the Jeanius jeans on test over the winter. These are a slim fitting dark jean of an ostensibly classic design, as opposed to Alpkit's other line, the paler and more obviously action-cut panelled Sequence jean.

Climbing pants are often a problematic endeavor, it seems. A quick look through the racks of your average climbing shop often turns up nothing but pants that are badly-fitting or over-designed—or just plain damn ugly. Clearly it's a genre that is very easy to get wrong, with manufacturers trying to differentiate their product far too often with 'design' rather than form and function. Hence, we tend to stick to our favourites. Speaking as someone who spent the best part of 15+ years wearing only consecutive iterations of S7/Moon Cypher pants, I'm risk averse when it comes to climbing strides and usually run a a mile from anything purporting to be 'slim fit'. But when Alpkit launched the Jeanius, a simple classic pair of jeans with decent credentials—and better still sold in three different leg lenths—well, that was enough to make me take another look.

When we took this review on, little did we know that the winter would boast one of the poorest runs of climbing weather in living memory. I would have like to have reported back after a few months heavy Peak District gritstone traffic, the knees having taken a hammering, the back pockets dragged down numerous descents from boulders, the lower legs tested with a thousand muddy shoe squeaks. But as things have turned out they've seen a little grit, a lot of indoor sessions and a trip to the Ticino. In many ways it's this mixed traffic that good climbing jeans excel at. Functional at the crag, comfortable, yet not sticking out like a sore thumb picking up your groceries, making the journey to work, at the pub or checking in your bags at Zurich airport (fans of yellow or lime green climbing pants take note). I am happy to report that the Alpkit Jeanius pretty much tick all the boxes.

Jeans of any type should be lived in, should feel part of you, to the extent that you’re loath to be parted with them for long enough to wash them. The Jeanius are definitely here to be lived in. Comfortable from the word go, they just get out of the way in domestic life and travel, and don't shout out to the casual observer that they are especially a climbing pant. The blue is rich, deep slightly indigo blue as opposed to a black/blue, and looks great. Crucially though, once you hit the crag or the gym they stay out of the way. The fit, despite being fairly slim, just works really well, and there’s a ton of stretch in the fabric too. High steps and heel hooks pose no problems. Your phone can stay in the front pocket without getting in the way, and your change won't fall out of them either . They're not stiff or heavy; you just forget you're wearing jeans. Everyone's mileage will vary, we're all different shapes, but for me the designers have nailed the fit.

Alpkit, in the literature for the Jeanius, make a lot of the deceptively high-tech nature of the fabric, being reinforced with Cordura, and also designed to be wicking to keep you cool in the warm and warm in the cool. This is a difficult claim to quantify during testing. Certainly they remained comfortable on my depressingly warm and humid Swiss trip, and during my many, many, many indoor sessions this winter. On the cold dry days Peak District gritstone—when they did fleetingly appear—the Jeanius did seem to keep me a little warmer than expected, often on days where I would normally expect to need a pair of baselayer pants underneath. The different leg lengths available also means that, for once, the taller among us aren't condemned to suffer from draughty ankles all winter, which goes a long way toward making you feel a lot cosier. The longevity of the fabric would need a much longer run to ascertain, or at least would need a decent gritstone winter, but I've seen nothing to worry about so far.

The only downside to the fabric and fit I've found is they shrunk a little upon the first wash, even at 80°F. Again, your mileage may vary, and it's hardly unheard of for a pair of jeans, but still it caught me off guard a little. My pair shrunk enough that wearing a baselayer under them is no longer a realistic option, but that's paid back a little by the fact they cope surprisingly well by themselves on cool days. And even with a little shrinkage, the fit and mobility remained really great. Still, with this in mind, don't buy them too tight to begin with.

My only other niggle pertains to the little fob watch pocket on the right front hip. The position is about an inch too low, so I often catch my fingers in it. This seems to be a common complaint of the Jeanius based on reviews online, so hopefully the designers can fix this in future runs. It doesn't really detract from the bottom line; at the price of £65 this level of performance, comfort and and quality, combined with the ethical credentials of the sustainable Better Cotton Initiative™ cotton, the Jeanius pants are a real winner.

The Jeanius jeans are available here in Men’s and here in Women’s.