Get to know our Abisko Trekking Tights test team
In the gym. On forest trails. Over mountain passes. Up via ferrata. Tights are everywhere, especially on women’s bodies. They’re comfortable, lightweight and versatile – some of the same characteristics we look for in a good pair trekking trousers. So that got our designers thinking. Two years later Abisko Trekking Tights were born.
They’re not dissimilar to the tights you already use when you’re running, hitting the gym or trekking mountain passes. They have a similar comfort factor, similar lightweight quick-drying properties and they’re incredibly versatile. But ours have a few trekking-specific details.
The knees and backside are reinforced with a durable, slightly rough-to-the-touch material that can also handle brushes with rocks and damp ground. There is a gear loop, a security pocket and two leg pockets – one of which is zipped – perfect for maps, a mobile phone, trail snacks, lip balm, keys and so on. The fit is great too, with a draw cord at the top to make minor adjustments depending on your own body shape. And they look good, so you should feel confident as well as comfortable wearing them.
But we didn’t want you to just take our word for it – we’re perhaps just a little bit biased. So instead we asked 10 women from 10 different countries with 10 different connections to nature to test out the tights and share their thoughts and opinions with our Facebook community.
Some of our testers are used to putting gear to the test. Susanna Forsell, a 23-year old Finn living in Sweden, has competed at a high level in orienteering. “This summer I’m participating in a couple of orienteering competitions, running the Stockholm marathon then roadtripping to Northern Sweden to run the Björkliden Arctic Marathon. So I’m looking forward to having stretchy and comfy tights that work with my active lifestyle.”
But not all our testers come with bucket-loads of experience. For Joyce Youn from the US, it’s more about just spending a lot of time outdoors. “When in nature, the whole world is bigger, brighter and more beautiful. Nature has become my source of energy. A place to escape to but to also find yourself in the centre of the world.” A feeling seconded by Hyekyung Moon from South Korea. “Humans in nature are like tiny pieces of space dust,” she says rather poetically.
They’re also not complete adventure addicts. They have normal jobs and normal lives. Michelle van Rossenberg works as a platform manager at an online gaming company in Amsterdam. Although she loves being outdoors – “my favourite thing in the world is to be outdoors in nature,” she says – she also likes to read, go to concerts and play computer games – “I can really be a couch potato too sometimes”.
“I’m not an athlete or extremely qualified when it comes to the outdoors,” adds Sofie Mack Løvdal from Norway. “I’m just a normal girl that loves to spend time in nature and I think there are a lot of people that can relate to that. Also, even though I’m a huge Fjällräven fan, I will be 100% honest with my feedback.”
For some, they’ve been bitten by the adventure travel bug and see Abisko Trekking Tights as handy additions to their packs. “I’ve just recently started to explore nature by hiking,” explains Lena Beyssell, a 26-year old medical student from Germany. “I bet hiking will be even more fun with the right equipment.”
It’s the pockets that get 24-year old Aska Åkerman from Sweden excited. “It might sound like a small thing, but it’s actually a big detail I miss. I often wear tights in my every day life, but I would always pick other pants for hiking since I wouldn't have any pockets on my tights. Now I finally get the movability and pockets combined.
Runner and dog lover Kitty Zaja from Hungary is looking forward to being able to share her opinion with us to potentially affect future product developments. “The best thing about being an Abisko Trekking Tights tester is actually having the possibility to forward my opinion.
Monica Almeida from Portugal is keen to rigorously test the tights to the max. “When I like something I use it to the limit. So let’s see what the Abisko Trekking Tights’ limits will be!
But what they all share is a love of nature. Alexander (Lexy) Wood, from the UK, sums it up perfectly: “When I am out in nature I feel an overwhelming sense of awe and happiness. I tend to trip over my own feet while hiking, staring at the surroundings. There is such beauty in the colours that nature can produce; in the way that sunlight catches the face of a mountain and glimmers in a stream. How the ground feels and moves under your feet. I love the smell of the fresh air, the tranquility of seclusion and the anticipation of going into the unknown.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves Lexy. Find out what our testers think on our Facebook page during the entire month of April.
