Páramo was founded in 1984 by Nick Brown, the same chap we have to thank for popular clothing and gear aftercare brand . In fact, you’ll notice the Nikwax logo on all of Páramo’s products, the brand constructs all its clothing using various Nikwax directional textiles to achieve the desired performance. What are directional textiles? I hear you ask.
Well, pretty much all of Páramo’s fabrics are designed to let moisture escape while keeping varying degrees of wind, water and cold out, depending on the fabric. It’s the brand’s own take on performance fabrics and it means you won’t find any hint of a or logo here – everything is done in-house. I was eager to test the Alta Trek Trousers ( ), which boast the Nikwax Wind Resistor fabric, to see how they’d perform when hiking, scrambling and generally having a jolly good time in the mountains of North Wales.
Some of the benefits of the Wind Resistor fabric are apparent immediately. The Alta Trek Trousers are supremely comfortable. In fact, I’d go as far as to say they're the most comfortable I’ve ever worn, certainly in terms of everyday wear.
Not only is the fabric wonderfully soft against the skin, its 4-way stretch provides excellent freedom of movement. I’m someone who liked to move fast, light and unencumbered, so I felt as though I’d found the pair of hiking pants I’d always wanted. As its name suggests, the Wind Resistor fabric blocks gusts and gales but isn’t fully waterproof.
However, it is.