Rab Incline Pants Women's review: the dependable mid-range softshell

Every gear category has a product that wins by having no weak argument against it, and in women's walking trousers the Rab Incline is it. A midweight Matrix softshell, three zipped pockets, a shaped waistband, stretch where you move and wind resistance where you stand still, for £100. Nothing about it chases a headline. Everything about it is aimed at the walker who wants one trouser that handles a Purbeck ridgeline in March, a Brecon Beacons round in October and everything between.

Rab lists the intended use as hill walking, trekking and mountaineering, and that range is the story. This is the trouser you buy when you want the decision made and done.

Who the Incline is for

This trouser is for: women doing regular UK hill walking across three-plus seasons who want a single dependable pair. The midweight Matrix fabric holds off wind on exposed ground, breathes on climbs and takes a base layer underneath in winter. It particularly suits anyone the standard trouser market fails on leg length: Rab offers 28, 30 and 32 inch options across sizes 6 to 20, which almost nobody else at this price does. It is also the natural pick if you already trust Rab kit and want the trouser equivalent of the brand's no-drama reliability.

This trouser is not for: hot-weather-first walkers, where a lighter trouser like the Salomon Wayfarer 2.0 makes more sense, or anyone needing built-in waterproofing, which is overtrouser territory covered in the waterproof hiking trousers guide. And if your walking is hard enough to destroy trousers, the Fjällräven Keb Agile exists for exactly that.

Specs

Fabric

Midweight Matrix double-weave stretch softshell

Composition

Main: 88% polyamide / 12% elastane

Weight

293g (size 10)

Weather resistance

Wind resistant, fluorocarbon-free DWR

Pockets

3 zipped

Waist

Shaped waistband with belt loops

Hem

Tethered drawcord for cinching over boots

Fit

Regular, with articulation for movement

Leg lengths

Short 28in / Regular 30in / Long 32in

Sizes

UK 6 to 20

Price

£100 (Rab RRP)

One construction note from Rab's own sheet: mini twin-needle top stitching runs throughout, the kind of seam detail that shows up in how a trouser survives year three rather than how it photographs in year one.

Matrix fabric: the midweight sweet spot

Matrix is Rab's stretch double-weave softshell family, and the Incline uses the midweight version: 88% polyamide with 12% elastane, a smooth wind-shedding face outside and a comfortable inner surface against the leg. Rab pitches it as lightweight, breathable, wind resistant and versatile, and that reads correctly against the construction. This is the same fabric family I rate highly in the Rab Torque shorts, where the 182gsm lightweight version handled a heatwave; Rab specifies the Incline's Matrix as midweight for hill use.

Midweight is the correct call for British hills. A light summer fabric flaps and chills on a windy col; a heavy winter softshell cooks you on the climb up to it. At 293g for a size 10, the Incline sits in the band that works from February to November for most walkers, with a base layer extending it into proper winter. The fluorocarbon-free DWR sheds drizzle and shower spray, and the double weave keeps its wind resistance when a lighter trouser would be letting the cold straight through.

The 12% elastane is a high stretch content for a walking trouser, and paired with the articulated patterning it means the fabric gives on high steps, stiles and scrambly moves rather than pulling at the knee. The trade against the elastane-free approach Fjällräven takes is long-term shape retention, but at £100 against £185 that is the trade you are being paid to accept.

Fit, waistband and three leg lengths

The fit is regular: room through the seat and thigh without bagginess, cut for walking rather than fashion. The waistband is the quiet highlight. It is shaped, meaning it follows the difference between waist and hip rather than cutting a straight line, and it carries belt loops so you tune the fit rather than relying on elastic alone. Shaped waistbands are where women's trousers most often go wrong, with gapping at the back or digging under a hipbelt, and Rab's approach here is simple and effective.

Then there is the sizing run, which deserves more credit than it usually gets: UK 6 to 20, each in short, regular and long legs of 28, 30 and 32 inches. Most rivals at this price offer one leg length and call it done. If you have spent years hemming trousers or walking with fabric pooled at your ankles, the Incline may be worth choosing on this alone. Fit you do not have to fight is a performance feature.

Pockets and hem detail

Three pockets, all zipped. That is the spec, and it is one fewer than the four-pocket norm at this price. What you keep is security: everything you carry at leg level stays put through sit-downs, scrambles and gate vaults. What you give up is a bit of capacity, and if you like a dedicated map pocket plus phone plus snacks all on the trouser, the Montane Terra Stretch below serves you better.

The hem detail is smarter than it sounds. Each leg carries a tethered drawcord, so you can cinch the hem in over a boot cuff when the ground turns boggy or the wind picks up, then release it on the road walk out. It is lighter and simpler than ankle zips, and unlike an elasticated cuff it is optional: untouched, the leg hangs like a normal straight hem.

Incline vs Mountain Equipment Chamois 2.0 (Women's)

The Chamois 2.0 at £95 is the Incline's closest fight. Mountain Equipment's EXOLITE 210 double-weave (92% polyamide, 8% elastane) is a similar wind-resistant softshell idea with a fluorocarbon-free DWR, but the feature list runs longer: four zipped pockets with mesh-lined thigh pockets that double as vents, an integrated low-profile belt, a double press-stud waist closure and ankle zips with an internal gusset for mountain boots. It is heavier at 370g and cut in Mountain Equipment's closer alpine fit.

Choose the Chamois for scrambling, winter boots and a more technical, mountain-day feature set. Choose the Incline for the lighter weight, the softer regular fit, and above all the size and leg-length range the Chamois cannot match. For general hill walking I would take the Incline; for mountaineering-adjacent days the Chamois earns its extra hardware.

Incline vs Montane Terra Stretch (Women's)

The Montane Terra Stretch at £95 is the features-per-pound winner of the mid-range. Its Raptor Flex fabric (88% nylon, 12% elastane, PFC-free DWR) matches the Incline's stretch content, then Montane adds a Cordura ripstop instep to fend off boot and crampon scuffs, zipped mesh-lined thigh vents, a removable webbing belt, two mesh-lined hand pockets, a rear zipped pocket, and zip-and-press-stud ankle adjustment, at 345g in a size 10.

If you run hot on climbs, the thigh vents alone might decide it, and the Cordura instep is a real durability upgrade for winter boot users. The Incline's counterargument is simplicity and fit: 50g lighter, a cleaner leg without vent zips, the shaped waistband, and the three leg lengths Montane does not offer. Busy technical trouser versus quiet dependable one; both are correct answers to different walkers.

Incline vs Salomon Wayfarer 2.0 (Women's)

The Salomon Wayfarer 2.0 is the lighter, summer-leaning alternative, with street prices starting around £83. It is a four-way stretch, water-resistant trouser with streamlined pockets, a thin belt and drawcord hems, built to minimise bulk and weight, and it doubles as a travel and everyday trouser more naturally than the Incline does.

The comparison splits cleanly on fabric weight. The Wayfarer is the trouser for warm days, fast walking and packing light; the Incline's midweight Matrix is the trouser for wind, shoulder seasons and hills with weather on them. If your walking runs April to September on friendly paths, the Salomon saves you money and grams. If you are out year-round on exposed ground, the Incline is the one still working in November.

Pros and cons

• Midweight Matrix softshell hits the sweet spot for UK three-plus-season hill walking
• Sizes 6 to 20 with three leg lengths, a fit range almost no rival matches
• Shaped waistband with belt loops that behaves under a pack hipbelt
• All three pockets zipped, so nothing escapes on scrambles or sit-downs
• Tethered hem drawcords cinch over boots for bog and wind, then disappear
• Wind resistant with a fluorocarbon-free DWR, at a sensible 293g

• Three pockets where most rivals at this price offer four or more
• No thigh vents, which Montane offers for £5 less
• Wind resistant, not waterproof: overtrousers still live in the pack
• Recycled content is minimal by Rab's own figures (33% zips, no recycled main fabric)

Verdict

The Rab Incline is the trouser I would point most women hill walkers at first, and the reasons are unglamorous on purpose: the right fabric weight for British conditions, a waistband that fits, zips on every pocket, and a size run with three leg lengths that treats fit as the feature it is. Nothing on the spec sheet is there for the marketing copy.

It scores 4.3 rather than higher because the mid-range around it is fierce. The Montane Terra Stretch gives you vents, a Cordura instep and a rear pocket for £5 less, and the Chamois 2.0 brings ankle zips and an alpine cut for £95. The Incline beats both on fit range, weight and cleanliness of design, and loses on feature count. If dependable and well-fitting is the brief, buy the Incline and stop looking.

Rab Incline Women's FAQ