GEAR | ACAI Outdoorwear Women’s Outdoor Slim Fit Jeans Are The (Almost) Perfect Walking Trousers – Review

October 12, 2021 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Homepage Feature, Outdoor Gear Reviews, Reviews, Sponsored Product/Stay

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At last, walking trousers with styling to match my preferred look, an amazingly comfortable and flattering fit and high levels of stretch for unrestricted movemment. I think I might have found the best outdoor trousers I’ve ever worn in the ACAI Outdoorwear Slim Fit Jean…

ACAI Outdoors Mom Jeans & Keela Talus Jacket

What is it?

ACAI The Outdoor Slim Fit Jeans Black Denim £110

Overall Rating (4.5 / 5)

Stockists

ACAI Outdoorwear

Features

In collaboration with premium denim brand ISKO
Using ISKO BLUESKIN™ technology
Total 360° freedom of movement
Six-point leg shaping
Shower resistant
Easily wiped clean
Breathable and moisture-wicking
Vegan leather ACAI patch
Packaged in sustainable mesh bag
Made by women for women

ACAI The Outdoor Slim Fit Jeans Black Denim

What we thought

Are they jeans or are they walking trousers? The answer is yes. They are both. Essentially they are walking trousers designed to look like jeans, or if you want to look at it a different way, they’re jeans designed for the great outdoors.

With full hips and a big bum (I blame that on my Jamaican genes rather than cake), I usually opt for high waisted trousers that sit on, or just above the natural waistline to give me the most flattering fit, but walking trousers that don’t sit too low down for my liking are actually quite hard to come by.

Whenever I’m gifted products, I can be quite nervous trying things on for the first time and I breathed a sigh of relief when I unfolded the jeans when they arrived, they definitely looked like they’d fit and I pulled them on and realised that this, THIS is how a good pair of jeans should fit!

The first things I noticed were the high waist and the fact that the jeans are mega stretchy. Although they are called slim fit jeans, the label on the jeans calls them mom jeans, and I’d say that description is definitely more fitting given their generous cut.

I usually choose long trousers/jeans if I have the choice, but the ACAI Ourdoor Slim Fit Jeans are a standard length and are designed to sit just above the ankle.

For me, that’s great as I usually wear both my skinnies and mom jeans rolled at the bottom to give me a bit of a gap between socks or my shoes, so It was nice to have technical jeans that mimicked my usual look.

I’ve always found buying walking trousers hard as I just don’t like the fit and cut of most of them which tend to be a straight leg style, leading to trousers that are slim fitting on the thigh but really wide and baggy from the knee down around the calf which in my opinion just doesn’t look stylish or particularly cool.

Pros

Extremely comfortable and stretchy
Light and airy fabric, they literally feel like I’m wearing a pair of light denim jeans
I love the shape, although described as skinny, I’d say they have more of a mom jean fit
Water beads off them, so are fine if you get caught in a rain shower
Hugely versatile, I can wear these any time
They hold their shape well and don’t get baggier the more days you wear them before washing them
Highly packable

Cons

They are quite short
Water repellent rather than water-resistant or fully waterproof
Grangers Wash + repel liquid is recommended for every 3-5 washes

I love how light the jeans feel and they also fold down really small too. The fact that these jeans are quite lightweight might put some off, especially at this time of year, but the cut and stretch of them means if the weather really is dire, there’s enough room to allow you to easily wear leggings or a thermal layer underneath them and still not feel overly restricted.

The other thing to note is that for every 3-5 washes, It’s recommended that you use a product such as Grangers Wash + Repel Liquid however, this is much less of a faff than having to re-wax my Fjallraven walking trousers, it just means that you need to keep track of roughly how many times they’ve been washed.

ACAI Slim Fit Mom Jeans Walking trousers — *Jean detailing and high waist*

The verdict

Our Rating

Fit 5/5

Practicality 4.5/5

Looks 5/5

Value 4.5/5

Overall Rating (4.5 / 5)

I can’t rave about the fit and comfort of these trousers enough. They are an astonishingly perfect, true-to-size fit, I love the high waist, the cut of the jeans and I really like the fact that there’s a secure zip pocket on the rear too.

Looks aside, of course, they need to do the job out in the wild, and having worn these countless times on my outdoor adventures, including on Peak District hill stomps and blustery autumn coastal walks, they perform brilliantly.

They are exceptionally light and comfortable and whilst usually between sizes which means sometimes I’m a 14 and sometimes I’m a 16, I chose the larger size (34″) which means I can use a belt to cinch in the roomy waist and there is plenty of room for me to wear short thermal leggings underneath when the weather starts to get colder.

*I’m 5.6″ and the jeans stop a good couple of inches above my ankle*

They are super stretchy which means I’d be as happy climbing in them as I am hiking and I loved watching rain just bead and roll off the trousers thanks to their water repellency abilities. That said, they are not waterproof, so bear in mind they certainly aren’t an all-weather walking trouser choice.

In the future, I’d love to see ACAI develop the same trousers but with a fully waterproof coating and with a longer-length leg option too. That would make these a true 5/5 product and an absolutely incredible all-season trouser.

Despite a couple of minor gripes though, for Summer, Autumn and Spring outdoor adventures the ACAI Slim Fit Jeans make a brilliant, super-versatile choice. Are they worth the £110 price tag? Yes, and as far as walking gear goes, I think I’ll be wearing and raving about these for quite some time.

DISCLOSURE | Thank you to ACAI Outdoorwear who supplied the featured product to us to test. We were not paid to write this review.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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