Mary Ann Ochota tries out technical legwear – the Alpine Parrot Ponderosa trousers – specifically designed for plus sizes.
Size 16 is now the UK average dress size, but the majority of technical outdoor clothing stops at a 16. Less-technical pieces in a range sometimes go up to size 18 or 20, but they might not meet your needs for a serious mountain day, and are often ‘sized up’ from smaller sizes, meaning that the proportions are out of whack, and don’t actually fit anyone well. The Alpine Parrot Ponderosa trousers are part of the answer to this issue.
Mary-Ann Ochota highly recommends
The trousers are high rise and sit smoothly under a rucksack waistband. The fabric is lightweight but doesn’t feel flimsy but is soft and breathable.- fit
- performance
- fun colourways
- cost
- only available in one inside leg measurement (32”)
| Quick Specs |
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| Price: $139 / £125 (available from Vampire Outdoors) Weight: 360g Materials: Nylon/Elastane mix: Quick drying, breathable, 2-way stretch, UPF 40 protection. Integrated webbing belt. Bluesign certified fabric and dyes. Features: A curved, high-rise waist and built-in belt, key ring loop, button and loop to roll hem up to capri mid-calf, three colours. Pockets: 2 front pockets, 1 thigh pocket with zip, 2 back pockets. Hem: sewn Sizes: UK Women’s 16/18 – 32 (US 14-30) in two curve ratios – Mountain Fit (wider hips) and River Fit (slimmer hips) Mens version: no alpineparrot.com |
“When clothes don’t fit, it’s not our bodies’ fault – it’s the clothing, “ says brand founder Raquel Vélez, who is plus size and whose background is in engineering. They come in two fits – Mountain and River – to accommodate the different ways people carry weight. At each waist size, the Mountain Fit is cut for a narrower waist and a fuller, curvier bottom and hips. The River Fit is for people who have similar measurements at waist and hips. The size chart shows thigh circumference too, helping you work out which fit is for you (“measure the circumference of the juiciest part of the thigh,” the size chart reassuringly tells you). You should select your size based on measurements, not on your regular clothing size.
The trousers are high rise and sit smoothly under a rucksack waistband. The fabric is lightweight but doesn’t feel flimsy. It’s soft, breathable, and offers UPF40 sun protection. After four days camping and hiking they continued to hold their shape, look good and not smell.
The belt system is a masterstroke. It’s sewn into the trousers, and adjusts at the side, rather than in the middle. It means a small adjustment cinches the waist in at the small of my back but doesn’t pull across my tum. After multiple days I did find the waist buttonhole stretching a little. Craghoppers solve the same problem by attaching their fly button to webbing that’s sewn into the vertical seam, so it doesn’t stretch the actual trouser fabric. That would be a welcome improvement here.
Deep pockets mean you can actually fit a smartphone or folded map into them. The zipped thigh pocket is particularly useful. Flappy ankles are a perennial problem – even on this painstakingly designed trouser, the hem at the ankle is a bit wider than I’d like. And it’s frustrating that there’s only one leg length. But this is a new company and they’re building their range slowly.
I’m at the smaller end of the fit range, but members of plus-size community Every Body Outdoors who wear a bigger size also report satisfaction on the range of fits.
Mine are orange, which I love, and Alpine Parrot clothing is WRAP Certified, a metric which serves to assure buyers that the clothing is made in a safe, legal and ethical factory. The Ponderosa pants are currently stocked in the UK by plus size focused retailer Vampire Outdoors.
Testing conditions
Mary-Ann Ochota tested these trousers throughout the start of 2024 on hill walks in the South Downs. The review was first published in the August 2024 issue of The Great Outdoors.
