Amble Sundial Pants & Trail Pants – Review

Amble has recently launched two pairs of hiking pants – Sundial Pants and Trail Pants. We gave Anna the Sundial and Jess the Trail and sent them out into the big wide world to see how they fared in the bush. Here’s how they went.

New Amble Hiking Pants

What are Sundial Pants?

Tested & Reviewed by Anna Wall

Amble’s Sundial Pants somehow find a place in both your regular staples, and your hiking pack. The Sundial Pants combine features that we love in regular pants, like fit, style, and pockets, with trail-specific features like UPF50 rating, stretchy quick-drying fabric, and… pockets. Making them the versatile pants you never knew you needed.

Anna in the Black Sundial Pants | @_anna_wall

What are Trail Pants?

Tested & Reviewed by Jess Nehme

Amble’s Trail Pants feature almost everything you need in a versatile pair of hiking pants. From a UPF50 rating to multiple pockets and an adjustable waistband, they’ve got you covered. These have been specifically tailored (legit, they look designer!) to be your MVP in a wide variety of terrains. Plus, with some styling, they look good off the trail too!

Jess in the Woodland Green Trail Pants | @jessleenehme

Sundial vs Trail – What’s the difference?

Sundial Pants

• 4 pockets
• High rise, elasticised waist
• Straight leg
• ⅞ length
• 100% recycled fabric
• UPF50
• Comes in Black or Woodland Green

Trail Pants

• 6 pockets
• Tailored waist with waist adjuster
• Fitted leg
• Full length
• 100% recycled fabric
• UPF50
• Comes in Black or Woodland Green

Features

Sundial Pants

My favourite feature of the Sundial Pants is by far, the elasticated waist, which allowed for all the movement needed to scale rock faces, clamber down hills, and scramble back up them on the return. Plus, I can eat my weight in pasta without regretting it the next day – the Amble crew certainly know the way to my heart. 

Freedom to move is SO important for comfort on (and off!) the trail | @_anna_wall

The 100% recycled polyester (made from PET bottles) was incredibly lightweight, which was also a huge win for me – proving somehow both warm on a chillier hike, and breathable on a short, hot hike. They also seemed crinkle-proof, coming out of my backpack exactly the way I’d put them in – what kind of witchcraft is this? 

With two large front pockets (one featuring a zip to keep important items safe), a snap button back pocket, a velcro card pocket, and a D ring for my keys, I found little use for a backpack except for my swimmers and water bottle. For shorter day hikes, I can easily keep the backpack at home which is a big win.

Trail Pants

When it comes to pants the quickest way to my heart is through those personal Bermuda Triangles more commonly known as pockets. So I’m pleased to report that the Amble Trail Pants deliver in the pocket area. There are five six of them, including an almost invisible zippable thigh pocket and two zippable front pockets. 

The waistband adjusters located on each hip are excellent. Finding a perfect fit is unheard of with hiking pants, right?! Not anymore – kudos Amble. I’m also a big fan of the UPF50 rating on the ultra-smooth fabric. I like my sun as much as the next guy, but if my clothes can be the sunscreen for me, I’m more than happy to let them! 

What didn’t I like? I’m not a fan of the plastic snap buttons on the back pockets – they’re nearly impossible to open and close while wearing the pants. Imagine trying to push a button on a jumping castle… not happening. The Trail Pants also feature a D ring for keys on the waistband. I’ve never found myself in need of keys during a hike so I didn’t find this particularly useful.

Performance

Sundial Pants

I tested these bad boys out on two different hikes – a short afternoon jaunt to Upper Gledhill Falls for a Sunday afternoon swim and a three-hour hike of Freycinet National Park on a chilly Tassie day. 

The super lightweight (and UPF 50 rated) fabric was quick drying after my swim and proved breathable on the incredibly stair-heavy hike. 

While I did only put them to the test on shorter hikes, the performance in two varying conditions impressed me enough to give them a try on a longer multi-day hike.

Trail Pants

I wore these pants on a seven-day hike along the Great Ocean Road during September, and admittedly, I was a bit nervous. Temperatures were on the chillier side and these pants are really thin and light. 

While the pants kept me surprisingly warm, I did find that the breathability wasn’t as good as my standard pair of hiking pants from Kathmandu – sweat was an issue. The pants are quick-drying, which was great, but I definitely felt clammier than usual. If you don’t celebrate visible sweat patches as proof of effort you won’t want to buy these in green, but black would be fine. The dark sweat patches that showed up on my pair of woodland green pants did dry very quickly though. 

Sweat patches are pretty obvious in the green Trail Pants, but they dry quickly | @jessleenehme

Overall, I rate the Amble Trail Pants as perfectly suited to day hikes, but I wouldn’t take them on a multi-day trip again. I travel light, which means I’m in the pants 24/7 and if I’m going to choose one pair to take, I’m packing the pants that are super breathable. These weren’t bad, but they weren’t better than what I’ve found in a pair half the price.

Design & Aesthetics

Sundial Pants

Aside from the elasticised waist and multiple pockets (everyone loves a pocket), my next favourite feature was the design. Unwrapping the Amble package felt like opening a parcel from Zara, unveiling super soft pants that looked like something I’d wear with a blazer to the office rather than on a trail – daggy hiking pants are a thing of the past, my friends. 

The uber-soft fabric and ⅞ length were not only comfortable but hugely versatile, and it’s safe to say I’ll be adding these to my wardrobe rotation whether I’m hiking or not. 

I’m too trendy for this trail | @_anna_wall

The only downside I found was the visibility of the pockets and panty lines through the lightweight fabric. Do I care when hiking? Definitely not. Do I care in the office? Also not really. And let’s be fair, they’re still the best-looking hiking pants I’ve ever owned, so it’s far from a deal breaker.

Trail Pants

The Amble Trail Pants are made from 100% recycled fabric with a UPF 50 rating to protect from the harsh Aussie sun. The fabric itself is a mysterious combination of recycled bottles and organic fabric blends… whatever it is, I like it. 

The very first thing I noticed about these pants was how smooth and silky to touch they are. ‘Feel this!’ I exclaimed as I forced my partner to touch them too. They aren’t rough or scratchy like every other pair of hiking pants I’ve ever encountered. They feel too pretty for hiking!

Could definitely get used to this level of comfort! | @jessleenehme

The surprises didn’t stop there. After putting on the high-waisted pants with lovely fitted legs I realised that they’re probably nicer than 90% of the pants I own…. I’d wear these to run errands…and to a business meeting. Wear with hiking boots or heels – these are wardrobe chameleons. 

If you’ve tried to buy hiking pants in Australia, you’ll be aware that unlike European countries, colours here are limited. Naturally, I was pretty excited to see green as an option. What I was less excited about, was the length of the pants.

Despite being described as full length in the product description, they’re a tad ankle-bashy for my 168cm of height. I don’t mind that when I’ve finished hiking for the day and am lounging around camp in my Tevas – but for snake protection, keeping sand out of my boots, and warmth, I definitely prefer pants that meet my shoes.

Comfort & Fit

Sundial Pants

How many times can I say elasticised waist in one article before the editors get mad?

Seriously though, I love a good high-waist pant, even better if it’s elasticised (yup, that’s five times now). Say goodbye to that awful lowerback gape that anyone with hips has to live with, these fit perfectly around my butt and waist and allow me to jump, climb, and skip to my heart’s content. 

All hail the elasticised waist! | @_anna_wall

The comfort of these hiking pants was far above any I’ve tried before – offering so much movement that I honestly forgot I was wearing them – which for a review wasn’t particularly helpful, but hey, in itself that’s a bloody good thing.

Trail Pants

By the end of my first day hiking and wearing the Amble Trail Pants I was calling them my ‘ninja pants’. This is because all my other hiking pants make a subtle, but definitely enough to be annoying, rustle. On every. Single. Step. But not the Amble Trail Pants, ladies. These are silky, smooth, and silent. 

This wasn’t a feature I thought I’d be commenting on, but it’s definitely a reason to invest. The rustles from regular noisy trail pants might not be that intense, but once you realise silence is an option… Let’s just say that I’m going to have a tough time pulling on my (now insultingly loud!) old faithfuls.

Moving on up…High-waisted isn’t a style I typically opt for when hiking. Hello total nightmare when you’re bloated from the sudden transition from real food to a kilo of scroggin every day! But the inbuilt waist-adjusters on the Amble Trail Pant are really, really good. Not only do they allow you to increase your space as needed, but you can actually get quite a customised fit too.

They’re snug, without being tight, instantly comfortable, and look slick.

In the absence of elastic, this adjuster on the Trail Pants is bloody great | @jessleenheme

Sustainability

Both pairs of Amble hiking pants are made from a certified recycled fabric blend that uses old post-consumer plastic bottles that are Global Recycle Standard certified. That’s tick number one, especially since it’s a voluntary standard.

Tick number two is that Amble offsets the carbon and plants a tree for every pair of pants that they make. Not only do both pairs of pants come in a woodland green, but you’re contributing to the growth of more woodland too. Pretty cool.

Amble also uses plastic free packaging on all of its products, including both the Sundial and Trail Pants.

Comfort you can feel comfortable about | @_anna_wall

Price

Sundial Pants

At $149, the cost per wear makes them well worth the purchase. From the office to the trail, Amble’s Sundial Pants have certainly earned their place in my wardrobe.

Trail Pants

The Amble Trail Pants retail for $169. For the fashionista looking to hit the trails, these are the pants you should be choosing. 

I’m less fashionista, more stingy grub… and if I saw these online, I probably wouldn’t pay $169 for them. But – fellow grubs hear me out – I probably should. Turns out that when you pay more than $100 for hiking pants, you actually get a whole lot more. These pants are insanely good all-rounders. Going on a Contiki trip? Take these pants. Going on a day hike with the girls? Take these pants.

Want a hiking glow up? Amble’s hiking pants should be your first stop | @jessleenehme

Final Thoughts

Sundial Pants

Having put the Sundial Pants to the test in both hot and chilly weather, I’m a big fan. It’s hard to say how they’d go on longer, sweatier hikes without putting them through their paces – but if the first two hikes are anything to go by, I’ll certainly be keeping them at the top of my backpack for future trips.

Trail Pants

The Amble Trail Pants are ideal for long days of walking, don’t wrinkle when scrunched up, and are the perfect length to wear with sandals. When it comes to hiking, I’m going to use these for day hikes more often than multi-day hikes due to the breathability limitations, no zip-off legs, and shorter length.

Overall, I highly rate these as travelling pants – quick, someone alert the sisterhood! They’re versatile and can be slotted in with your other non-hiking clothes if you’re trying to travel light.

Have you tried Amble’s new range of hiking pants? We’d love to hear about your experience with these silky smooth silent statement slacks. Go on, review the review.

Feature photo by @_anna_wall