Richa Badlands Cargo pants in green

On one level the Richa Badlands Cargo pants is what we would call a single-layer pant. And that's a term that we use to distinguish a garment without a reinforcing lining from one that uses extra layers of material to get it through the EN17092 abrasion test.

 

Most of the better jeans these days are made from a single material that, in its own right, is strong enough to pass the relevant abrasion test; be that at the A, AA or AAA level.

 

In the past, lots of jeans were basically made from cotton, but with something like a Kevlar lining. Such pants would meet the required abrasion standard, but the extra material would invariably make a trouser feel heavy. And these linings could severely impact upon breathability as well.

 

The Badlands is technically a single-layer pant, but it achieves its AA status by using different materials in different areas. In some parts of the trouser what you get is just cotton. This is the green stuff. The black material is much more abrasion resistant.

 

The result is technically a single-layer trouser, but not in the way that we know it, Jim! It's clever. The Badlands feels and wears like a single-layer riding trouser. But to get there it has cheated a little!

 

With 4% of Elastane forming part of its construction, the Badlands is pretty stretchy, and as a result commendably comfortable.

 

Richa calls the fit of the leg 'straight', but these things are relative. Yes, they are not tapered like a riding jean, but in the adventure world 'straight' can mean very wide indeed. And what has to be acknowledged here is that you won't be able to wear a full-height adventure boot with the Badlands. They're designed very much with ankle boots in mind. That having been said there are still lots of ankle-height, adventure-style boots out there that will work with these trousers.

 

At the bottom of the leg there's some elasticated shirring and a popper system to gather the bottoms in a bit. But there are no zips at the bottom of the legs. If you need zips to accommodate a taller boot the Badlands are not for you.

 

Of course, pockets are an important part of the adventure aesthetic. So you get two top-loader, jean-style pockets and two zip-up cargo pockets on the thighs.

 

On the subject of zips, you get a couple of zipped vents to the sides of the cargo pockets.

 

It perhaps goes without saying that the Badlands pants are not waterproof. This really is just a riding jean by another name.

 

We've mentioned that the Badlands are AA rated for abrasion resistance. For impact protection they come with Level 1 Ghost. You could upgrade to Level 2 Ghost or, at a pinch, Level 2 Diablo. But there's virtually no adjustability in the knee pockets, so the armour will either be in the right place or it won't be. The pants, by the way, come in just one leg length.

 

We are a broad church here at Motolegends, and without wanting to be accused of heavy handedness with the religious metaphors, our customers have a Catholic range of tastes.

 

We sell the kind of high-end Gore-Tex gear that comes with every bell and whistle known to motorcycling man. But we can also do simple. We can do casual. And we can do inexpensive. And that's because, tastes aside, not everybody can afford to throw oodles of cash at their gear.

 

Well, at £189.99, we reckon the Badlands are pretty competitively priced.

 

They are what they are. They are quite fancy looking, but the Badlands is basically a protective riding jean with a bit of added style.

 

They meet the AA standard for abrasion resistance. They come with D3O armour. You get lots of pockets and even some venting for the warmer weather. Put all that together and the Badlands look interesting. They also offer pretty decent value for money.