Had my new On Route trousers for a few days now, and my initial impressions are...
I'm Lovin:
the light weight,
the fit and leg width, not too slim, not too wide at the bottom
the versatile styling (don't feel too outdoorsy in the office, but not too posh for kicking about in either)
The lovely deep front pockets (the loveliest and deepest on any of my Rohan trousers)
The zipped internal pocket to the right hand front pocket and the zipped rear pocket
the possibility of buttoning in some hotliners

Not Lovin:
Where are the hotliners? can't find any.
The wee left front internal pocket. Grrr. I can see why it's there, replicating the traditional chinos/jeans pocket styling, but I've never used them on chinos, or jeans, wherever i've seen them. Added to this is the annoyance of velcro. It has its place, but I really dislike velcro being used in your internal pockets (same on my Goas and (not as bad) travel jeans). I'm always catching my watch strap on it and ripping it open, then it doesn't close properly without my adjusting the material (a faff) so thereafter the bare face of it scratches my hand every time I use the main pocket.
Add to that the fact that the pocket is no use to me anyway, and rub it in with the lovely neat zipped alternative on the other side, and then add to THAT the internal zipped pocket INSIDE the trousers on the left, and the left hand side becomes bulky and doesn't sit right, with excess material inside the main pocket.

I'm deliberating whether to cut the little pocket out altogether, stitch it up, or return the trousers.
Can I put a case forward for an internal zipped pocket on each side of the otherwise great On Route trousers (leave it off the goas altogether and don't put velcro on it on the jeans. it could be another 'insecure' pocket)?
Ta

Dear Strider, great review! Thanks! Points taken about the pocket layouts. Maybe the best solution is to remove the internal, secret pocket to reduce bulk...? But that's the more practical pocket I guess. The solution of two zipped pockets inside the hand pockets is very attractive and sounds a lot more useable. The idea of the touch-and-close pocket is that it could hold a phone. Does this work for you? Hotliners: in remarkably short supply due to us not buying enough. Sorry about this. If you give Customer Services heer in MK or your local shop a call they may be able to track down a pair for you.
Anyway, many thanks again for a great review. Hope you decide to keep them. They'll last you many many years. Best regards, Tim Jasper

Hi Tim, thanks for the reply,
yes I see that pocket is useful as a mobile phone pocket, maybe it could have been on the other side? Don't know if it was just the pair I had, but I decided not to persevere with the bulk on the left, so I took them back (good service as usual from the Newcastle store). I've ended up with some Fusion trousers as the more sensible option, and I've just acquired some ultimate cargos in your sale.
What I was looking for was a sensible style (for work use) but in a heavier weight material - maybe like that used for Uplanders - for the winter months.

Cheers
Andy

I've been wearing my pair of On Route trousers more or less solidly since I bought them about 6 months ago (Yes I do wash them - but overnight so they are ready the next day). The button fell off and was sewn back on, but apart from that they are showing no sign at all of wear and tear. They don't even look faded.

They're more than smart enough for the office and then strong and technical enough for racing sailing dinghies at the weekend. They also spent time bouncing and crawling around a small boat at sea in moderate (though relatively dry) conditions.

I love:
*The velcro mobile phone pocket which keeps my phone safe and scratch free.
*The material - very tough and has never needed ironing.
*The versatility - comfortable and practical in the office, warm, dry and windproof in a dinghy or at sea.
*The zipped inner pocket on the right hand side is now my wallet.
*Really hard wearing.

I like less:
*Button needed re-sewing (maybe to do with me being on the rounder side)
*I wish the phone pocket was on the other side from the d-ring so my keys are never near the phone.

Now that it has got very cold (including inside the office) I've ordered a pair of Winter Bags to see me through colder days. But when it's warmer I'll be wearing the On Routes again, and when they do eventually give up, they will be replaced.

Sounds like you get on with them really well James, I might give another pair a go in the spring, see if anything is different about the pockets, or maybe I just had a funny pair.

Have you tried sourcing a pair of hotliners fo them? They'd keep you going through the cooler weather... I was initially very interested in them and it would be good to know what you thought if you got hold of a pair. I'm sure you would test them well!!

Is the On Route / Hotliner combo something Rohan would consider re-igniting I wonder ?

Hi Strider. We don't have any Hotliners left in stock as you've discovered. Sorry about that. Here's what sometimes happens: we launch an idea which we think is perfectly reasonable but maybe a bit unusual, like Hotliners. "Early adopters" pick them up - which is people of great taste and discernment, like yourself, of course... but often not in great volume.
Then our merchandising team start to downgrade their sales forecasts for the future.
Then the idea starts to take off properly and sales volumes rise over the next season or so. By then we've either not bought enough - hence the out-of-stocks - or decided that it wasn't such a good idea in the first place... Or both. Not sure how to stop this happening! All suggestions gratefully received... Best regards, Tim Jasper.

Love the low weight and the left hand inner pocket – perfect for my mobile and even credit card wallet, - stops them banging against my thigh as they tend to in larger pockets.
The Velcro fastener can be a bit scratchy/sharp, but the pocket is so perfect for the phone that I can easily ignore this. In fact, I feel rather lost whenever I wear other trousers now, so please keep the inner left hand pocket. Maybe add a zipper, or find some way to shield/cover the top edge of the Velcro, but definitely keep the pocket.
Also love the partially elasticated waist – the elasticated bits discreetly hidden to provide comfort without advertising that one has reached the stage when elasticated waists start to become desirable. Any plans to apply this feature to other trousers?
Had to re-sew the button on one pair!!
Also like the material, and have a query here. I bought an ink blue pair (32” R) in Chester in January. Liked them so much that I bought another pair in mineral (32” L) online. My initial impression was that the blue pair were a little bit more stiff and less soft to the touch than the mineral ones. Last Friday, I had a prolonged journey during which I wore the blue ones. Saturday, another long day during which I wore the mineral ones, and now I am certain – the mineral ones are definitely a bit softer and smoother. Could this be due to the dyeing process, or differences between batches of material? I have washed the blues once or twice more than the minerals (normal 40 degree cycle, non-bio and no softener), and live in a soft water area so can’t see how it can be that.
I love the mineral ones and wouldn’t mind buying one or two more pairs in other colours (stone or charcoal). Apart from going into a shop, I suppose there is no way to be sure of getting a pair in the softer material?

Dear Willbill. Thanks for the question about the varying handfeels between colours. As you can imagine there are a lot of processes that go into a finished fabric and small variances at any stage can have a tangible effect on the final fabric. We try to work with mills who are highly quality focussed and skilful at avoiding these issues. Sounds to me like the difference you have noticed may be related to the different dyeing processes between a darker and a lighter colour, as you guessed. It should not be noticeable though, so I guess you are either very perceptive (!) or this is slightly outside our normal tolerances. You can be sure that the reliability and durability of the garment won't be affected in any way, of course. Interestingly, black fabrics are often stiffer and firmer in the general fashion market. This is because failed dyed colours are sometimes overdyed to black, so they hold more dyestuff and have been through double the process. We don't do this, bytheway! Best regards, Tim Jasper

I too rate the 'On Route' trousers highly. They are my regular day to day work trousers and have also been known double up as an occasional evening-out pair of trousers.

They look as good as new; incredible considering the amount of wear I've had out of them, the only fault, as a few other posters have stated, is that the button came off. No big deal really.

I think that they are generally very well designed - pockets/ security/ d-ring etc.. But.... I only wish Rohan had made the fit a little looser/ more relaxed. Personally, I find them a little drain-pipey and cut on the skinny-leg side.

I wear my On Route trousers most days at work and cannot fault them, they are smart and very hard wearing. The mesh pocked inside I have never used but I suspect this is just for credit cards etc. when on holidays.

The velcro pocket to the left I found a little odd, until I realised it was perfect for my wallet and when I clip my keys to the D ring they hang in here to stop them rattling.