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Our zip-off pants Tajo put to the test

Hiking on the Weserbergland Trail

From crossing tricky streams to almost getting lost in the forest – Silas Landeck from “Wanderfalkeonline.de” has been trying out our Tajo hiking pants on an extensive hike spanning several hundred kilometres. He’s a pro, so he knows what to expect from good outdoor clothes. Find out what the self-styled “Wanderfalke” (peregrine falcon) thinks of his new pair of Tajo zip-off hiking pants.

Silas Landeck
By Silas Landeck
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Endurance test on the Weser Uplands Path, October 2020

In order to put the Tajo to the test, I decided to go on an extensive three-day hike through the Weser Uplands region. I figured that several kilometres of trekking paths would really put the Tajo through its paces, but I was also eager to take a look at the sights mother nature had in store for me in this region. So, I packed my trusty hammock in my backpack and set out to endurance test the Tajo.

The Weser Uplands Path starts near Kassel in the city of Hannoversch Münden with its delightful half-timbered historic architecture and leads to the city of Porta Westfalica. The entire trail is about 225 km long, though I covered only about 75 km in three days. My first impressions of the Tajo were thoroughly positive: The fabric felt really good on my skin and the various pockets allowed me to carry all of the small items I like to have on me during a hike.

On the hiking trail’s numerous ascents and descents, the Tajo’s great elasticity and breathability came in really handy.

Silas Landeck

 

My first stop on the trail was the top of Tillyschanze tower, which promised a great panoramic view of Hannoversch Münden and its half-timbered buildings from 25 metres above the ground. Thanks to the Tajo’s elasticated fabric, I had no problem taking multiple steps at once to get to the top of the tower. After that, I quickly found myself surrounded by the region’s forests only a few kilometres away. As Veckershagen, my first destination on this trip, came up on the horizon by midday, I was already fully satisfied with the Tajo’s performance.

I kept going on what is considered to be one of the Top Trails of Germany, passing by horse paddocks and cow pastures and entering the ancient forest of Reinhardswald nature park. I was thrilled to see so many hundred-year-old oak trees in one place. Crossing two rivers was another highlight – I didn’t get wet, but thanks to the Tajo’s dryprotec technology, that wouldn’t have been a problem anyway. The day ended with me enjoying the beautiful sunset and the howling of the wolves in a wildlife park near Sababurg castle, which the locals have rightfully come to call “Sleeping Beauty Castle”.

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On to the baroque-era town of Bad Karlshafen

On the morning of the second day of my trip, another 20 kilometres lay ahead of me, stretching from beautiful Sababurg castle to the spa town of Bad Karlshafen. I hiked past pastures and grazing cows in the direction of Gottsbüren, with the sun always on my back. Leaving Gottsbüren behind, I once again entered Reinhardswald forest.

I then had to deviate from the path due to forestry work in progress. And since the detour had not been signposted very well, this turned into a real wilderness adventure for me. On the plus side: I can now say with certainty that thorny bushes and branches are nothing to worry about with the Tajo. So don’t let its lightweight fabric fool you, these pants are really robust!

After I had found the path again, I kept going through Trumbachschlucht gorge. I continued on narrow paths and through cleared forests until I reached a small pond, perfect for a short break. Since this was a particularly hot day, I zipped off the Tajo’s legs, turning it into an airy pair of Bermuda shorts. Since the zip fasteners are so smooth and quiet, this took no time at all. After a final climb up Wechselberg hill, I had only about five kilometres left until I reached the gates of the baroque-era spa town of Bad Karlshafen. Since I had reached my goal for the day in the early evening, I took the opportunity to take a detour to the Weser Skywalk at the cliffs of Hannoversche Klippen. What a beautiful view on the Weser River, framed by the baroque-era buildings of the old spa town!

The final leg to Erlebniswald Solling nature park

When the first rays of the sun greeted me in the early morning of day three, I was already back on the trail. I had spent a relaxing night at the Bad Karlshafen campsite, listening to the soft sounds of ducks on the nearby river. Speaking of animals: Bad Karlshafen acts as a border between the two nature parks of Reinhardswald and Solling. The latter is still used for silvopasture, which means you’ll occasionally stumble upon grazing cows between the trees. This stretch of the trail had me hiking through dense forests most of the time, but it featured a real highlight too: Erlebniswald Solling nature park. About ten kilometres along the path, you find yourself hiking past a campsite near a pond. If you have good eyes, you can already catch glimpses of strange structures in the trees: These are tree houses of various sizes, mounted in the trees above the nature trail. You can even spend the night among the treetops, thanks to the treehouse hotel Solling. The highest point of the forest houses the 40 metres tall climate tower, which offers a wonderful view of the treetops and the final ten kilometres of the trail leading to my final destination: Solling animal park.

Further hiking trips with the Maier Sports Tajo: a summary

In addition to the main endurance test in the Weser Uplands region, I’ve also worn the Tajo on four more hikes since then: Travelling the Hühnerbruch in Wahner Heide nature park, during the Nettersheim hiking tour in the North Eifel region, travelling the Veischeder Sonnenpfad Südschleife and on the circular hiking trail around Bühl. On all of these occasions, the comfortable Tajo proved itself over and over again. Its lightweight fabric makes the Tajo perfect for warm days in particular, in stark contrast to some cheaper pants made by other companies.

The Tajo offers maximum freedom of movement thanks to its lightweight and highly elasticated fabric which is also surprisingly robust. No need to worry about thorns or sharp rocks – and no need to worry about damaging the fabric in the washing machine, either. Whether you like the colour choices is up to you, but perhaps there will be more natural colour choices available in the future. One way or another, that’s both thumbs up from me for the durable and comfortable Maier Sports Tajo!

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