As For The Trousers Themselves.

https://twitterwithbraincells.blogspot.com/2025/01/yeah-thats-one-order-they-really-didnt.html

I brought them more for how they'll function, rather than how they look. I really had in mind days where I wouldn't be leaving the house at all.

I'm pleased to report they perform that function really well. They stop that Winter's cold cutting through you when you're outside. While not being so warm you get hot when you're sitting in a room heated to the temperature of a pleasant Summer's day. The fact that people can't tell they're fleece-lined, so think you're being really tough walking around in, essentially, shorts in the middle of Winter. That's just an added bonus.

I'm also rather pleased with how they look. Although certainly Tan coloured they lean more towards Mustard than Khaki Brown. Which softens them, making them appear even less like military uniform. Also another reason why I was interested in getting them is that all the clothes we wear in Winter are dark and miserable. While Winter itself is dark and miserable. So I have no problem fighting back against the gloom by adding a bit of colour to my clothes.

If I have any complaint it's that they have zips running vertically down the cargo pockets. These zips don't open to reveal another pocket. They don't even expand the volume of the cargo pockets. They are purely fashion zips. Zips for the sake of zips.

Again that's not a huge problem. They help soften the look. Making clear these are fashion trousers, rather than military uniform.

However the zip pulls do jangle about making any annoying amount of noise. Something the military need for stealth would never allow. However with the zips not actually doing anything, a pair of pliers quickly solved that problem.

To give you some idea of how long I've been searching for this very specific pair of trousers. In the intervening years I've noticed that some of the retailers who sell through newspapers have started making them. Along with fleece-lined Chinos, cotton trousers without the cargo pockets. However their colours and designs still seemed a bit too military for me.

These retailers who sell through newspapers are something of a British institution. The one I considered shopping with was called; "Chums" while another really famous one is; "Damart."

They specifically cater to elderly people. People like my Father. So I did feel a bit guilty taking the Space-Heater business away from them and giving it to Amazon.

There are elderly people who, for legitimate reasons, cannot get to the shops. Particularly out-of-town retail parks. They also can't afford things like Internet connections. So these retailers who sell through newspapers, either over-the-phone or through the post are a really lifeline for them. The only way for them to get things they really need.

Small, quiet, unflashy examples of that; "Social Responsibility" we keep hearing those large multinationals going on about.

So I do slightly worry what would happen if the likes of Amazon end up driving them out of business.

However Internet connectivity is becoming more widespread and, relatively cheaper. While the old people of the future are going to be so-called; "Digital Natives" - the sort of people who simply can't cope without the Internet.

Plus I noticed that Chums at least had the foresight to make sure they have a presence in the Amazon Marketplace.