We emerged from the weathered high-mountain hut with the sunrise. As the sun poked through a jagged arête on the Mont Blanc massif, a new challenge emerged as I shouldered the door open through the snow drift that had grown behind it.

The previous night’s rainstorm gave way to a major September snowstorm. A thick blanket of new snow sparkled over the complex rocky terrain around Chamonix, France.

Our 8-mile trek to town was going to be a snowy, wet one. 

I was mostly prepared with the basics for hut-to-hut trekking in the Alps. Ortovox’s new-for-2025 Seceda Softshell Pants stood out to me the most during that outing, but also the weeks of post-holing, hiking, and travelling around the Alps on either side of it in what turned out to be a particularly icy September. 

I put the Seceda pants through it all, over 8 months of testing. Like any good travel pants, I found myself wearing them through more situations than I had expected. But the Seceda softshell pants aren’t actually positioned as “travel pants” per see.

A few of their technical outdoor features — the lightweight wool lining, zippered pockets, and stretchy fabric — had them beating out my sweats when packing space was at a premium. That they could double as versatile hiking, backpacking, and climbing pants was icing on the cake. 

In short: The Ortovox Seceda softshell pants take an unusual tack — they’re lined with wool. Not a thick layer of scratchy sweater wool, but an ultra-thin web of lightweight merino. That small addition makes a big difference in versatility. They push past technical hiking into travel pants territory. Like other softshells, the Seceda straddles the line between protective and breathable, with a lean toward the latter. And perhaps most importantly for travel pants, wool’s natural antimicrobial prowess keeps the stink factor at bay for longer than I’d like to admit. 

Ortovox Seceda Softshell Pants Review

Ortovox has been on a tear, releasing new outerwear this season. Like the rest of its lines, wool is a key ingredient. But in more recent fashion, it’s toned down its colors. That will be a welcome shift for folks who don’t love ultrabright colors.

I almost didn’t recognize the Seceda line as Ortovox. It’s an entirely new look for the German brand. What’s not new is that the Seceda line was designed for hiking and climbing in the mountains. 

The Seceda Softshell Pants are constructed of a tenacious four-way stretch softshell fabric that has proven both durable and breathable. The face fabric is a tightly woven blend of 83% polyamide, 10% elastane, and 7% wool. It provides a nice balance of protection from wind, snow, and light precipitation. It’s also significantly more breathable than even very porous hardshell membranes.

I’d place the fabric between medium and light on the softshell spectrum. A PFC-free DWR treatment rounds out the protective fabric.

Lining the inside of the softshell fabric is a thin layer of merino wool against the skin. It’s not like your wool base layers. It’s much thinner. The knit is slightly looser, but it’s attached firmly to the main fabric. It’s a surprisingly lightweight but robust-feeling fabric package.  

Seceda Pants Fit & Design

The Seceda Softshell Pants come with a relatively slim fit. It’s well suited to fast-moving alpine adventures. There wasn’t any excess fabric swishing or flapping around in the wind. I deeply appreciated that on the miles-long ride approach to the Matterhorn’s Hörnli Hut and during a jogging approach to a mountain scramble on a particularly cold morning. 

Materials

The Seceda uses strategically paneled fabric. It allows for excellent freedom of movement despite being on the slimmer side of the softshell pants spectrum. The pre-bent knees articulated without migrating up and down. A non-gusseted but movement-oriented crotch allowed for high steps, squats, and other climbing moves without causing restriction or pinching. 

Fit Adjustments

Elastic Velcro tabs on each hip manage waist security. Those tabs tighten or loosen the otherwise static waistband secured by two snap buttons. It was mostly effective, but the Velcro popped loose from time to time. I’m not a fan of Velcro waist fastening in general, and this setup didn’t change my mind.

Thankfully, Ortovox included low-profile belt loops so that users can add their own belt. My Patagonia Tech Web Belt was a mainstay on these pants since I’m basically a rectangle from the shoulders down.

Inseam & Features

The Seceda’s inseam is relatively short, meaning there wasn’t a lot of excess fabric down by my ankles nor did they fully cover the tops of my shoes. The moderately narrow cuffs can accommodate high-cuffed hiking footwear without any issue.

A lace hook inside the front of the cuff adds a touch of gaiter-like protection from trail debris and snow trying to creep into your shoes or boots. It’s not a perfect seal like full-on gaiters, but it’s better than no protection. 

An elastic cord inside each cuff allows you to cinch the cuffs tightly to your ankle. Most technical softshell pants have this feature, and I appreciate it every time. It keeps cuffs from swishing around and getting snagged. 

Pocket Layout

The Seceda’s pocket layout is simple, low profile, and secure. Two zippered hand pockets were big enough for the small essentials like my wallet, which is important because they don’t have back pockets. My AirPods and car keys generally lived in the other one, combined with a random assortment of things you accumulate while travelling. 

The thigh pocket was reserved for my passport and phone. Its white zipper was securely fastened. I appreciated that the whole pocket, even when stuffed with things, remained tight to my leg. It didn’t bounce around or get snagged while power hiking in techy terrain.

Hiking and Backpacking

During a fall season of snowy hikes and extended backpacking trips, I tested the Seceda with and without base layers. As someone who runs warm, I preferred the no-base layer option while on the move to realize the full breathability of the softshell pants on their own. That very thin layer of wool makes a real difference in temperature regulation.

The Secedas added a light layer of warmth while sitting around the camp stove, which I often boosted with a lightweight baselayer. That combo pulled me through the vast temperature swings of late fall in Colorado’s mountains without needing to add windproof or insulated pants on top. 

Between the sturdy face fabric and inner wool, the icy wind didn’t have the same bite that it does with my other favorite lightweight softshell pants, Norrona’s Lyngen Flex1 Pants. When faced with snow, the Secedas did a good job of repelling the moisture and resisted wetting out. Even during light rain, water beaded off the face fabric instead of soaking in.

I did face one really nasty rainstorm that overcame the Seceda’s water resistance.Eventually, the tops of my knees wetted out. They aren’t waterproof, after all. But they dried quickly enough. 

I was impressed by the Seceda’s durability during a chilly fall backpacking trip where I wore the pants basically nonstop. Even during some trail-less bushwhacking navigation and lots of rock scrambling, the face fabric proved solid. I don’t even have much to show for the abuse they’ve been through. There’s barely a scuff, and the stitching is almost entirely intact. 

Travel

The Secedas slotted in as my dedicated travel pants during a few weeks of traveling through the Alps by virtue of packing lightly. Mountaineering pants on a trans-Atlantic flight? Sounds clammy. But their temperature and moisture regulation was on point. My cramped window seat didn’t turn into an absolute swamp. They were actually quite comfortable. 

Plane rides turned into dozens of train rides, and the Seceda Softshell pants continued to grow on me as travel pants. The secure pocket layout gave me lots of options for stashing tickets, cash, my phone, passport, and other odds and ends that you typically need on your body or accumulate quickly on the move.

When the early-season snow descended on the Alps and the rail lines ticked upward into Switzerland, the Secedas kept my lower half in a nice temperature equilibrium during the hourly shuffle on and off trains into the snow. 

But perhaps most importantly, the Secedas didn’t stink. I’ll be honest, I wore them nearly daily for 3 weeks, and I didn’t wash them once. I won’t describe their eventual scent in detail here, but it wasn’t offensive.

I’m no stranger to stinky fabrics. I practically arrange my synthetic shirts by the rate at which they’ll plummet into unwearable stench. But wool, of course, has antimicrobial properties stemming from its scaly structure.

Travelers in cool climates should take note. As the Alps gave way to the hot streets of Rome, the very last stop of my trip, the Secedas were overkill. While light for mountaineering pants, they’re on the warmer side of travel pants.

Ortovox Seceda Softshell Pants: Conclusion

I practically lived in Ortovox’s new Seceda Softshell pants for weeks while travelling in Europe, hiking in the Alps, and backpacking through the mountains of Colorado. They thrived in those scenarios.

They were windproof, water resistant, and movement-oriented for the mountains, but comfortable, breathable, well-pocketed, and stink-free for weeks on the go. I had concerningly few reasons to take them off. 

Ortovox bet that the intersection of the hiking/travel pants Venn diagram could be covered by wool. The Seceda’s ultralight wool lining noticeably boosts their temperature regulation, next-to-skin comfort, and anti-stink properties.

Sure, the Seceda Softshell Pants wouldn’t be my first choice for very warm temperatures or travelling through the tropics. But the Secedas are nearly perfectly equipped for traveling to or through the mountains — be it the Alps, Rockies, or the Andes. And once you’re hoofing it to the higher altitudes, the windy ridgelines, and through the unexpected snow storms, the Secedas have you covered, at least from the waist down.