Held describe the Carese 3 Gore-Tex trousers as adventure-touring trousers for spring, summer and autumn, and that feels like an accurate description.
I would happily use them for most of my riding, though, and with sensible layering I see no reason why they couldn’t stretch into winter as well. Their separate Gore-Tex waterproof layer adds plenty of flexibility, while a CE rating of AA and standard Level 2 armour make them feel like a serious option for longer trips.
I covered around 4000 miles in them on a BMW R1300GS and Aprilia Tuareg 660, including a summer trip to the Balkans in extremely hot and dry conditions. Over that distance they proved comfortable, practical and easy to live with, despite a couple of small niggles involving fit.
Fit & comfort
Sizing is exactly what I would expect. I normally take a medium waist with a short leg and that is what works for me here.
The overall fit is good, though the lower legs are a little tight around my heavier adventure boots. That can pull the material tight over my knees, but easing the trousers slightly higher on the boots solves the problem.
My main irritation is that the trousers tend to work their way down from my waist onto my hips, even when I tighten the waist adjustment. It never becomes uncomfortable, but it is annoying enough that I think Held’s optional braces could be a worthwhile addition.
Apart from that, I find the trousers comfortable both on and off the bike. After 4000 miles, the few fit quirks don’t detract much from my overall impression of comfort.
Hot weather performance
The Carese 3 trousers have a zipped vent on each thigh, while the two-way zips at the bottom of the legs can also be opened from the top to let more air reach the lower leg.
In temperatures up to the mid-20s Celsius, I found the ventilation perfectly adequate.
My trip to the Balkans took things well beyond normal UK summer conditions, with temperatures already around 30°C at 9am and climbing towards 40°C later in the day. At those sorts of temperatures, though, ventilation becomes much less effective because all you are doing is allowing more hot air into the trousers.
Personally, I’m less concerned about ventilation to my legs than I am about keeping my torso cool, so I don’t find this especially troublesome. I think the airflow is more than sufficient for most riding in summer in northern Europe.
Cold & wet weather performance
The Carese 3 trousers don’t come with a thermal liner, so warmth in colder conditions will depend on what you choose to wear underneath.
I didn’t get the chance to test them in properly cold weather because this summer has been exceptionally warm. Nothing about their construction makes me think they would perform any worse than similar adventure trousers when combined with suitable base or mid-layers.
Weather protection comes from a separate Gore-Tex waterproof layer, which can be worn with the motorcycle trousers or used independently as over-trousers once the riding is done.
Again, I didn’t get the opportunity to test them in rain during an unusually dry summer, so I can’t give a first-hand verdict on their waterproofing. The use of Gore-Tex and the backing of the Gore Guarantee give me confidence, but that remains an expectation rather than something I’ve personally proved in a downpour.
Protection
Protection is one of the strongest parts of the Carese 3 package.
The trousers carry an overall AA rating and come with CE Level 2 armour at both the hips and knees. That compares very favourably with plenty of alternatives in the same price range and saves the expense of upgrading the supplied armour.
Photography: Jose Mas
I find the armour comfortable and unobtrusive. The knee protectors also have plenty of adjustment, which makes it much easier to get them sitting correctly for your leg length and build.
For part of the test I also fitted Held’s optional coccyx protector. It meets the higher CE Level 2 protection level, but once installed I barely noticed it was there.
The trousers also came through a road traffic collision without any damage, which gives me further confidence in their overall construction.
Pockets & practicality
There are four external pockets in total. The two front pockets are jeans-style with zipped closures, which makes them secure for smaller items. The two larger side pockets are cargo-style and much more useful for carrying things like a phone or wallet.
Those cargo pockets close using magnets, and the magnets make a very definite snap when they shut. More than once that noise had me stopping and looking around to check I hadn’t dropped something on the ground.
Held describes the external pockets as waterproof. I don’t get the chance to verify that because of the dry conditions during my test, but if the pockets use Gore-Tex as Held states then I would expect them to cope well with wet weather.
One other practical detail worth mentioning is that one of the small loops used to hang the trousers up was missing from my pair. It’s hardly a major fault, but it is the sort of thing I would have expected quality control to catch.
Durability
After around 4000 miles, most of it in hot, dry and dusty conditions, the trousers still look good.
They are due a proper clean in line with Held’s instructions, which should freshen them up further, but there are no obvious signs of premature wear, and nothing has broken.
More importantly, they also survive a road traffic collision without suffering any damage. That is a much tougher test than normal day-to-day wear and adds to my impression that these are robust, well-made trousers.
Final thoughts
The Held Carese 3 Gore-Tex trousers are a strong match for the Held Carese 3 jacket and together make a comfortable, flexible adventure-touring suit that can adapt to a wide range of riding conditions.
The standard Level 2 hip and knee armour is a major plus, especially given that many alternatives still require an additional spend to reach the same level of impact protection. The Gore-Tex outer layer adds versatility, while the ventilation works well enough for most warm-weather riding.
They aren’t perfect. The tendency to slide down from my waist is irritating and the lower legs are a little tight over bulky adventure boots.
Even so, those are relatively minor complaints. They have proved comfortable over 4000 miles, durable enough to come through an accident undamaged and versatile enough that I’m happy wearing them on any journey.
They are not the cheapest trousers around, but the build quality and standard Level 2 armour make them a very solid choice.
