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What are the best hiking pants right now?
What are the options and how to choose the perfect hiking pants for your needs?
Choosing a new pair of hiking pants is not that difficult. These are pants after all. There’s not much variation when it comes to style, but there are certain features that can make your hikes much more pleasant. Also, material plays an important role when it comes to hiking pants — it has to be stretchy, warm (for winter hiking pants), lightweight and moisture wicking. Let us help you to find the best hiking pants for every season.
Read on to find out more about the options.
Table of Contents
Best Hiking Pants For Every Season (for Men and Women)
What are the options? And which one to choose?
What are the best hiking pants for men and women right now?
Best Hiking Pants for Men
1. Best Hot Weather Hiking Pants for Men
Columbia Silver Ridge Tall Cargo Pant (click for more details)
Best hiking pants for hot weather that checks all the boxes.
Overall, the best men’s hiking pants for hot weather, our favorite.
Extensive set of pockets – two in front, two in back, two large cargo pockets and a zippered security pocket. Button closure. Perfect fit around the waist – elastic inserts at waistband and adjustable belt. Articulated knees give extra movement comfort. Great sun protection. Sweat wicking, breathable and machine washable fabric.
Classic cut gives the universal look that is suitable for any occasion. Either hiking or dealing with some business under the hot summer sun, you will look great.
MATERIAL: 100% Nylon
SUN PROTECTION: UPF 50+
More: Best Hot Weather Hiking Pants
2. Best Hiking Pants for Winter (Men)
Wespornow Men’s Fleece Lined Hiking Pants (click for more details)
The ultimate winter hiking pants for men, 3-layer pants.
Overall, the best hiking pants for winter, our favorite.
Designed to offer next-to-skin comfort, these pants have a water resistant, breathable and quick drying outer layer, windproof mid-layer and fleece lining with great heat storage capacity. These pants feature ergonomic design with articulated knees and gusseted crotch. They also have a great pocket set – two front slant pockets, one zippered back pocket and one reinforcement-secured flap pocket.
Reliable pants to keep you dry and warm in Arctic circumstances.
MATERIAL: Polyester
BEST FOR: Hiking, skiing, fishing, climbing or everyday wear
More: Best Hiking Pants for Winter
Best Hiking Pants for Women
3. Best Women’s Hiking Pants For Hot Weather
Eddie Bauer Women’s Guide Pro Pants (click for more details)
Best packable lightweight pants for hot weather for women.
Overall, the best women’s hiking pants for hot weather, our favorite.
Useful pocket set – two front pockets and two zippered cargo pockets. Zipper closure too. Spandex adds some stretch to the fabric which also has a water repellent finish. That’s why this time you really want to keep the softener away from these pants to maintain water resisting properties. Machine washing (cold; delicate) and tumble dry on low is fine. Great mid-rise waist and moderately curvy cut at hips.
These pants are made following sustainable textile production principles which is not worthless when thinking about the planet.
MATERIAL: 96% Nylon, 4% Spandex
SUN PROTECTION: UPF 50+
More: Best Women’s Hiking Pants For Hot Weather
4. Best Women’s Winter Hiking Pants
Camii Mia Women’s Warm Windproof and Waterproof Hiking Pants (click for more details)
Top-notch multi-purpose hiking pants for winter.
Overall, the best women’s winter hiking pants, our favorite.
These pants feature all the best winter garment qualities. The outer layer is waterproof and windproof. But the fleece lining makes them extra warm. Useful pocket arrangement – two slanted hand pockets and two pockets at the back. Reinforced knees offer extra mobility, while the high waist makes them fit extremely well.
Additionally, these pants are breathable. So your body will remain dry no matter what winter activities you decide to do.
MATERIAL: 97% Nylon, 3% Spandex
BEST FOR: Camping, hiking, snowmobiling, traveling, climbing, etc.
More: Best Women’s Winter Hiking Pants
5. Best Leggings For Hiking in Summer
Fjallraven Women’s Abisko Trekking Tights (click for more details)
Moisture wicking, durable outdoor leggings.
Made of Elastane, Nylon, Polyamide and Polyester mix, the Fjallraven Abisko trekking leggings are durable and moisture-wicking. The dense, high-performance stretch fabric will hold up well hiking and scrambling. Reinforcements at the knees and rear offer extra protection in rough terrain and when sitting down on damp ground.
The leggings feature a comfortable, wide waistband that can be adjusted with a drawcord on the inside. The gusseted crotch and flatlock seams minimize the risk of chafing. There’s a pocket on the right leg, smaller zippered pocket on the left leg and one secure pocket in the waistband. Apart from that there’s a clip-on loop at the hip for attaching a light jacket or other gear.
SIZES: XXS – XXL
More: Best Leggings For Hiking
6. Best Leggings For Hiking in Winter
Under Armour Women’s ColdGear Compression Leggings (click for more details)
Warm leggings for winter hikes.
One of the best leggings for cold weather, our favorite cold weather hiking leggings.
Made of Polyester (87%) and Elastane (13%), the Under Armour ColdGear leggings are stretchy and warm. This dual-layer fabric is ultra-warm, has brushed, slightly fleecy interior and a smooth, fast-drying exterior. This kind of fabric wicks sweat and dries really quick. The welded seams eliminate chafing. The 4-way stretch keeps the fabric from creeping up when you hike.
With these leggings you won’t need to wear heavy bulky pants in cold weather. The leggings will trap your body’s warmth without letting you overheat. The leggings are good for 30°F (-1°C) or so. You can also use them as a base layer under loose pants for extra warmth, if the weather is very cold.
Unfortunately, they don’t have pockets. So, a little fanny pack will come in handy.
SIZES: XS – XXL
More: Best Leggings For Hiking
Best Budget Hiking Pants
7. Best Budget Hiking Pants For Men
Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge Convertible Pants (click for more details)
Men’s convertible hiking pants made of UPF 50 fabric.
Overall, the best cheap hiking pants for men, our favorite.
The Columbia Silver Ridge convertible pants are made of signature UPF 50 nylon fabric which protects your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. The tight weave construction with UV absorbent yarns block the harmful UV rays, preventing sunburns and skin damage. Not only the fabric offers sun protection, but it’s also lightweight, breathable and moisture-wicking.
The Columbia Silver Ridge hiking pants feature one zippered side pocket, one side pocket flap with, two front pockets and two back flap pockets.
There’s not much variation when it comes to style of hiking pants, but there are certain features that can make your outdoor life easier. Also, material plays an important role when it comes to hiking pants — it has to be stretchy, warm (for winter hiking pants), lightweight and moisture wicking.
Featuring a zipper, the pants go from pants to shorts instantly.
They come with a belt.
More: Best Budget Hiking Pants
8. Best Budget Hiking Pants For Women
Columbia Women’s Saturday Trail Stretch Pants (click for more details)
Stretchy and comfy quick dry hiking pants with partial elastic waist.
Overall, the best cheap women’s hiking pants, our favorite.
Just like the Columbia Silver Ridge men’s pants, these Saturday Trail women’s hiking pants are made of signature UPF 50 nylon fabric which protects your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. The tight weave construction with UV absorbent yarns block the harmful UV rays, preventing sunburns and skin damage. Not only the fabric offers sun protection, but it’s also lightweight, breathable, water and stain repellent.
Thanks to the nylon and elastane fabric blend, these pants are stretchy and feature articulated knees and 2-way stretch for added comfort. The pants feature two front and two back pockets, as well as one vertical zippered pocket on the side.
A partial elastic mid rise waist provides comfort, and the roll-up legs that convert to capris makes them perfect pants for hiking in summer.
More: Best Budget Hiking Pants
How To Choose the Best Hiking Pants?
How to choose the best hiking pants for every season?
Finding the perfect hiking pants for your needs isn’t that difficult. These are just pants after all. There are only a few things you should keep in mind when buying new hiking pants. Besides the price, these 4 are the most important factors when choosing hiking pants.
1. Material
How to find the perfect hiking pants?
The most important things is to consider what thickness you need. Do you need hiking pants for summer or winter hiking trips?
Pants made of a number of layers offer more warmth. When pants with waterproof outer layer are combined with underneath leggings or base layer pants they become more versatile and can serve you in other weather too. The general rule for good winter hiking pants is that when the weather is tough you want to have a waterproof and windproof outer layer and a warm and comfortable inner layer.
When buying new hiking pants for summer, you may want to look for UPF which represents the sun protection score. Similarly to the SPF filter in sunscreens, clothing for hiking in hot weather with UPF 50+ offers great sun protection. Besides sun protection, some fabrics offer resistance against rain water or abrasion which may become handy when a hiking trail crosses a field of bushes.
The water repelling ability means that the fabric won’t absorb a splash of water or strain right on the spot, but it will distribute the moisture in a larger area. Together with quick-dry technology it makes taking care of them super easy. Because even if your pants get wet, it doesn’t take too long for them to dry.
2. Freedom of Movement
Hiking requires absolute freedom of movement.
Freedom of movement is just as important in summer, as it is in winter.
You want to feel comfortable wearing your new hiking pants. The perfect pants for hiking in winter not only should have dense outer material to resist water, wind and cold temperatures, but they also should be stretchy (a little bit is enough in this case). Keep in mind that articulated knee design can make it more comfortable to move in slim fit pants.
If hiking pants have a loose fit it also means that there is more room for movement (and no need for articulated knees).
The best summer pants are either loose-fitting or stretchy with articulated knee design.
3. Fit
When the pants fit well you not only look good, but also feel good.
To find pants for hiking in cold weather that fits perfectly is a bit tricky. Pay attention to the length and leg cut, as well as look for elastic inserts at the waistband or a belt option. Slim fit may look fashionable, but may be too narrow for some body types. Whereas, a straight leg cut is comfortable and fits people with different body types. Elastic waistband and a belt are great features that keep your pants in place even when moving a lot.
The same stands true for summer hiking pants.
4. Features and Extras
One of the main factors in regards to hiking pants, is their features.
When it comes to pockets it’s always handy to have at least some of them with zippers. Some pants allow you to adjust the leg opening around the ankles, others have zippers that allow you to easily take on and off your boots. Reflective prints are great for the dark winter days too. Sweat control can be a complicated task in cold weather. But the more moisture there is, the colder it feels. Breathable fabric and features like leg vents are great to prevent excessive sweating.
Some winter hiking pants feature special heat retaining materials or have special gaiters to lock out the wind at the boot area. Pay attention to these details if you are going to deal with really cold temperatures.
Featured photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels
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