Whether the weather be cold and fierce or hot and dangerous, adventurous souls are always gonna want to make their way through to new places. These adventurers have a multitude of ways that they can get to their final destination. They can walk, run, fly, climb, and jump. And most importantly, they can hike.
But what bare essentials do they need to tough such gruelling weather conditions?
Well, why don’t we start with hiking pants?
Does It Matter What Kind Of Pants I Wear During Hikes?
- Yes, it does!
Not all types of pants are appropriate to wear while roughing it outdoors. Trousers made out of flimsy materials, such as sweat-pants or dress pants, may snag on lose branches along the hike trails. Jeans aren’t loose, but denim is a little too rough on the thighs. When it comes to hiking or climbing, you need a pair of pants that’s somewhere in-between the range of flimsy and rough.
Hiking pants are specifically crafted in this way. They are soft enough to protect your skin from any unnecessary rubbing, but they’re also rough enough to protect you from the environment. They also come with a lot of pockets, which are all deep enough to fit essential items needed for surviving rough ventures into the wilderness. Furthermore, hiking pants can come in convertible form, meaning they can be turned into shorts if you’re hiking out on a hot summer day.
All in all, hiking pants are the best kind of pants to wear when roughing it!
What Makes A Good Pair Of Hiking Pants?
For starters, you don’t want to wear a pair of pants that’s made out of rough fabrics. Hiking is a combination of walking and climbing, which means a lot of time feeling the fabrics of your pants rubbing up into your thighs. If those materials are too coarse and rough, it can and will cause your legs to chafe. To avoid this, make sure your hiking pants are made out of materials that are strong, but soft. Think polyester, nylon, and spandex!
For men who are looking to purchase hiking pants, be sure you pay attention to both the waist size and the area around the crotch. Additionally, you want hiking pants that have a standard sized zipper in the front. Out of all the inquiries that we’ve seen regarding men’s hiking pants, you wouldn’t believe how many of them were asking about the zipper in the front of the pants! Thankfully for you guys, most pairs of hiking pants are made to have zippers in the front for restroom use as well as waistline adjustments.
As for you ladies, we understand that the zipper issue for men reminds you a lot of the pocket issue that you regularly face even with everyday pairs of pants. While men seem to have a plethora of pockets for their jeans and dress pants, you seem to always have the luck of finding pants with either very shallow sized pockets or none at all. For hiking, you are required to have deep pockets so you can stuff essential items into them such as first aid, snacks, and flares in the case of an emergency. So sexism can be completely tossed out the door here--you ladies deserve good pockets just as much as men do!
Best Hiking Pants For Braving Hills & Mountains
Comparison Chart
Product | Our Rating | Materials | Number of Pockets | Convertible? | Images |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Nylon/Elastane | 5 | No |  | |
#2 | Nylon/Polyester | 6 | No |  | |
#3 | Nylon/Spandex | 6 | No | | |
#4 | Nylon/Spandex | 5 | No |  | |
#5 | Polyester | 5 | Yes |  | |
#6 | Polyester/Elastane | 6 | Yes |  | |
#7 | Nylon/Spandex | 6 | No |  | |
#8 | Polyester/Cotton | 6 | No |  | |
#9 | Polyester/Cotton | 6 | No |  |
1 Columbia Women's Saturday Trail Pants
Representing the best of the ladies, the best hiking pants womens, as well as the best hiking pants of 2019, are Columbia Women's Saturday Trail Pants. These columbia hiking pants are the epitome of top-tier hiking pants that not only feel comfortable for women to wear, but also provide plenty of practical uses. For starters, these pants comes with five pockets (two in the back, two on the sides, and one on the thigh). While this isn’t as many as some pants, which have six or sometimes seven pockets, it’s important to note that these pockets are deep enough to make you feel like you’re wearing men’s hiking pants.
Secondly, these columbia hiking pants are made out of nylon and elastane. This means that Columbia Women's Saturday Trail Pants are not only stretchy in the places that matter most, but they are super resilient to most not-so-flattering situations. They are water repellent and stain repellent, so your pants will always come out of the wash looking just as fantastic as they did before. Then again, would you expect any less from the year’s best hiking pants?
Pros
- Affordable
- Water repellant
- Stain repellant
- Five pockets
- Waistband is partially elastic
- Stretchy!
Cons
- Not convertible
2 Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge Cargo Pants
And representing the dudes, the best hiking pants mens are none other than Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge Cargo Pants. These columbia hiking pants are easily the most impressive out of all the other entrants on this list. No, they’re aren’t convertible. However, they have so much more going for them that it renders that little detail almost completely meaningless!
For one, these columbia hiking pants are crafted with omni-wick technology. That is a fancy way of saying that they are 100% weather and stain-retardant. No measure of snow, rain, sun, hail, or wind can hurt these bad-boys. You’d have to TRY to ruin these hiking pants, gentlemen!
Secondly, you’ve got a grand total of six pockets on these kick-ass hiking pants. Think of all the cool gadgets you can carry around on your hikes! Pocket knives, snack bars, flares, cameras…
The possibilities are endless!
Pros
- Affordable
- Standard-size crotch zipper for men
- Six pockets
- Crafted with omni-wick technology
- Omni-shade technology protects you from harmful sun rays
Cons
- Not convertible
3 Camii Mia Women's Outdoor Hiking Fleece Pants
When looking for a good deal, you ladies may find yourself searching for hiking pants amazon. While searching through Amazon, you may come across this lovely pair of waterproof hiking pants. Camii Mia Women's Outdoor Hiking Fleece Pants are marketed as being 100% weatherproof, meaning they rough essentially any kind of weather you throw at them. Rain? No problem. Snow? Bring it on! Volcanic eruptions?!
No, likely not.
Please don’t hurl yourself into a volcano; you will get hurt.
All joking aside, these pants are positively bombastic. They’re the only pair of hiking pants featured on this list that is made with fleece. Can you just imagine how cozy it must be to hike through a cold mountain with fleece gently brushing up against your thighs? Sign us up, please!
All hail the best waterproof hiking pants of 2019 (thus far)!
Pros
- Six pockets
- Inexpensive
- Weatherproof
- Fleeced
- Stretchy!
Cons
- Not convertible
4 prAna Men's Brion Pants
In fourth place on our list of the top ten best hiking pants, prAna Men's Brion Pants are another outstanding option for you men out there who want to go hiking. You’ve got five pockets to work with and stretchy fabrics to allow a good fit regardless of your build. Even though these pants aren’t convertible to shorts, they’re still breathable enough to protect you from heat waves in the summertime. And don’t worry guys, the zipper in the front isn’t too big or too small. It’s just the right size!
Pros
- Affordable
- Five pockets
- Standard-size crotch zipper for men
- Water repellant
- Stretchy!
Cons
- Not convertible
5 Toomett Women's Quick Drying Convertible Pants
Are you ladies ready for some women's convertible hiking pants?!
Don’t worry, this list isn’t ENTIRELY made up of non-convertible pants; though these are certainly a rarity for it. Toomett Women's Quick Drying Convertible Pants are five-pocketed badasses that don’t take any flack from the sun’s harshest rays. Seeing how this the top-rated pair of hiking pants that has built in UV protection, we decree these pants the best summer hiking pants as well as the best convertible hiking pants for women. And for these glorious titles, the price tag for these lovely pants isn’t that bad.
Might as well go for the deal while it lasts, huh?
Pros
- Convertible
- Five pockets
- Dries quickly after wash
- Provides protection from UV rays
- Very breathable
- Waistband is adjustable
- Affordable
Cons
- Legs are a bit skinny on women with larger legs
6 Columbia Silver Ridge Men’s Stretch Convertible Pants
Columbia silver ridge convertible hiking pants are easily the convertible hiking pants mens on this entire list. In fact, it’s the only pair of convertible hiking pants for men listed here! That not only makes this pair of pants special, but it also makes it stand out above all the other men’s convertible hiking pants on the market. In our opinion, that means something major to us in the end.
It means these pants are champions, and we ONLY have room for champions on this list!
Pros
- Convertible
- Provides protection from UV rays
- Water repellant
- Stain repellant
- Six pockets
- Waistband is partially elastic
- Stretchy!
Cons
- A little pricey
7 Nonwe Women's Outdoor Cargo Pants
These flattering women's hiking pants are known as Nonwe Women's Outdoor Cargo Pants. Much like other, higher ranking entrants on this list, these pants are stretchy in the areas that can make or break a woman’s rigorous hike. If the waistband on your hiking pants (or really any kind of pants) is way too tight, it can cut off your breathing and leave very unflattering marks on your abdomen. Nobody wants red marks on their stomach, and these pants will ensure that you don’t have them!
Pros
- Affordable
- Waistband is partially elastic
- Water resistant
- Very breathable
- Six pockets
Cons
- Not convertible
8 Tru-Spec Men's 24-7 Ascent Pants
Tru-Spec Men's 24-7 Ascent Pants comes to us in ninth place on our list of the top ten best hiking pants. These bad-boys are 100% fade resistant, meaning that you don’t have to worry about your washing machine accidentally ruining their sleek color. Not only that, but miscellaneous elements that could be harming it such as dirt, grime or rain are no match for the superior fabrics in these hiking pants. Not a bad gig for non-convertible hiking pants, right?
Pros
- Standard-size crotch zipper for men
- Stain resistant
- Fade resistant
- Water resistant
- Affordable
- Six pockets
Cons
- Not convertible
9 CQR Men's Tactical Pants
Easily one of the cheapest hiking pants amazon, CQR Men's Tactical Pants are a kickass deal just waiting to happen! Not only is the price low on these bad-boys, but you have a massive selection of different styles to choose from. Looking for a loud blue? You got it! What about a modest forest shade of green? You got that, too!
Unfortunately, these tactical hiking pants do not come with a tactical belt. You have to order that in a separate purchase, or you can go to your nearest outdoorsman shop and get one. Of course, you are allowed to customize your look just a bit. If you don’t want to use a tactical belt, you’re free to use whatever else that will hold your essential items while keeping your pants fastened to your body.
Such as a normal belt and your six pants pockets!
Pros
- 36 different styles
- Six pockets
- Strongly enforced
- Repels weather and dirt
- Standard-size crotch zipper for men
- Super cheap!
Cons
- Not convertible
- Tactical belt is sold separately
Concluding Thoughts
Hiking can be very rough on your body if you aren’t careful. Wearing the wrong pair of pants while doing any form a strenuous exercise can leave you feeling sore and crabby. Like with shoes, the kind of pants you wear absolutely matter when you’re going out for a hike. This is why we feel it imperative to let you know this and show you or top ten list of the best hiking pants.
We’ve shown a fantastic selection of hiking pants for both men and women. Whether you want traditional pants or convertible, we’ve got you covered. From hot weather to cold, you’ve now got the resources to shop smart and make the right decision. So what are you waiting for? Give these lovely pants a look or two--see what you like!
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