How To Choose The Best Hiking Pant

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2021-06-03 04:55:24

Will you have a hiking trip this weekend?

Have you prepared enough hiking kit?

If not yet, I am here to help you choose the best hiking pants, which are one of the most important gears.

I know that the best hiking pants review can provide you with a lot of useful information about each specific product. But, you must know what you really need through the following considerations in advance.

Where will you hike?

If you are an average weekend day hiker, who plans to hike in a temperate climate, you should consider the combination of a standard pair of hiking pants and rain pants.

However, in the event of hiking in warm conditions, for example, desert climate: Nevada or California, I recommend you wear a light pair of hiking pants, which allows you to convert into shorts.

In case you want to hike in a jungle, pay attention to pick up pants, which can protect you from bugs.
  • Material
The main materials of both the best men's hiking pants and the best hiking pants for women are synthetic materials like polyester and nylon.

For maximum comfort, many manufacturers have produced a series of modern hiking plants, which are made from nylon and spandex or elastane.

The different materials will come with different functions. For instance, a light pair of summer hiking pants features water resistance and breathability because of its light construction and fabric weave. Meanwhile, the heavy pair of hiking pants have a thick and tough fabric weave, but it still comes with the water resistance capacity on the face of the fabric.

When it comes to materials for hiking gear, ripstop is a popular option. These fabrics are woven by using a unique method, reinforcing them. Thus, you will have a tough and durable pair of best pants for hiking.

For comfortable hiking moves, you had better invest in a strong stretch fabric.

Note: cotton and linen are not suitable solutions for hiking.

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  • Weight
If you hike in hot weather, your pants should be light and breathable. On the contrary, a pair of winter hiking pants need to be thicker to keep your body warm.

So, what is an ideal choice for places with hot weather, but the temperature will decrease at night, for example, a desert?

Take a look at 2 following choices:

- Convertible hiking pants allow you to remove the bottom legs by using zips to create a pair of shorts.

- You can roll up roll-up hiking pants into shorts or Capri pants for extra ventilation.
  • Sizing
In the event of high mobility, I appreciate baggy pants, offering comfort. However, keep in mind not to overkill this thing.

If you don't like ugly baggy pants, at least you have to ensure that you can freely move in the knee and crotch areas. It is because each step will impact these positions.

On the current market, you can find some pants, which are designed with gusseted crotches and articulated knees. These features bright a high level of mobility and resistance to abrasion.

Here is my recommendation:

The hiking pants, which are made from spandex material, are pretty snug. It is best fitted but still gives you flexible movements.
  • Breathability
When hiking all day long, your legs will sweat. In this case, you need to let them breathe, so remember to choose pants with breathable materials.

For maximum breathability, you can choose designs with ventilation zips, which provide you with quick ventilation. What's more, the breathability also plays a vital role in drying out faster when your pants get wet.
  • Water-resistance/ waterproof
In my opinion, if you need waterproof capacity, you should simply use rain pants. But, if you are looking for a water resistance element on a pair of hiking pants, some designs on the market can meet this requirement. These pants, which have DWR (Durable water repellent) coating only, can protect you from light rains.

However, you can't expect the DWR coating to work well forever. After a specific time of use, you must use Nikwax or any reproofing product to reproof the coating.
  • UPF
UPF (ultraviolet protection factor capacity) is a clothing rating. It indicates the number of units of ultraviolet light, which your clothing lets it get through the fabric.

Take a look at my example of a UPF of 40:

Although there are 40 units of UV fall on your pants, only one unit passes through your skin.
  • Color
Many people think that this is only an aspect of preference, but the color is an important element related to heat. The darker your hiking pants are, the more heat they absorb.

To have the most wonderful experiences in your summer hiking trips, the colors of your hiking pants should be cream, beige, or grey to reflect heat.

In winter, it's best to pick up darker hiking pants, which absorb heat from sunlight for warmer a little.

See Page: How to Pick the Best Hiking Pants An A-Z Guide

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  • Pockets
Pockets of hiking pants should be deep zipped designs; especially, it's better to have water resistance.

If possible, you had better buy a pair of hiking plants with at least 4 pockets: a standard hand pocket, a hidden secure pocket, a zipped back pocket and a side pocket.
  • Price
The price range of hiking pants is pretty low. So, even you have a tight budget; you can buy a functional and comfortable pair of hiking pants.

In general, the more functionality your pants have, the more expensive it is. Typically, a tough and more durable winter pair of hiking pants are more expensive than a light pair.

Actually, the brand also has a significant impact on price. The products that come from famous brands have a higher price than others.

Many people only choose hiking pants based on comfortable materials. In fact, whether you want to buy the best backpacking pants or regular hiking pants, there are other elements above, which you need to consider. They include where you will hike, weight, sizing, color, pockets, price, UPF, breathability, and waterproof. If you know other elements to add to this list, don’t forget to let me know by leaving a comment below.
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2022-07-22 15:56:19

Hey there, we've just posted a tutorial on this: