Choosing the right pair of pants ultimately comes down to what works best for you. You can hike in joggers, leggings, hiking overalls, or even high-performance jeans, depending on what type of hike you’re planning.
Perhaps you’re looking for the best pair of winter hiking pants to wear for new hiking plan. Or maybe you need a new wardrobe for your upcoming winter hiking expedition. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.
As a traveler on the go, you’re always in search of the latest gear to ensure the ultimate comfort during your travels, especially in the winter.
Winter hiking means preparing for cold, and potentially wet, weather conditions. When choosing the right winter hiking pants, you need to think about insulation, wind protection, moisture protection from the inside and out, as well as how quickly a fabric will dry.
Keywords: hiking pants for women, budget hiking pants, quality hiking pants, TBMPOY
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Features of the Best Women’s Hiking Pants
Here are some of the features found in a great pair of women’s hiking pants.
You should take them into consideration before purchasing a pair of women’s hiking pants. If you plan on doing a great deal of hiking during your travels, you will need a very specific pair of women’s cold weather hiking pants to do the job.
Quality Material
The material plays an important part in deciding which pair of women’s winter hiking pants you should purchase.
- The material should be warm but breathable so that you don’t overheat.
- It should also be quick-drying – as during hikes you’re more than likely going to get wet at some point. You don’t want to stay wet for the rest of the hike as this will cause uncomfortable chafing.
- The fabric should also be abrasion-resistant especially for women’s climbing pants, as you wouldn’t want them ripping or tearing on twigs and branches.
- Consider a pair of hiking pants that contain a high percentage of nylon as these will dry quickly and are fairly strong when mixed with another fiber.
- It’s best to avoid pants that contain a high percentage of cotton as these take a longer time to dry.
Performance vs. Casual
we’ve broken women’s hiking pants into two distinct categories: performance and casual. We wanted to represent the full spectrum of pants that we (this article was curated by two female editors) and other women choose to wear on the trail. Pants in our performance category are your standard hiking fare and include functional and often generous storage, and convertible or roll-up legs to keep you cool on warm days. These are our first choice for serious hiking: They’re breathable, generally water-resistant, durable enough to put up a fight against sharp rocks and plants, and offer great coverage and freedom of movement.
Waist Closures: Built-in Belts, Drawcords, and Elastic
Ladies, we get it: Trying to find a pair of hiking pants that fits well is a daunting and often futile task. Regardless of body shape, it seems that there’s always an area that’s too tight or too loose. Our best advice in finding the ideal fit for you is to start with the waist design, whether it be an integrated belt, drawstring, or fitted elastic waistband. Many pants will often come with belt loops as well, but we prefer a built-in style over the bulkiness of an added belt.
Water Resistance
The higher a fabric’s water resistance, the lower its breathability, so no one wants their hiking pant to be truly waterproof. But depending on the model, hiking pants can actually be pretty decent performers in the wet. When it comes to water resistance, many performance options have a durable water repellent (DWR) coating, which makes the droplets bead up and roll off. And, as long as you avoid a more casual cotton construction (like that of the Vuori Ripstop), the nylon blends aren’t very prone to soaking up moisture. If and when they eventually soak through, drying time isn’t too shabby either, which is reason enough for us to recommend sticking to hiking pants on all but the most extreme rainy days.
Pockets
All of the hiking pants on this list have at least one pocket, and most sport upwards of four or five. Front and back pockets are very common, as are streamlined side or thigh pockets, and often a few will be equipped with a zipper for extra security. While pockets aren’t for everyone—we don’t like to overload our hiking pants with excess bulk—organization can be a big help on the trail, especially when it comes to items like a phone or Chapstick. In fact, one of our biggest gripes when it comes to women’s outdoor clothing is the lack of functional storage—while men’s pants might have deep front or cargo pockets, women’s pants generally feature shallow openings that can’t even fit a modern smartphone.
TBMPOY's Women's Hiking Pant Picks in budget
- Best Overall Women’s Hiking Pant: Tbmpoy Women's Hiking Windproof Hiking Fleece Lined Pants($43.99)
The pants are made of high composite material with good tear and abrasion resistance. Suitable for outdoor sports like mountain climbing, hiking in cold conditions.
Material:
92% Polyester
8% Spandex
Features:
Quick Dry Fabric, Waterproof, windproof, Rip stop, Warm Fleece Lining
Design:
This hiking pant is color blocking and wear resistant design by upgraded technology in the knees.
Multi-functional trousers with 2 zippered hand pockets, 1 zippered pocket on the thigh, 1 zippered rear pocket to store your personal items secure while moving.
Partial adjustable waistband can perfect suit your waist and keep you comfortable
- Best Budget Women’s Hiking Pant: Tbmpoy Women's Outdoor Hiking Breathable Cargo Pants($45.89)
Water repellent windproof surface with fleece lining blocks wind, repels water and snow, wear resistant and soft shell elastic fabric to keeps you cool and dry in cold weather.Sun protection fabric reduces your exposure to harmful UVA/UVB.
Material:
92% Polyester
8% Spandex
Features:
Quick Dry , Water Repellent, Windproof, Anti-Static, Skin Friendly, Fleece Lining, 6 Pockets
Design:
2 side hand warmer pockets, 2 rear butt hook-and-loop pockets,1 hook-and-loop thigh pocket,1 zipper thigh pocket. Adjustable Waistband: Belt not included.
Surface adopting water-repellent quick dry fabrics,skin friendly, anti-static, fleece lining, locks in body temperature quickly for the ultimate in comfort while you stay active outdoors.
- Best Women’s Hiking Pant for Hot Weather: Tbmpoy Women's Lightweight Water Resistant Hiking Pants
This trouser is made of high quality fabric and is of excellent quality. With good elasticity and tear resistance, it is very suitable for high-intensity activities in the field.
Material:
92% Nylon
8% Spandex
Features:
Quick Dry, Water-Resistant, Windproof, Lightweight, Rip-stop, Breathable, UPF 50+
Design:
Button opening and adjustable elastic at the waist for a better fit. Two slant zippered pockets, one small back pocket, the pocket zipper design protects the safety of your pocket items when exercising.
- Best Leggings for Hiking: Tbmpoy Women's Leggings Water Resistant Yoga Pants($28.36)
These winter leggings pants made with buttery soft fleece fabric, which adds more thickness, keep you warm and comfortable. It can also be worn inside, you can do any outdoor activities during winter season.
Material:
87% Polyester
13% Spandex
Features:
Quick Dry , Water Resistant, Breathable, Fleece Lined, High Waisted, 4-Way Stretch
Design:
2 side phone pockets, which easily holds your phone or other essentials. 1 back zipper pocket and 1 interior pocket in the waistband for addition items.
Our yoga leggings are designed with high rise and tummy control, perfectly contouring your curves and streamlining your shape
- Best SoftShell Pant for Alpine Use: Tbmpoy Women's Waterproof Soft Shell Fleece Pants($44.99)
The TBMPOY winter skiing pants are made of professional outdoor waterproof and windproof fabric, which is breathable and fashionable. Fleece-lined keeps you warm in cold weather. Suitable for winter outdoor sports and snowy weather.
Material:
92% Polyester
8% Spandex
Features:
Wear Resistant, Water Repellent, Windproof, Breathable, Fleece Lining
Design:
Two front zippered pockets and 1 back zippered pocket keep your keep your personal belongings secure, Wear- resistant fabric for legs, providing effective protection for outdoor activities.
Zip fly and button closure. Elastic waistband with belt loop can be adjusted flexibly according to your waist.
Conclusion
Hiking pants are a key part of your hiking gear, there is no doubt about that. The good news is that the quality available these days I think is really top notch at a price that is affordable.
You can check out our best hiking pants options for men here and our top hiking pant recommendations for women. We walk through a lot of excellent options to choose from in those articles.
As mentioned above, hiking pants are one area I’ve really noticed a big change in quality in over the last decade and they seem to be getting better and better.
As with all hiking gear, it will be interesting to see how technology advancements help further enhance the quality and capability of hiking pants over the coming years. It should only be good I think.
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