Common questions when picking the best hiking pants for women

A pair of hiking pants is a useful addition to a hiking trip, considering that it to be useful will keep you safe from trail grit, bugs, water and moisture, UV rays, extreme climate conditions while also offering you comfort, mobility, and breathability whilst moving about.

Those features are required for both men and women’s hiking pants. In particular, a woman hiker prefers a hiking outfit that comes with both high functions and attractive looks. Keep reading and find out what to wear as a female hiker.

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Should we wear something loose to feel more comfortable while hiking?

The answer is NO. Look for a comfortable fit rather than overly loose tights or pants.

Some people prefer something “baggy” for their legs when going out for outdoor activities. For a walk, it could create extra comfort. But for a hike, baggy pants carry some extra weight causing fatigue to your legs after a certain amount of time spent walking. Moreover, you may also get caught on trailside brushes or trap more cold air inside your clothes in a windy climate.

A fit that enables you to move freely is the best hiking pants choice. Hiking activities involve the participants in a variety of motions, including bending, twisting, and taking significant steps along the trail. Therefore, a high level of mobility can enhance our ability to hike. Typically, look for these features to get the best out of your hiking outfit

A gusseted crotch: To deliver better support for free movement, the most popular hiking pants’ crotch is inserted with a gusset that is a diamond or triangle shape. This gusset mitigates pressure to your crotch point, enhancing your range of motion and comfort.

Articulated knees: We all know that the joints and tendons around the knees are extremely active when moving our legs. Pants with articulated knees are key to protecting and supporting them for a full range of motion. Notably, this detail is a must-have for rocky terrain hiking pants, and it also helps a lot if you are going to go up steep trails.

An adjustable waist: When we are engaging in more physical activities, we tend to lose weight. Particularly, when we go hiking or trekking for multi-days, we will reshape our body significantly and loose waist size easily. Therefore, looking for hiking pants with additional features is valuable for your adventure. Belt loops, built-in belts, drawstring inside the waist belt are one of the features which will make adjustments quick and easy.

One of my favourite Patagonia hiking pants for women is Quandary hiking Pants, which meet the high requirements for fit and fashion. At first glance, there is no difference between them and fashionable pants. However, Patagonia Quandary pants are indeed hiking pants which come with full functionality. Moreover, their exciting waist adjustment system includes belt loops, metal button, hidden drawcord, and a zippered fly, ensuring the best fit while moving.

Pants or shorts?

There are three main categories for hiking pants: full-length, convertible, and roll-up. 

Full-length hiking pants that are standard in the market provide complete leg protection against external factors, as well as offer a high level of comfort, breathability, flexibility, and durability.

The women’s convertible hiking pants are easily switched between its standard form and a pair of shorts with leg zips. They are created to give the hiker both options for diverse weather conditions and convenience for travelling by reducing the load of clothes you will carry.

The best women’s hiking pants for hot weather I have found belong to the roll-up category. The beautiful pair of Prana Halle Roll-up pants is not only highly functional for outdoor activities, but also look fashionable. It’s lightweight design ensures comfort, breathability, protection, water-resistance, and versatility. You can find more features than those I have listed with Prana Halle Roll-up Pants, which are easily turned into Capri pants if needed.

Do you need protection from the sun?

Yes, absolutely. The demand to protect our skin against direct sunlight is relatively more essential for women hikers. Even though all kinds of garments offer a certain amount of relatively protection against ultraviolet rays, that level is not enough for a long day in the sun. Therefore, investing in a good pair of pants with sun protection feature is necessary. All our recommendations for women comes with UPF ratings. UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factors, which measures how much UV rays reach your skin through the fabric. For instance, UPF 50+ means that less than 1/50th, or 2% of UV radiation is absorbed by your skin through pants. The higher the UPF rating, the better the sun protection it offers.

What is the difference between water-resistant and waterproof?

When a manufacturer claims that their pants are waterproof, it means that they are impermeable to water. Water cannot pass through into the interior of the pants. In case there is no breathability and venting feature included in the pants, the sweat cannot “breathe” to pass out of your body if you wear them. Therefore, waterproof-breathable fabric makes your pants better suited to dealing with a heavy rain shower.

Water-resistance usually implies that the item will resist water to some degree. A water-resistant product can be expected to prevent water from soaking through immediately, but it will not offer much protection beyond that. Water-resistant pants can help keep you away from light rains.

Water repellent feature lies in the middle between water-resistant and waterproof, giving moderate repellency against water and moisture.

Most of the pants available in the market are made of a DWR – Durable Water Repellent finish. If you want to stay dry during rain, go for a pair of high-performing DWR pants. A DWR coating stops water from penetrating the pants’ interior. However, DWR performance is reduced over time due to some external factors, including frequent laundry, abrasion, body oils, etc.

Other better alternatives to DWR coating are waterproof and breathable fabrics, such as Gore-Tex®, eVent®, and REI Elements® . Gore-Tex® is trusted to provide durably waterproof, windproof and breathable fabrics that can keep you comfortable, dry, and safe in diverse weather conditions. Arc’teryx Beta SL Pant earned my trust to be named the best waterproof hiking pants for women. It also stands on the top of many best winter hiking pants womens’ reviews

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Conclusion

Jeans and other normal pants may be highly restrictive during your next hiking trip. They are not designed for a range of movements and extra outdoor activities with unexpected weather and situations. Therefore, a pair of hiking pants is a must-have item for a hike. We hope that you can grab your favourite pants following our tips to get outperforming pants for the coming season!