Hiking can be a very exciting outdoor activity as you get to explore and appreciate nature’s true beauty. To help you safely and fashionably enjoy your journey, you may want to put on one of the best hiking pants for women. They are specially designed to not only deliver comfort but also protection, and to make your experience better. 

Nature is pretty extraordinary and surprising. While hiking you may come across uneven terrains, harsh weather conditions, and unknown insects or objects. Therefore to keep you safe, these picks are equipped with special features that your ordinary pants don’t possess. Moreover, they are not regular pants that you need in surplus, just one or two will be sufficient and will last for a long time. So, before rushing into the decision of buying a pair of hiking pants, it is smart to do some market research. 

We are extending a helping hand to you through this article. It not only includes a list of our top picks but also provides a guide to help you choose one that will best suit you.

• 1
  Best Overall

  MOCOLY Women's Cargo Hiking Pants

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This pair of pants are made out of advanced polyester fabric with in-built UPF 50+ that offers protection against harmful UV rays. It is equipped with four deep pockets that can be secured with its durable and smooth YKK zippers. This pant also features adjustable cord locks that are designed around the cuffs. The cords can be closed to protect the legs against bugs and can be opened for convenience while playing other sports. The drawcord around the waist offers an adjustable fit. This slim-fit pant is soft and stretchable, providing extraordinary comfort and flexibility. After trying these pants ourselves and carefully analyzing them, we can agree that these pants are one of the most comfortable and convenient for hiking.

2

Most Stretchable

Libin Women's Cargo Joggers

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These sweat-wicking cargo pants are weightless, stretchable, and super comfortable to wear. They have been treated with UPF 50+ which provides UV protection. Along with that, it comes with water-resistant abilities that can resist moisture. It features an elastic waistband with adjustable drawstrings, elastic ankle cuffs, and five pockets – including two side pockets and one back zip pocket with zippers, and two cargo pockets with a hook-and-loop closure. The overall design gives these pants a very sporty and fun look.

3

Most Comfortable

BALEAF Women's Hiking Pants

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These hiking pants are extremely breathable, lightweight, water-resistant, and quick-drying. Along with this they also have fibers with a built-in UV protective UPF 50+ feature that is essential for keeping you safe from the damaging sun’s rays. Hikers always seek convenience when it comes to clothes, therefore these pants are designed with four pockets that come with a zip-closure for security, an elastic waist with an adjustable drawstring, and articulated knees that offer a perfect fit. They are also designed with adjustable cord locks around the cuffs allowing for easy adjustments as and when required. When we tried these pants, we noticed that they do not restrict movements and offer superior comfort.

4

Best Fabric

Columbia Women's Trail Pant

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These trail pants are designed with advanced technology and are equipped with features such as a signature omni-shield which makes the pants water and stain-repellent. This enables you to walk through a muddy hiking trail without any worries of getting wet or staining them. The fabric also has UPF 50 to provide protection against sun damage. The nylon and elastane blended material offers a 2-way stretch and a classic body-skimming fit. The fabric along with its design features like articulated knees promotes better mobility. Other handy features include two side pockets with a hook and loop closure, two open back pockets, a partial elastic waistband, and a unique roll-up leg design that lets you convert these long pants to capris for convenience.

5

Most Breathable

Gopune Women's Outdoor Hiking Pants

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These Gopune hiking outdoor pants are made from nylon and spandex fabric which gives them a lightweight and comfortable feel. It also has moisture management properties that keep you cool and fresh all day long. The design features of these pants include a flexible elastic waistband which allows a full range of motion. Along with that, it has two zippered pockets on both sides that offer secure storage and one back pocket that is convenient for smaller items. These women's hiking pants are ideal for mountain climbing, hiking, trekking, fishing, running, cycling, or daily wear.

6

Best Design

CRZ YOGA Joggers for Women

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These joggers are made from smart ripstop fabric that contains polyamide and spandex, making them extremely durable and resistant to tears. Their quick-drying properties, soft feel, and two-way stretch enhance mobility, making them a great clothing option for your outdoor explorations. It has a classic fit with a 27.5'' inseam that is designed to sit at your ankles, a high waist, and a broad elastic waistband with a drawstring that allows you to customize your fit. The pants feature mesh pockets and back pockets with zippers for convenient storage of your belongings while keeping them safe and fresh.

7

Most Versatile

Toomett Women's Hiking Pants

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These hiking pants are crafted to be comfy and loose with good flexibility that allows swift body movements while climbing, running, jogging, and so on. It is a pretty sturdy, quick-drying, and breathable choice for outdoor wear. The fabric also has a built-in UPF 50+ that acts as a protective layer against harmful ultraviolet rays. The design features include a zipper closure, an adjustable waistband, pockets with zippers, and a regular fit. These pants have a useful convertible design with zip-off legs wherein your long cargo pants can be converted to inseam short ones.

8

Most Durable

Rdruko Women's Hiking Pants

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These pants are made of water-resistant and quick-dry fabric that wicks off sweat easily. It is also extremely lightweight and breathable, keeping you cool during your tiring hike. Advanced features like UV protection are included by equipping the fabric with UPF 50+ sun protection that reduces your UVA/UVB radiation-related skin damage. These pants feature elastic waistbands for an easy fit and three pockets with zippers – two in the front, and one small back pocket for storage convenience.

9

Best Features

MIER Women's Cargo Pants

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These cargo hiking pants are crafted using lightweight, quick-drying, water-resistant, and 4-way stretchable nylon fabric. Nylon is a synthetic material that delivers breathability and resistance to abrasions. It can withstand scrapes on granite and has a soft and comfortable feel. It features six YKK zippered pockets – two in the front, two at the back, and two around the thigh. These pockets are large enough to carry emergency aid, snacks, phones, a compass, and other essential items. Apart from this, the pants also have a partial elastic waistband with a belt loop that offers an excellent fit, offering maximum ease of movement.

10

Best Color Range

SANTINY Women's Hiking Cargo Pants

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These hiking pants are made of lightweight, stretch-woven, quick-drying, and moisture-wicking fabric that gives a cooling effect all day long. They are also built with UPF 50+ sun protection that provides significant protection against harmful ultraviolet rays. The cargo pants have four zippered pockets and an elasticated waistband that has an adjustable drawstring, allowing you to personalize the fit. They also have an adjustable cord lock feature present around the cuffs that helps you adjust the fit and length of the pants. You may keep it closed to protect yourself from bugs during a hike or trek, or you can open them to move more freely during other activities. Additionally, their beautiful color options felt like an added bonus.

Now that we’ve seen the 10 best hiking pants for women, let us find out how you can choose one that suits your personal preference.

While planning to go on a hike or a trek, it might get a little confusing to decide what clothing is right for you to wear. This is because you will wear them for a long period of time, and be constantly on your feet, facing objects that may damage your clothes. Here are a few factors that you need to keep in mind before selecting the best hiking pants for you.1

1. Material: The material of hiking pants are made with advanced technology that makes them suitable for extreme physical stress. The properties include:

a. Durability: Durable fabrics are resistant to abrasions and long-term wear and tear. They protect you from sharp objects and bugs. This is therefore one of the most important factors to look for while deciding on the perfect hiking pants.   

b. Breathability: This property allows air to pass through the pants, giving a cooling effect to the skin underneath. This provides comfort during long, and tiring hiking journeys. 

c. Stretchability: When buying hiking pants, ensure to look for their stretchability as this can enhance your movements and range of mobility. There are many different ways a fabric can stretch such as 2-way stretchability, 4-way stretchability, and more.  

d. Quick-drying: These materials wick off sweat, puddle water, and rain very quickly – helping your body to stay dry and comfortable all the time.

e. UV protection: Many advanced fabrics are equipped with UPF 50+ sun protection that safeguards your body against the harmful UV rays of the sun. 

2. Design: Hiking pants are specially designed for convenience. They usually have multiple pockets with zippers for storing valuable items safely. These zippers are sometimes waterproof, helping to keep things dry. Apart from that, they have elastic waistbands for better comfort and mobility along with a drawstring to fasten the pants for the desired fit. Some pants also have adjustable loop locks around the cuffs allowing the wearer to open and close them according to their needs. There are also special pants available that have zippers on the legs, allowing you to change the length of the pants during your hike.

3. The Right Size: Hiking pants should be bought according to your own size requirements. While on one hand, it is essential to ensure that they do not run smaller as that may restrict your movements, making you uncomfortable. On the other, make sure to not buy pants that are bigger for you either. This is because bigger pants may be loose around the waist or too baggy making you feel uneasy during longer periods.

Hiking pants can be a versatile fashion option as it provides great comfort, breathability, and style too. They can be paired with t-shirts, tunics, sweaters, and more. There are many different ways you can use hiking pants, some of them are mentioned below:

• Activewear: These pants have high stretchability, breathability, and sweat-repellant properties that will not restrict your movements during gym or sports sessions. You can pair these pants with a sports bra, tank top, or t-shirt. 

• Trekking: Trekking is a physically challenging activity for which you need the right clothes to stay comfortable and safe from the rugged surroundings. Hiking pants are durable, stretchable, water-resistant, and quick-drying garments that sometimes may provide protection from damaging UV rays of the sun too. 

• Camping: Hiking pants can be a great camping option as they provide protection against sun damage, bugs, sharp objects, and puddles of water. This is because they are very sturdy and tear-resistant, water-repellant, and quick drying – keeping your body mostly dry.

• Monsoon Wear: Most hiking pants are manufactured to have high water resistance, this causes them to repel water and dry very quickly, thus making them a good option for heavy monsoon days. 

• Travel Wear: These pants are soft and comfortable as well as very stretchable. Therefore, if you are going on a long flight, journey, or road trip, putting on some hiking pants would give you the ease of stretching or folding your legs whenever you need them. These pants also have an ample number of pockets with secure zippers which will allow you to easily store and access important things like phones, wallets, tickets, and more.

• Lounging: The fabric that is used to manufacture hiking pants is professionally made to give a super soft and lightweight feel. So whenever you want to relax or laze around your home, by a pool, or even in the garden, put on some hiking pants and experience supreme comfort.