Hiking Pants and Mobility

I hate hiking in long pants for the reason you mention. I'm about 10 times more mobile in shorts than pants. Stretch pants are not an option for someone my height–at least I've never found any that will fit. So I take zip-off pants and don't zip them on unless I really, really need to.

I think you underestimate a tick's ability to squeeze into tight spots. Indeed, of the dozens of ticks I've had over my life, probably half of them were under a waistband or something similar. (The other half were in worse places.)

I sort of agree, long pants constrict movement, better with shorts

One thing that sort of works is to use gaiters and loose pants, pull the pants up so it kind of puffs out with some slack at the top of the gaiter, which is at your knee. Then it doesn't constrict movement hardly at all.

I hate hiking in shorts, and hike in long pants exclusively. I use the Railriders and like them a lot, but I'm not in the mountains so that's probably why I've never encountered the restriction issue you have.

Your best bet is to either try a pair of the pants with articulated knee to see if they work, or go back to hiking in the runners stretch pants, if you want to stick with pants.

Anything by Rab/Montane and most by Mountain Equipment will have articulated knees.

Check out the Patagonia Rock Guide Pants. I hike, backpack, and climb in these. Simple, light, and with just a little bit of spandex in them so they move with you.

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/patagonia-mens-rock-guide-pants?p=56635-0-961

Add Patagonia Simple Guides to the list.

I've been very happy with the Golite Yunan. 15% Spandex, light but durable. I scratched my knee open when scrambling and by looking at them you couldn't tell they'd ever been in contact with anything abrasive. My knee on he other hand…

The only time the BPL Throfare pants (Pertex Quantum I think) felt restrictive going uphill is when when they are wet they would cling to my legs until dry. They're so light you don't really notice them. I'm another long-pants only type of guy.

"Anything by Rab/Montane and most by Mountain Equipment will have articulated knees."

+1 I've been using the Montane Terras for years. Any pants will have some restriction, depending on conditions, but the articulated knees cut it down to a bare minimum. The bebefits of wearing long pants far outweigh the negatives, IMO/IME.