Top picks for hiking long shirt/ long pants? Anybody have a favorite?

For the pants, I just plain like the REI Sahara side-zips. They fit well, dry well, soak up just the right amount of permethrin and the legs are downright convenient. The belt is light and useful and the pockets all seem to make sense. The only thing that would make them better would be if they'd make the 36" inseam versions in green.

Railrider Bone Flat pants. Only 8 oz I think, but instead of the zipper down the side there are simply mesh panels, both on the outside of the leg and inside of the leg. And right now they're on sale.

My favorite pants are Arc'Teryx Rampart pants. They are usually on sale at REI a few times a year.

I really like Golite's Younan pants. They fit a little funny around the waist on me but they stetch, are comfortable, tough, dirt just brushes off, and the older ones have a dwr. For shirts I like polyester. I have a couple of button down Field and Stream shirts that I got on clearance at Dicks Sporting Goods. I think they cost $15.00 each. They dry quickly and always look pressed.

My Tops Are:

Convertible Pants:
Kuhl Liberator Convertible Pants – 30" x30" – 13.9oz
http://www.kuhl.com/products/5041/
* To say that I absolutely love these pants/shorts is a major understatement! Excellent features, very well thought out construction, SUPER comfortable, ultra flat lying against your skin. The only thing I found somewhat irritating about these pants was the shear number of tags on them. Simple solution…I removed the tags

LS Shirt:
Arcteryx Phase SL Crew LS – Small – 3.7oz
http://www.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Base_Layer/Phase-SL-Crew-LS
* Great shirt, super light, super comfortable, breathes and wicks exceptionally. Wore it on my last trip through Indian Peaks Wilderness Area in CO. Suited me perfect through blazing sun to pouring rain (and cold) with just my rain jacket over it.

I really like my Patagonia Merino Half-Zip LS top, and old Golite "Trunk" pants. They are 5.4 oz. and a kind of rip-stop supplex-like material with elastic waist and cuffs with a little extra inner-ankle denier at the cuffs. These are really three-season pants, perfect over mid or heavy weight underwear in the shoulder season and way more comfortable than convertible pants with all the stuff on them. They don't make them any more, though, so I'm grabbing some Montbell Dynamo wind pants if they ever go on sale for next year. They look like a future favorite.

The shirt, like all merino, just feels great and the zip is nice and deep on that one.

ExOfficio air strip lite shirt
ExOfficio amphi pants

Have been wearing some version of these for the last few years. Light weight, thin, loose fitting, quick drying, soft nylon gives great sun protection and is comfortable to wear day after day on the trail.

Expensive, but I've always seem to be able to find them on sale.

If you don't mind me asking, what don't you like about the RailRiders pants you have been using?

Jim

My favorite pants are currently the Mountain Hardwear Matterhorn convertible. They are quite heavy at twenty-some ounces, but I absolutely love how they fit me and the comfort they provide.

And for a l/s shirt I like the Columbia PFG fishing shirts, I also have one made by REI but it's a little heavier fabric.

Edit: add shirt

After years of using Exofficio Amphi pants, I switched to Montane this summer. The Terra pant is very wear resistant, and I'll use them for bushwhacking or rocky terrain. The Terra Pack pant is lighter weight and a bit more town friendly, so I often wear them during the week. Both have leg length options. Waist sizing is less generous than ExO, and I'd recommend going one size larger than your normal for comfort.

If you can't find Montane locally, contact Sport-Hansa, the US distributor. They are willing to sell directly to consumers.

I used to have convertible pants but the pockets, the cross-thigh zipper, and the general rigidity of full-length pants drove me insane. After picking up a a pair of Target's Champion C9 shorts ($9) I was 100% better – airy, loose, dried quicker, cheap. The only problem was they snagged so I moved to a pair of CW-X Pro athletic shorts. Now the only problem is it looks like I'm hiking in skivvies. :)

If the weather's bad or I'm out in winter I have a pair of REI Acme trousers with the Schoeller nano fabric. Pretty good shell layer with durability for scrambles.

Kuhl Renegade pants are my favorite. They are a lighter softshell material with okay DWR and they dry fast and ventilate well.

"If you can't find Montane locally, contact Sport-Hansa, the US distributor. They are willing to sell directly to consumers."

Unfortunately, they don't carry the Terras. :(

What I usually do is wear a baselayer (like pattagucci Cap 2 long underwear) under my hiking shorts. Then when it gets hot I take them off.

For the top: Cap 2 or Ex Officio Air Strip Lite

For bottom: Gamma Lt, Grammici Quick-Dry, or patagonia GI 2

I like the mesh-ier weave long sleeve base layer tops and zip-off pants in the summer. For cooler weather the Mountain Hardwear Pack pants are good (but discontinued).

I'm really liking a pair of Columbia Silver Ridge zip offs I got this year. They don't have ankle zips, but I don't miss them. The fabric comfort and performance has been surprisingly good. Columbia isn't usally my go-to brand :)

I got some REI Mistral soft shell pants that I'm waiting to try this fall. I found them in the Gear Garage with a broken snap that took me about 5 minutes to replace :) I got a pair of Outdoor Research Vert pants last year that got me going on soft shell pants. They are too warm in bright sun (they are black), but that isn't a problem 3/4 of the year around here! The Vert pants are really light, breath well, stretchy and super comfortable. They meld very well with some silkweight long johns for colder stuff.

I'm a fan of the REI Safari convertable pants. I sort of wish they didn't have the side zipper since I don't really have any use for it. It's just a bit of extra weight.
My 34" inseam larges are 13oz and extremely durable.
As for the shirt, I'm usually in a Patagonia sun hoodie.

I'm going to give the Stoic Thrive pants + something like the patagonia capilene 2 bottom baselayer instead.

I'm also a big fan of the REI Sahara stuff… it's durable, relatively cheap and fits well. Much as I like it though, I've recently discovered Columbia's permethrin treated clothing, and have been wearing that on backpacking trips. If only REI made their Sahara stuff pre-treated with bug juice… I'd be all over that!

Pants
3 season : Arcteryx rampart, I think it's tough enough for bushwhacking. I find cargo pockets way to useful but in this case it really not that noticeable.
Summer : Columbia silver ridge (convertible), light, very fast drying, easy to catch stuff and to stain.

Long sleeve shirts
Golite wildwood (would love it with a zipper),
REI endeavor shirt
icebreaker gt200 – has thumb-loops, 1/4zip but feels deeper, mesh like panels on the back and under the armpits help with ventilation I find.

REI Sahara is bomber but I find I take the endeavor more often

I finally got some Railriders ths summer – EcoMesh Pants and Madison River shirt, both with Insect shield. I wore them on a one week hike in Emigrant Wilderness – pretty warm with one day of rain. I was very pleased with their performance. They've earned a permanent place in my hiking wardrobe!

Hi Jim- the zippers seem a bit much, is all it really comes down to, not a big point, but just one of those things where I finished the JMT and wondered if i could find something just a little better. One suspects it is all a symptom of gear mania.

usually wear shorts, but when I wear pants it's Patagonia Rock Guides (now Rock Craft)- nice light, tough soft shell pant- I wear them from summer to winter (base layer added in the winter)- roomy and cut to move well, also a very good DWR finish

long sleeve top- Capilene 1 or 2, 2 is nice as it's offered w/ a deep zip top

Pants – Montane Terras
Top – Arc'teryx Motus

5.11 makes nylon "FBI" tactical pants that are very well made and not as expensive as RailRiders pants.

I use them for desert use to fend off nasty desert plants and rock scrambling as they have double knees W/ and internal "pockets" to insert 5.11's closed cell from knee pads.