Gear Recommendation: Hiking Pants for Hot Weather Summer

REI Sahara pants (and shirt) are light, fast-dryin polyester, well designed and have zip-off legs and a light belt.

Cabela's also makes polyester pants and shirts with zip-off legs. I think it's in their "Guidewear" line.

I was in Cabelas the other day and was pretty impressed with their Guide Wear pants. They were very light and looked like they would be great for hot weather. I didn't get a chance to see how the fit was. They looked like they weren't as durable as my North Face convertible pants but probably lighter and more comfortable.

I have a pair of the REI pants and they haven't been a good fit for me. YMMV

I have a pair of arcteryx rampart pants that I absolutely live in all summer long. I hike in them, wear them to work, around town…they are fabulously cool and light and feel great. I can roll them up into capris and they stay that way, or I can leave them long.

I think they are somewhat hard to find in women's…I got them on sale at moosejaw…but well worth the effort to hunt them down.

I'm not a desert hiker, but I haven't worn anything but Patagonia Rock Craft pants (successors to the Rock Guides, I believe) in the last year. I've hiked in them well into the 90s with full sun, and I'm a very hot hiker.

They're also close-fitting and very durable. Only the side pocket and the pants show minimal signs of wear, even after a year of hard use.

My mom likes her Royal Robbins Paseo Traveler Pant when hiking in the summer. REI and Ex Officio both make petite sizes. +1 on the arcteryx rampart pants if they fit.

–mark

Get pants that are a little baggier for better air flow and thus cooling

I have a pair of REI Sahara pants that aren’t convertible to shorts, full length only. They’re okay, but they don’t seem to be that well made and don’t fit me quite right. They are quite lightweight.

I have a pair of Railraiders Ecomesh pants that are my preferred summer hiking pant (I don’t wear shorts). They have a durable permethrin treatment for ticks, which is nice, but especially nice for summer is that the legs have zippers on the sides that you can unzip for air flow. Hard to explain, but behind the zippers is mesh, so when you unzip your skin is not directly exposed. Well made, lightweight, and tough. Here’s link: RR Ecomesh pants

I do hike in desert a lot.
I'm suggesting to use your running gear for hiking in desert. It's light, UV protected, dries quickly. Just go for a long pants (no shorts!) and long sleeve shirt. Running cap with cape! Take all in Dri-Fit fabrics or a like.

Just my opinion.

I hate hiking in pants with zip-off legs, as I don't like feeling of the zipper rubbing on my leg. I have a pair of Railriders Eco mesh pants I occasionally I use for hiking in the summer. The website says they are 10 ounces, which sounds about right. They are comfortable, tough, and the zipped side vents are surprisingly effective. That said I most most of the time in shorts, t-shirt, and socks, treated with permethrin and generally don't have a problem with ticks.

Just got a pair of Vent'r pants by ExOfficio, I like them a lot, similar to the already mentioned rail riders Eco mesh in concept without the mesh zipper. They look fairly stylish,and fit is nice. I wear a 34 waist and they are 9 oz exactly.

I wonder if just a plain pair of pants is best?

If they have all sorts of complicated vents and converitble shorts and things, it's more marketable. Buyers will think all that stuff makes it better and will pay more for it. People will pay less and be less likely to select a plain pair of pants.

But actually, the plain pants work better because they're lighter and there are no irregularities to chaff on, etc…

I have to agree with you on this. I spent several hours one day at REI trying on every non-cotton pant I could find. I never found one of the convertible pants that I liked. Especially on the inside of each knee, the zipper and extra fabric would rub me wrong. Add to that, the shorts always felt on the short side.

I settled on a pair of Kuhl pants that have very few frills. Other than being a tad on the noisy side, they are great and fit great too. I've worn them around New Mexico a fair bit and they never made me with I could zip the legs off or open some kind of venting.

I second the recommendation for Arcteryx Rampart pants. Lightweight and fit well. I also ordered online at Moosejaw since I've never seen them in stores around here. I'm not too fond of the convertibles.

I have ramparts asxwell, although in black as they were on sale. Wore them once when themp was above 24c and sunny and regretted it, get them ingrey. Obvious i guess but thought id mention it any way.

I like the rei Sahara zip offs as well. I don't wear shorts but do zip them off for swimming in lakes which I like to do.

+1 for Ramparts. I use them the same as Jennifer above, often rolling them up into capris (manpris?). They are great hiking pants.

However, I did see these new pants from Columbia the other day:

http://www.columbia.com/Men%27s-Airgill-Chill™-Pant/FM8068,default,pd.html

The "air gill" part is several slanted vents along the inner thigh of the pants. You can see them in the picture above. It also has columbia's "Omni-Freeze" fabric which has these little circles on it that supposedly feel cooler when moisture/sweat hits it. I don't know if this works or not. I bought a Omni-Freeze bandana just to try.

Note: I saw these at the Employee store; I don't know if they are in stores yet. I have no connection to Columbia beyond living near the HQ and getting occasional access to the store.

If ticks are the issue, be sure to get pants that are treated with permethrin – that will solve the tick problem. Both ExOfficio and Railrider, as well as any number of manufacturers, make them. Personally I go with the Railriders Ecomesh pants and Madison River shirt. Both are treated with permethrin (Insect Shield), both wear very well.

http://www.railriders.com/men-eco-mesh-pant-with-insect-shield-p-837.html?cPath=104_110

http://www.railriders.com/men-madison-river-shirt-with-insect-shield-p-881.html?cPath=104_111

My RailRiders EcoMesh trousers predate the version with permethrin treatment but are still going strong, used in very varied environments. The side vents work very well and don't cause the chafing I've experienced with zip-off styles. On the other hand, I can't speak from experience about the fit of the ladies'version :-)

Issues? The fabric, similar to Supplex, can cling rather badly when wet and of course has no stretch to it. I have two pairs and have had to sew centre back belt loops to them to stop the waistband from slipping, which is an odd design flaw and not one duplicated in other designs like RailRiders Weatherpants. They're worth considering.

Daniel I'm the gear buyer for my better half as well. If she's not comfortable, I'm not going to be…and we're always on the lookout for a great pair of hiking pants. Hope this helps:

Arcteryx uses two types of fabrics in their light hiking pants. One is 96% Nylon and 4% Spandex, like the material used by Patagonia in the Rock Pants. The other is 89% Nylon and 11% PU. The latter material is just a bit heavier, but still very light. Obviously both stretch. Then the pants differ in cut and features.

Arcteryx discontinued the Women's Rampart (probably because it had two weird pleats on each knee, while the men's Rampart is smooth on the knees).

The women's Rampart, Parapet and Palisade Pants are made of the exact same type and weight 96/4 material. They only differ in cut and features.

The Palisade has the most snug athletic cut and an integrated belt and zip cargo pocket. The Parapet has a bit more roomy cut and a zip cargo pocket. The men and women's Rampart don't have zips or velcro on the cargo pockets.

The women's Rabat pants are made of the 89/11 material. The men's Perimeter Pant is made of the same 89/11 material.

We've had good experience with the 96% Nylon 4% Spandex material in the Patagonia Rock Pant for warm weather, so I'd stick with that material from Arcteryx, Patagonia or another brand. The stretch is helpful.

My only beef with the Patagonia Rock pants is that I prefer a bellows cargo pocket to the smooth flat pocket because I actually like to carry things in the cargo pocket. The zip pocket has some room, but you'll feel it if you overstuff it.

Check out the new Rail Riders Ultralight Weather pants, which are lighter than the Weather pants. Don't think they stretch though.