Best Hiking Pants (American Made preferred)

[Kevin R]

I’m looking for input on the best hiking/backpacking pants out there, with a preference for American made pants.  My personal criteria (in loose order of importance): fit (trim fit but not too tight, no billowy legs), durability (should be able to last a good long time and withstand occasional bush waking), breathability, and style.  I’ve found these pants from GoRuck which look like they hit on most of those categories, but they are rather pricey: https://www.goruck.com/simple-pants/

I’ve historically worn convertible pants for their great functionality, but I will probably move away from those because it’s hard to find a pair that fit great both as pants and as shorts.

 

[Nick D]

Unfortunately not made in America, but I just picked up the Prana Stretch Zion to replace my Kuhl convertible pants (I’m moving away from zipper short/convert pants too). I’m very happy when them so far and they check most of your boxes. I believe they’ve won a few awards too.

[Simon Kenton]

+1 for Prana.

I have the Zion but I prefer the Brion. I like the jean look.

[Andre Buhot]

I love my TAD gear recons

[Tom K]

Like Nick, my recommendation is not made in America.  But if you can get past that, take a look at Montane Terras.  Very durable, very breathable, dry very quickly, trim fit, and they weigh about 10 ounces.  I’ve been wearing the same pair for over 10 years now, on trail and off, and while they are getting frayed a bit at the cuffs, they’re still part of my kit.

[BlackHatGuy]

+1 on the Montane Terra pants.

[Luke F]

TAD comes to mind for MIUSA, I like their Force 10 AC pants, not too baggy but their cargo pockets are a bit on the ridiculous side. Great for winter hats and gloves, but otherwise mostly just snag on stuff. The nylon they use is very close to a 3oz supplex, so quite durable and fairly fast drying.

You likely won’t beat the TADs on price (or the GoRucks), $100+ is just what it costs to make pants in the states (TADs were $99 no so long ago, looks like they had to raise their prices). Really can’t think of many domestic options beyond those two, most everything else is heritage work wear or heavy tactical/military gear.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Good luck on US made pants.

I’m now preferring Duluth Trading nylon pants, lined and unlined over my previous fav, the “5-11” brand.

My DT “Dry-on-the-Fly” heavy weight nylon cargo pants are lined with fleece and so far are the best winter pants I have found. At $18. they are a lot less than RailRiders version.

For a heftier pair DT makes a lined “Alaskan” version that would be good for sub=zero weather and as work pants.

For 3 season DT makes light sketchy nylon cargo pants and heavier nylon unlined cargo pants.

• ALL of DT’s pants have a crotch gusset and this helps a lot in fit for active use.

 

[Ralph Burgess]

Yeah, if you want American made, buy a sewing machine!

I like Marmot Scree.   The fit should be just right for you – trim but not too ultra-slim.   Side, back and thigh pockets – all zippered, which is hard to find.   Tough enough to endure bushwhacking, but breathable and quick drying.

[Matthew / BPL]

Are Railriders made in the US? I can’t find that information on their site…

I am a huge fan of their Eco Mesh pants. The zippers down the side eliminate the need for shorts while providing sun protection. I find them much cooler to wear than the Pranas mentioned above. The fit is *not* trim and their sizing is ridiculous (buy a size down). They have the dorky look of old-man Dockers but I really don’t care about the style when backpacking.

[Jerry Adams]

Buy Supplex, for example from owfinc.com, and make them yourselves.  If you live in the U.S. then they’ll be American made : )  Supplex is very sturdy, lasts forever, sun and bug protection.  Pants are pretty easy.

[BCap]

I hiked most of the PCT in some lightweight supplex MHW pants.  I thought they were fine.  I even made a pair of my own supplex pants in the past year.  Then my wife got me the OR Ferrosi crag pants this year.  I’d be hard pressed to go back to a non-stretch pant again.  Once I got wet with rain or sweat the supplex pants ripped all the hair off my thighs one hair at a time.  If I was just walking on flat ground I’m not sure it would have mattered, but when hiking in the mountains, the stretch has far exceeded my expectations.  Note: The Ferrosi pants are made in china.  And a quick glance at all of my pants (hiking or otherwise) showed zero made in US pants.

[Ken Thompson]

RailRiders are made in China.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

I like Prana Brion or Patagonia RPS.

[Dean F.]

Does anyone in the U.S. still make clothes?  :)

I have historically worn RailRiders, but nowadays count me among the stretch Prana converts.

[Anonymous]

Another +1 for Montane Terra, although their idea of “long leg” is about an inch short of perfect. Great fabric and a seat that keeps me surprisingly dry even on short spring snowy glissades.

Prana Zion is very comfortable, although I would hardly call the fabric “durable”. Very easy to snag on anything spiny. Incredibly poor integrated belt design also drags this one down.

I also like the fabric on my Kuhl Renegade convertibles, but only in warmer, drier conditions. Durability is questionable – my first pair had the little sewn-in cords bordering the convertible sections blow out after just a couple of hikes. Kuhl replaced the pair no questions asked, but I’m seeing the same problem after another season of occasional use. The non-convertible Renegades may not suffer the same issue, though.

[Kevin R]

Haha, it doesn’t seem so.  I’ve been considering the Prana Zions for a while, so maybe it’s time for me to actually try some on

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

I find the Zion’s too baggy. Brion’s are the same fabric but slimmer.

[Kevin R]

Good to know- I assumed they were same fit, just with less pockets, but yes, some taper would be good, so I’ll give those a try

[Stephen Bing]

<p style=”padding-left: 30px;”>I have both Zion and Brion and love both. I prefer the Brion since it’s stretchy; I even go bouldering with them on. It is indeed slimmer and they look good for casual wear. The Zion has its own partial belt while the Brion requires to have your own belt.</p>

[Baine A]

+1 for Prana Stretch zion

[Ethan A.]

Keep in mind that generally the more spandex a pant has, the warmer it may feel in hot or hot and humid weather. My wife and I wear the Patagonia Tribune pants for cool to warm weather – great fit and stretch that moves with you and a good fit and taper without too much taper and handy zippered thigh pocket. However, the spandex makes it too hot for hot weather. In very warm sunny weather, a pant with lower fabric weight and with no spandex like the RPS will be cooler (haven’t tried the RPS yet, but would like to for hot summer use; have a Patagonia travel pant from years back made of the same fabric blend and it’s cooler). For best Tribune fit try your waist size and one size down.

Some good suggestions here – looking forward to trying the Brion as well.

I wish there was a light color of the Montane Terra with reinforcement patches of the same color rather than just black – it’s nice when your hiking pants can do double duty as casual pants for travel in towns without screaming technical.

[Stephen Bing]

I’ve worn the Zion pants hiking in Death Valley in 90+ F weather and it performed really well. Maybe because it’s not as tight fitting as the Brion so there’s some airflow. It also has reinforced eyelets by the groin area that helps with venting a little.

[Nathan Coleman]

Another mention for Prana Zion.  They’re awesome.

[Ethan A.]

Some relevant thoughts from the blog of Dave Chenault:

He mentions spandex/lycra holding onto water and taking longer to dry, which I think can even be felt when sweating a lot and producing a lot of water vapor on very hot days.

“For 3 season backpacking, Skurka correctly identifies that pants are more often used for leg protection than for warmth. I could see making due with one pair for everything, though two would be better. A ~200 grams/meter pair with a bit of stretch (less than 10% lycra content, such as the Black Diamond Modernist Rock jeans) are good for colder weather and abusive applications, while warm weather pants are ideally in the 120 grams/meter range. Fabrics this thin are not inherently strong, so they should be built as tough as weight requirements allows: 100% nylon plain weave or taslan. Pants like these are not easy to find, fishing pants seem to be the most likely candidates. Aside from gloves and socks, pants are the garment which wears out first and most often. Light nylon pants won’t last forever, perhaps 2-3 years for me, but their ability to dry fast and not cause swamp ass when it’s 85F out more than justifies the cost.”

The RPS pants should work better for very hot weather than pants made with higher spandex/lycra fabric. The Patagonia Tribune Pants have 12% spandex and I’ve even found their 3-7% spandex pants hot, but I guess it depends on the weave and whether there are any ventilation holes or mesh (like in the RR pants).

Like the way higher spandex pants move with you, but not for all conditions. In the same hot conditions my very stretchy Tribune pants are hotter than my Patagonia Continental travel pants, both about the same khaki color. The Continental pants are made of the same half-half nylon/poly blend without spandex as the RPS Pants, and this fabric still offers a little stretch.

I feel the difference in +85F low-wind and especially humid conditions. Also an old pair of Sportif ripstop nylon pants without spandex are cooler in hot humid conditions. So you may find yourself more comfortable with less spandex/lyrca in hot humid conditions.

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