Running shorts or pants? How to deal with rain, wind, and cold?

I’d rather convince you not to bother trying shorts. If pants work for you, I’d keep using them (I only hike in pants, never shorts). I’m not sure you could move all that much faster wearing shorts instead of pants, realistically, if at all.

First I used convertable pants but always found it was a pain to take the legs off so never did.

Then I tried running shorts they just replaced my underwear and I wore them under my convertable pants.  But they bunched up.

Then I tried running shorts and Montbell tachyon wind pants but didn’t like the feel.

Then I went to packing running shorts and wearing non convertable pants.  It’s 8 ounces in shorts mode or 3 ozs in pants mode of weight in the back and allows for optimal flexibility.  I usually will start the day in pants for the morning change at lunch into shorts for the rest of the day

Shorts, cycling leg warmers with full side zips, Montbell Dynamo wind pants.

Mix/match as needed.

I have a couple defcon levels for my legs when out backpacking—

**  Shorts and bare legs always for the most part.  Winter, summer etc.  (Always wear nylon underwear with the shorts).  Also shorts and bare legs in rainstorms—to keep my merino leggings dry.

**  Merino leggings under shorts when it’s cold.  The usual “hippie hiker” look.

**  Severe cold I wear merino leggings without shorts and under my goretex rain pants.

**  In a cold rain and wind I wear just the rain pants to keep my leggings dry.

I see no point in bringing any kind of regular pants or hiking pants or convertible pants etc.  Shorts.  Leggings.  Rain pants.  All I need.  And mostly don’t even need the rain pants 6 months out of the year.

I usually wear shorts but will sometimes wear pants.  To address your issues:

• Cold. My legs rarely get cold. Do you get cold legs often? Try it.  You could be a little cold the first few minutes in the morning, but then it warms up.  I’m almost always happy to have shorts.  If you really get cold, you can wear long johns to start, but when I do, I rarely make it more than a mile before I want them off.  If I’m in a cold weather trip, I’ll usually wear pants or take a pair of light wind pants.
• Wind.  Wind’s not really a problem unless it makes you cold.  My legs don’t get very cold in 3 seasons.  Depending on climate, I might take a pair or windpants, but usually don’t.
• Rain.  Rain is easy with shorts.  Just wear your rain skirt.  You’ll have no soggy pants since the skirt will cover it all.  If I’m wearing pants, I’ll usually add rain pants instead of the skirt to avoid wet pants in rain.
• Sunburn.  I have burned my nose, cheeks, shoulders, hands, etc., but my legs have never burned unless I’m laying on the beach.  If you’re walking, the angle of the sunlight hitting your legs is so small that the risk of sunburn is low.

Overall, I find the shorts/skirt combo a lighter, more comfortable option in moderate 3 season climates.  If its cold, I’ll wear pants and rainpants with a little extra weight.

I am in shorts 99% of the time (including shoulder seasons) as my legs don’t seem to ever get cold while on the move.  I just bring some wind pants (LUL 1.9 oz) but typically just wear them in camp.  In really nasty cold, windy, wet conditions I will put my wind pants over my shorts and keep moving.

I have long base layers that can be worn in an emergency but, since they are part of my sleep system, they usually stay packed away.  I love the freedom and mobility of shorts and take just one pair.  I tried the convertible pants but didn’t like them as shorts and didn’t like them as pants.  Stretchy nylon running shorts (5-6″ length) are Uber comfy, but I usually wear some Marmot or Columbia shorts for the pockets (8-9″).

Like the OP I’m also intrigued by running shorts as they are so comfortable, airy and light. For everyone who is wearing shorts almost exclusively (or shorts with leggings) – how do you all deal with mosquitos? Are you putting DEET all over your legs multiple times a day, or do you all happen to hike where there are no mosquitos?

For several years convertible pants have worked great for me as my sole leggings under nearly every 3-season condition in Colorado and WA state with no problems – at least no problems on trips up to a week long. But last summer after experiencing significant inner thigh chaffing on the JMT I’ve been rethinking pants for long trips.

This summer on the BSL (late August) I considering 9″ compression shorts combined with low cut hiking shorts as primary leggings 98% of the time. If it gets really cold, windy or buggy, a 3oz pair of DriDucks pants seems like a reasonable addition to the kit, considering they will likely be used infrequently, for short periods and exclusively on maintained trails.

Recent convert to shorts for ventilation since I’m more likely to experience swamp chaff than rain or snow. Also like the “no belt” construction for no more welt. Weakness is sun and bites, admittedly. There is sunscreen and various bug juice concoctions. I carry Montbell semi-stretchy wind pants and then a MLD rain kilt in case the weather gets bad.

Could change back to pants if ventilated options and replacing the belt with running-short like string.

If I am walking and getting mosquitos, it seems to be my head they are swarming.  Maybe it’s because the legs are moving too fast.  Maybe it’s because they are hairy.  But I don’t seem to get much mosquito pressure on my legs.  Maybe I just don’t notice my legs if I have mosquitos buzzing my face.  Wind pants can help with mosquitos though.

I also wear running shorts, my legs don’t get cold unless it is really cold( I live in Seattle and wear shorts pretty much year round unless it snows then I wear fleece tights) and then I will put on wind pants, if it is raining I put on my rain skirt if there are mosquitos I either put on deet or my wind pants it depends, I don’t find that I have to keep reapplying deet, one application seems to work.

I go:

skin, running shorts, essestially spplex pants (arc rampart), rain pants (OR Foray)

im in the pnw so i keep in the pack the Forays for wind/ bugs/ rain in all but the dog days of summer.  The ramparts roll up well So usually i just hike with the shorts for undies and the ramparts rolled up.

Then there’s the Purple Rain unisex hiking kilt. It does make adjusting layers more easy.

I use convertible cargo pants or regular cargo pants but they must be of 100% polyester or nylon.             I’ll take convertible pants if I know there will bee a chance to swim or bathe in a fast flowing creek.

If I know there is a good chance or rain (as in the Rockies in the afternoon) I’ll take my eVent rain pants. They are also good for wind over shorts or pants.

I swtiched to running shorts for my PCT thru attempt a couple of years ago and haven’t looked back. For me, I ultimately found that hiking pants contributed a bit of resistance to my range of motion, especially on the uphills. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, but as I started doing both longer hikes and longer days, that little bit added up for me- the range of motion from a well-designed pair of running shorts is really nice for me, as is the extra ventilation.

As far as the rest of my leg coverage goes, I pair the shorts up with a thin set of running tights (4oz cheapies from Amazon), and a ULA rain kilt (2.9oz) for the wet. For a while, I used Montbell Dynamo wind pants in place of the tights, but I ultimately found the tights to be a more useful bottom layer- they keep me warm enough even in pretty serious wind, and they’re a LOT more comfortable to sleep in. Likewise, I prefer the kilt to rain pants, due to the microscopic packed size, weight, and easy on/off. (It also works surprisingly well as a mini-blanket.)

Ultimately, I’ve found this combination to be all I need for a wide variety of 3-season conditions (from low 30s to scorching desert). I’m not necessarily sure I wouldn’t want more on my legs if I was hanging around camp for a few hours at 30*, but I’m not one for spending a ton of time in camp.

Previously I wore shorts. A summer trip through Northern Yosemite made me really want mosquito protection for my legs. So next time I added 3 ounce wind pants to deal with mosquitoes. Hiking in wind pants in bright sun is HOT even in relatively cool weather. Now I wear a pair of light weight nylon pants (Marmot Arch Rock). Rain skirt added for gloomy forecasts. No extra shorts just my nylon boxers, which work for quick swims.

I love the idea of shorts, until you get in brush (with thorns?) and bugs. I used to wear shorts but no more, after one too many trips with my bare legs thrashed up from brush. The compromise is very light-weight vented pants like those made by ExOfficio or Railriders. Protection with ventilation.

I get warm to hot when I exert myself, so I’m often in shorts because they’re cooler.

Also, the hiking is easier – less effort – in shorts.  “A pound on your feet (boots) is like seven pounds on your back.” is widely observed and I agree. I find it also holds, although less so, for pants weight. You swing your legs, pick them up and put them down, bending them against some resistance in your pants.

As for bugs and bushes: there are hikes I do in shorts (to stay cool and hike easier) that I always bring a LS shirt and long pants on in case of bugs or having to bash through the alders and other brush between treeline and the alpine terrain further up.

I sunburn easily and have had skin cancers carved off my face and neck, but not my legs. The angle is different and I’m in shorts enough to have enough base tan before mid summer. I will put sunscreen on the back of my knees early in the season and for a longer- or higher-elevation hike than usual. That’s the only spot on my legs I ever get a little sunburned.

I used to wear shorts most of the time, now pants all the time

bugs, sun

it’s okay when it’s hot, but mostly I avoid too hot weather

shorts, but I keep trekking pants in my pack in case of brush, and especially in case of stinging nettles.

I get too hot in long pants, and they always feel like they are restricting my motion.

For glacier travel, or long stretches of snow, I tend to switch over to the trekking pants so that I don’t have to coat my legs with sun screen (which always feels so sticky)

Here in Western North Carolina, I wear running shorts from April to October. Sun is not a problem, as more time is spent in the shade than not and there’s rarely a reason to go off trail.  Mosquito’s never seem to bother me during the day, but they do come out at camp in the evening.  For that, I carry a 6 oz pair of polyester pajama bottoms that look like grey pants and a little bit of Deet.  In November and March I wear a pair of running tights (not skin tight, but trim fitting.)

December through February, I put my backpacking stuff in a closet and go skiing.

My bottom half set up is as following:

Thermasilk 3oz -or- Grid Fleece 5oz baselayer pants (depends on temperature, silk for warmer fleece for colder)

Patagonia Strider Pro 5″ Shorts – 2oz

zPacks Cuben Fiber rain kilt – 2oz

Montbell Dynamo Wind Pants – 2.5oz (unfortunately ripped my last pair.. on the hunt for some more wind pants)

Lots of mix and match options for an extremely small weight penalty – all these combined pretty much weigh the same as my Prana Zion convertibles.

In perfect, warm dry weather.. shorts only. If it’s dry and windy, shorts and wind pants. If it’s a light rain, just shorts. Heavy rain, shorts and rain kilt. If it’s cold, baselayer bottoms and shorts. If it’s cold and windy, baselayer bottoms and wind pants.