Summer pant suggestion?

Railriders Eco-Mesh.

I second the Rail Riders Eco Mesh.  They aren’t the absolute lightest but the vents are nice in summer, they are insect shield treated (if that matters in your local), and come with a belt.  I have been using mine since 2011 and would buy another pair in a heartbeat if somehting happened to them.

The Grammici Rocket Dry pants may be the simplest and the lightest though.

+++ Rail Riders Eco Mesh.

I have the Railriders Boneflats pants and really like them although I’ve only worn them on a few hikes.  If memory serves, *I believe * @Idester has both the Boneflats and the Ecomesh so he may be able to offer a comparison.

I’m on my second pair of Prana Zion pants and love them.

I have been quite happy with my Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible pants (on my second pair actually… and only on those since I needed a smaller size). They are inexpensive (when compared to many other brands), lightweight, dries quickly, great pockets, and I have the option to either completely remove the lower leg, or just unzip it for some airflow (which is great during summer hikes – although, I see you don’t like convertibles…) However, my suggestion is  (if possible) to go somewhere that sells several options (such as REI) and try them on… This is what I did, and found that the Columbias happen to fit me better and felt better when moving around than other available options from REI, TNF, Mountain Hardwear, ExO’s, etc…

I’m a huge fan of the Patagonia Gi III pants. I’m surprised I never hear mention of those on BPL, they are one of the few pieces of gear that I own that I have universal praise for and no nit-picky complaints. They meet all your requirements, without anything extra. The pockets are not mesh, though, if I’m remembering correctly (not at home right now). They’re light and wispy enough that I’ve never had a heat issue, and I hike with them through the summer in Southern California. They are not bug treated, but mosquitos can’t bite through them. I also like that they come in different inseam options. My pair is a MD/30″ inseam and weighs 9.69 ounces. Dry fast, durable nylon, wispy supple feel. I’ve dragged them through a lot of bushwacking, and they’re still going strong.

all these light softshell or light nylon pants are more or less similar in weight and function

as mentioned above get the one that FITS you best … with the proper articulation and breathability

personally i use prana zions for abrasive stuff and dead bird pallisades/ramparts for less abrasive warmer stuff …

but thats because they FIT …

;)

Plus whatever it is on the Eco mesh trousers, they are really good

I’ll start by saying I almost always want shorts instead of pants. I tend to run warm and even breathable pants typically aren’t as comfortable for me. So, with that background, I have tried both the Eco-Mesh and the Bone Flats pants and I definitely prefer the Bone Flats.

Why?

1. They have vented sections on the outside and inside of the leg. Much cooler feeling.
2. They are flat fronted which feels neater and less bulky to me.
3. If I’m hiking in the summer I basically always want the Eco-Mesh vents open and so the zipper functionality just becomes another thing to break.
4. When unzipped, the Eco-Mesh pants are pretty floppy and it just kinda feels like a lot of fabric around my legs.

Then, for the Bone Flats, I really like having pants that aren’t just breathable but actually have mesh vents. Very comfy. The only downside is that dust gets in so it isn’t as clean as other pants. Overall, I still wear shorts most of the time and basically reserve pants, honestly, for hiking in areas with lots of snakes as they will sometimes bite a loose pant leg where they’d hit skin if I was wearing shorts.

Hope that helps.

While i’m not a fan of the overall design (it needs a fly and a button or snap closure), the fabric of Prana Sutra pants, is probably the most comfortable hot weather fabric i’ve ever tried. It’s about half hemp and half polyester with a tiny bit of spandex, and thin.  It won’t be as tough and durable as nylon based pants though, so if you do a lot of heavy bushwacking–probably not the best choice.

I haven’t yet tried a permanently wicking nylon based pant that is more breathable than usual, but would like to try something like that.  All the nylon pants that i’ve tried, either didn’t wick off the bat or only did temporarily (a finish, rather than altered fibers) and weren’t that breathable, even with extra vents added (Columbia Air Gill pants for example).  With especially high humidity, i find that i need very good wicking and high air permeability for pants to feel comfortable (and the Sutra fabric does both very well).

Are the Bone Flats pants wicking and permanently so?   Can somebody drop some water drops on some used ones to check?

Also, how much polyester (%) is in them?

@galway

I continually see the Prana Zion recommended, and although they appear to be really great pants (nice design, cut, stretch, etc), the fabric feels too heavy to be true “Summer pants”, at least here in California.   I’m just basing this off my impression of them at REI.   Do you have any experience hiking in them in hot/dry weather?

the zion is to heavy for hot weather … unless yr up high (alpine)

the fabric basically is the same thickness as a pair of jeans … and its about as warm

a thinner nylon pants or softshell would be better if its hotter … or shorts/convertibles

;)

I wear Prana Zions for work and play I my daily life. They are fantastic pants but I find them way too warm to hike in at about 75°.