With hundreds of different pants available for hiking, it can be a daunting task to choose the best hiking leggings for your outdoor adventure. Most leggings are almost the same in terms of what they provide, but hiking pants do have more to deal with than simple sweat and comfort.
Normal leggings are great for everyday activities and running all your daily errands, but they will almost certainly take a beating from the outdoor conditions experienced on a hiking adventure while hiking pants are much more durable in terms of their fabric to help resist any problems caused by nature.
But before we dive into the top leggings for your outdoor adventures, there are a few features that you need to take note of to ensure that the leggings you plan on buying are the right quality and to ensure that you will get value for your money.
Top 8 Hiking Pants
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32Degrees Base Layer Thermal Legging
Materials: Acrylic, Polyester, Rayon and Spandex
Special features: Abrasion resistant, anti-odor, machine washable, thermal heat retention, quick drying, water resistant
The 32 Degrees Leggings will make the leggings feel much more comfortable when it comes to the fit and the spandex will also increase the mobility that you have while wearing them. The added spandex does help the leggings to conform to your body much better, thus helping to improve the fit and the comfort and also resisting any possible abrasions.
These leggings have been laced with an anti-odor compound, thus allowing you to wear them for longer periods of time on your hiking trip. They can also be washed with a machine, you could simply pop them in the washing machine once you get home to ensure that they are thoroughly cleaned.
Furthermore, the thermal feature does really add a lot to these leggings. Not only will they help keep you warm on those colder days, but it will also help to dry up moisture much faster and ensure that you stay dry for longer periods of time. The thin fabric does help a little with ventilation, but all in all, you might still need to cool down with some water every now and again.
We highly recommend these leggings for the winter hikers to ensure that you stay warm during your hiking experience. The leggings should also keep the water out and allow any rain to run down and dry off quickly.
Smartdoo Compression Cool Dry Pants
Materials: Polyester and Spandex
Special features: Stretchable, soft and abrasion resistant, 99% UV blocking, thermal heat retention, provided adequate ventilation, Skin friendly design
The Smartdoo compression pants have been created for sports athletes, but they could also serve as hiking pants. These leggings have a bit more elastic and they will also conform easily to the shape of your body. When you add the fact that they have a skin-friendly design, you can be sure that they will be comfortable.
Since there is a lot of polyester that has been used in these leggings, they greatly reduce the risk that you could possibly have abrasions occur. The leggings are also 99% UV resistant to ensure that your legs will not burn through them on those hot summer hiking trips and with a thinner design, wind should be able to pass through much more efficiently to ensure that you are kept cool.
Furthermore, thermal features have been added to ensure that you stay warm on those cooler days, but water might still make the leggings colder to wear. The advanced moisture wicking properties will definitely combat this to ensure that you have a dry winter walk.
These leggings are definitely recommended for the summer months and they will definitely make life easier while hiking. The durability of the spandex and polyester combination should also ensure that nothing can easily tear through your leggings.
Neleus Men’s Compression Thermal Base Layer Legging
Materials: Cotton and spandex
Special features: Stretchable, extremely soft, available in multiple colors and styles, second skin-like fit, thermal heat retention
The Neleus men’s compression leggings is one of the softer designs and have been created for day to day activities, but they can also be brought along on camping journeys and they will be great for walking comfortably.
Cotton has been predominantly used in the design for ensuring comfort, and since cotton is really soft, you can be sure that there will not be any abrasions. The second skin-like fit will improve the comfort and the spandex will allow these leggings to conform to your body’s shape.
Furthermore, they are also available in some of the wackiest designs with multiple colors for you to choose from, thus giving you the perfect opportunity to get the best fit for your specific style. The thermal heat retention that the cotton provides should help keep you warmer on those colder days, thus making these great for exploring nature in the winter.
Unfortunately, they might not be good for bush-riddled areas and the spandex will definitely improve the durability a little, but cotton could be ripped to shreds when it comes to facing nature. We recommend these for camping and the shorter hiking routes in the more open areas of nature. They also make extremely comfortable sleeping pants, so they’re very multifunctional.
Icebreaker Men’s Everyday Leggings
Materials: 100% Merino wool
Special features: provides good heat retention, no center back seam for more flexibility, flatlock seam for abrasion resistance, stylish crewe neck shape design
With winter hiking expeditions picking up, the Icebreaker men’s everyday leggings become more of a necessity to keep in your closet. These leggings provide great multifunctional use and most importantly, they are designed to keep you warm with the 100% Merino wool used in the construction.
The flatlock seams and the lack of a center back seam will help to make them abrasion-resistant and more comfortable to wear. They also have excellent flexibility, thus allowing you to move more freely when you have them on.
They do unfortunately lack a little in terms of durability and could be snagged by thorns, but to avoid this, the leggings do also feature an impressively designed smoother surface. This will not only help you to resist those thorns, but water will simply just run down the leggings to ensure that you stay dry.
Since these leggings are some of the more comfortable leggings on the market, we highly recommend them for the multifunctional uses. On camping excursions, they should be great for walking around with and you could even use them to sleep in, thus giving you great quality and value for your money.
BeneU Mens Camouflage Sports Compression Leggings
Materials: Lycra
Special features: Reduces muscle fatigue, second skin-like fit, retains shape after multiple washes, provides good ventilation, helps muscles warm up faster
While the BeneU men’s camouflage leggings have been designed for sports, they could also serve as your outdoor hiking pants. These leggings have been made from Lycra and since the material is extremely elastic, the leggings should fit much more comfortably and also conform to the shape of your body.
The second skin-like fit will also help to reduce muscle fatigue and it also keeps the muscles warmer, thus allowing you to hike for longer distances before it starts setting in. The leggings will also retain its shape after multiple washes, meaning that you will only have one break in period and they will fit the same every time.
Furthermore, these leggings have great ventilation incorporated by the elastic material, thus helping sweat and moisture dry up faster and allowing you to stay cooler while hiking on those hot summer days.
We would highly recommend these for the multifunctional use they provide. The camouflage design is available in multiple different colors and it is also really in fashion at the moment. The camouflage should also fit in perfectly with the outdoor lifestyle.
Simplicity Men’s Winter Stretchable Thermal Pants
Materials: Cotton and Polyester
Special features: Extremely soft and flexible, provides great thermal insulation, durable construction, seamless to reduce abrasions, breathable design
The Simplicity stretchable undergarment pants are great for hiking in all seasons of the year. The cotton material will provide adequate insulation for the winter, while the polyester and breathable design will ensure that air can pass through and keep you cool during the summer.
These leggings also feature the classic one color design, meaning that they can be worn with almost any combination of clothing. They are also seamless, you can be sure that you will not need to worry about any abrasions spoiling your hiking experience.
The polyester fabric will also improve the overall durability of the leggings, to help ensure that they are tear resistant and that you could walk in more bush riddled environments. Furthermore, it can be used for everyday activities as well as outdoor hiking, thus giving you great multifunctional use for the leggings and providing you with value for your money.
We highly recommend these leggings for outdoor and indoor use and since they are extremely breathable, they can be used for sports as well. The leggings are also great to wear underneath your working pants in the winter to help keep your body warmer from the cold winter conditions.
CompressionZ Men’s Tights Base Layer Leggings
Materials: Nylon and Spandex
Special features: Provides great durability, flatlock seams stitching makes it abrasion resistant, available in multiple colors, anti-odor and anti-itch materials used, 4-way stretch technology
Should you need to buy a pair of leggings that have it all, the CompressionZ men’s tights leggings are some of the leggings that almost feature the complete package. These leggings will be great for multifunctional use, but the added nylon material do put them in another class when it comes to durability. The spandex will account for the elasticity to ensure that the leggings will easily conform to the shape of your body.
Furthermore, these leggings have been stitched with a flatlock seam to help improve the resistance of any possible abrasions and the materials have been laced with an anti-odor feature to give you prolonged use and ensure that the sweat does not leave a foul smell behind when it has been dried up.
These leggings are available in multiple different colors for you to choose from, enabling you to get the best color for your outdoor clothing, but they can also be used for training and running. The tight fit will help reduce muscle fatigue and keep you going for longer periods of time.
Showtime Men’s Printed Compression Tights
Materials: Cotton and Spandex
Special features: Provides great elasticity, anti-odor technology, softer design promotes comfort, stylish printed design, available in multiple colors
Last but certainly not least, we have the Showtime Men’s Compression Sports Tights and these leggings are extremely interesting to look at. They come in multiple different colors, but each color will also feature its very own printed design to ensure that your tights are unique from other colors.
The leggings also feature anti-odor technology that will ensure that will prevent the growth of odor-causing microbes, thus keeping you fresher on those longer hikes and also allowing the sweat to dry up without that foul sweaty smell. This feature also makes these pants good for sports and running, which will give you more multifunctional use.
The cotton does make these tights a little softer, but they have been double-stitched to ensure that you have good durability and that they will be comfortable to wear. The added spandex provides great elasticity and will help the leggings conform to the shape of your body much more efficiently.
Since these leggings are imported, it is worth noting that you might need to choose one or two sizes bigger to ensure that you have a comfortable fit, but at least they are extremely affordable and great for all uses.
Key features to look for in Hiking Pants
The first thing that usually comes to mind when we go clothing shopping is our budget, but having quality leggings will cost you a little more, so you might need to increase your budget to ensure that you can afford them.
We have come up with the most affordable, but essential features for your hiking experience:
Abrasion resistance: Since hiking does require you to walk for longer periods of time and through a lot of unforgiving terrains, these leggings will need to be capable of resisting abrasion that could cause you discomfort.
Tear-resistance: The unforgiving terrain might not be wide open and you might need to trek through the bushes in order to continue your route. For this, the leggings will need to be durable and capable of resisting any tears. While outdoors, a tear could have serious ramifications for being bitten by insects and causing serious pain.
Fit: The fit goes hand in hand with comfort and since leggings do generally sit much tighter, they will need to be comfortable enough for you to move and walk with them. Having uncomfortable leggings could possibly spoil the entire trip.
Ventilation: Depending on whether you plan on walking in the winter or the summer, this will vary, but since most people go hiking in the hotter summer months, you will need to have optimal ventilation from you leggings to help the sweat dry up faster and also keep you cooler. The material type will have a huge impact in determining the level of ventilation.
Water-resistant: While it will be almost impossible to find waterproof leggings, you could look for the leggings with the best moisture wicking properties included. These will not only help to evacuate sweat much faster, but it could also ensure that your clothes dry off much faster after the storm has past or when you trek through a river.
We believe that these five features are the most sought after in choosing the perfect leggings and since it might be really expensive to find them all in your leggings, we recommend that you try to consider as much of them as you can. These features will also ensure that you have a better hiking experience, thus giving you the value of more fun for your money.
Final Thoughts
We would like to thank you for reading this article and we hope that you now manage to not only find an adequate set of hiking tights but that you could have multifunctional use from them.
We would like to encourage you to let us know what you think of these leggings and if you think we might have missed any of your favorite leggings that you feel comfortable in hiking.
Daniel is a gear freak when it comes to hiking, climbing and camping. He went to REI Outdoor School to meet new people and learn best practices. Don’t even try to argue with him about the latest backpack or ice axe, he tried most of them. Daniel’s dream is to climb Mount Everest.
I personally love the thermal pants from Simplicity. Aside from having the perfect fit, it is also very comfortable to wear so it is great for outdoor and indoor activities. I also like that it is not too stretchy unlike other brands. It is very affordable too, which is nice. Highly recommended!
I have Neleus men’s compression leggings and all I can say is that it is worth it. It fits perfectly so I ordered another one. The material is very smooth too and it keeps me warm. It is also available in various colors and styles so you have many options to choose from.
Having choices is important when it comes to hiking clothing. We are glad this option worked for you.
Great choice! Thank you for affirming an item on our list.