To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles - Mary Davis
Whether we want to escape from the rat race or just find some peace of mind, the comfort, and serenity that nature offers are almost irresistible.
The urge to get out of our comfort zones, to see something more than the drab grey concrete that surrounds us daily, and embrace the spirit of adventure is something that we’ve all felt at one time or another.
We weren’t meant to spend our lives in cubicles or on production lines and we weren’t supposed to waste our lives sitting in front of the television hopping between an endless number of channels that offer increasingly homogenized shows and advertisements.
Our potential has been limited by our willingness to accept less, and in order to redress that balance and learn to reach for the stars instead of staring at nothing, we need to rediscover who we are.
There is, as has often been noted by our brightest and best, a world of possibility waiting for us just beyond our doorsteps.
But in order to explore it and find our individual places in it, we need to take that first step, to try something new and look beyond the horizon. We need to get out into nature and discover the truth about ourselves.
And it’s an easy thing to do, you just need to want to walk, and that walk will soon become a hike and before you know it, hiking will have become your new passion.
Before you set off though, you’ll not only need a good pair of boots, you’ll also need the right clothing, and for most of us, the right clothing begins with pants.
That’s why we’ve found the best hiking pants any man will ever want to wear so that all you have to do is choose the right pair for you, slip them on, and head out into the world.
Are you ready to discover who you are? Then let’s begin…
Top 5 Best Hiking Pants for Men
OUR TOP PICK
They might be named after the most unassailable part of a mountain, and they may well have helped explorers conquer the peaks of the Himalayas, but The North Face story began when two dedicated hiking enthusiasts opened a small store in San Francisco so that they follow their dreams.
And if you’re looking to buy a pair of hiking pants, there’s nobody better to get them from than the brand that was started by a couple of hikers.
Loose-fitting, comfortable, and made to take all the punishment that the outside world will hurl at them, Paramount Active is made from nylon, so they’re light, durable, and designed to keep you warm in winter and cool in Summer.
They’re also weatherproof, and their DWR (durable water repellency) coating will ensure that you stay dry if the heavens should open up while you’re out in the wilderness.
Zippered above the knee so that they can easily be converted into shorts, Paramount Active are hiking pants for all seasons.
Wear them long when it’s cold and wear them short when it’s hot, whatever the weather you wear them in, they’ll always be comfortable and help to protect you from the elements that could so easily ruin your day.
Pros
- In the world of hiking and rambling, there are few names that come with the sort of assurances and cast-iron guarantees that The North Face does. They’re a name that you can rely on and put your faith in.
- Paramount Active are durable, long-lasting, and made to weather any storm that you’ll find yourself facing.
Cons
- Convertible pants are definitely an acquired taste. Some like them, others hate them and they can feel cumbersome and uncomfortable even though they aren’t. It’s all about your mindset and how you feel about wearing them. Personally, we think that shorts should stay as shorts and pants should stay as pants, but at the end of the day, we’re not the ones who are going to be wearing them.
EDITORS CHOICE
The origin of Marmot can be traced back to an Alaskan Glacier in nineteen seventy-one and began with a couple of friends who loved the outdoors and mountaineering making parkas and sleeping bags.
Fast forward nearly fifty years and they’ve become a brand that’s found a special place in the hearts and minds of hikers and climbers everywhere.
And the fact that they actually make a great pair of pants means that they get our hard-won vote of approval too.
Made from ninety-four percent nylon and six percent elastane, Arch Rock is durable, quick-drying, and have enough natural stretch to cope with the most arduous of circumstances.
Their DWR coating will help to keep you dry if, and when, the weather takes a turn for the worse and their UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) will ward off the worst of the sun’s rays during the long, drawn-out days of Summer.
If you’re heading out on the trails, you’ll want to be wearing the sort of pants that are made to be worn in all sorts of weather, and harsh conditions, which is why you’ll want to be wearing Marmot’s Arch Rock.
They’re made by mountaineers for mountaineers and won’t come apart at the seams when you need them the most.
Pros
- Arch Rock are light, stretchy, durable, and comfortable and have enough pockets to keep all of your most precious things safe and sound. They’ve even got a secret, special security pocket, but if we tell you where it is, Marmot would probably see to it that we’d never speak again. So we won’t. You’ll just have to find it for yourself.
- Thanks to their DWR coating and UPF factor, Marmot’s Arch Rock are ideal for hiking in all sorts of conditions and weather. Do you want an all year round pair of hiking pants? Then look no further.
Cons
- Some reviews have highlighted the fact that they seem to be an odd fit. They can be a little too slim in the thigh and too wide in the calf, which is food for thought if you’re used to a more traditional fit.
BEST VALUE
For more than eighty years, Columbia has been fashioning clothes to keep you outdoors.
All of their clothing is tested to its absolute limit in the wilds of Oregon, which is the state that Columbia calls home.
Their Silver Ridge Convertible pants have pushed above and beyond the limits of what clothing should be able to take and have become part of the standard hiking uniform for an entire generation of outdoor enthusiasts.
Made to convert from pants to shorts and back again in the blink of an eye, Silver Ridge is tailored from Columbia’s signature UPF 50 fabric that pulls moisture away from the skin and absorbs it to keep you comfortable and dry.
Crafted from one hundred percent, ripstop nylon, Silver Ridge are light, comfortable, and durable, and will give you the confidence to take on the elements and win, time and time again.
With eight decades of hard-won validation and a reputation carved from granite behind them. Columbia imbues all of their clothing with the same spirit of endeavor and adventure that they were founded on.
If you want to get out into the wilderness, there are no better hiking pants to do it in.
Pros
- When the sun starts to burn and the rain begins falling, you’ll thank the stars that the pants you’re wearing are fashioned from Columbia’s signature fabric. It’s all about safety and comfort, and these pants are fashioned with both in mind.
- Silver Ridge are made from ripstop fabric and are light, durable, comfortable, and strong. They’re everything that hiking pants should be. And they’re also surprisingly affordable, which is an added hiking bonus.
Cons
- Again, we’re not fans of convertible pants, and while we’re forced to grudgingly admit that these pants are incredibly comfortable, we can’t get over the fact that it feels like they can’t make their mind up and don’t know whether they want to be shorts or pants.
RUNNER UP
Outdoor Research has been making clothing for the sort of rugged, devotees of wilderness pursuits who demand and expect, more from their clothing.
Based in Seattle, they’ve spent nearly four decades perfecting what they do and in that time they’ve become incredibly good at it.
Their Ferrosi hiking pants are lightweight, quick-drying, and comfortable.
They’re made from a water-resistant material that has a UPF factor of fifty and they’re fitted with drawcord cuff closures to keep out mud, debris, and all of the other stuff that Mother Nature insists on throwing at anyone who wants to get out into the wild.
In other words, they’re perfect hiking pants.
Being out in the forests and unspoiled terrain of Washington taught Outdoor Research everything that they needed to know about crafting the sort of clothes their patrons wanted and needed.
And everything they learned? It’s all been tailored into every pair of Ferrosi.
Pros
- They’re light, strong, and made to last. And when you combine that with their UPF factor and the water-resistant material they’re fashioned from, you get an ideal pair of hiking pants.
- The drawcord cuffs are a welcome, and ingenious, addition. They’ll keep all of the stuff that you don’t want to get in your pants, out of your pants. Which is a probably some sort of metaphor for life, but right now all we care about is how good these pants are and so don’t have the time to devote to figuring out the drawstring existence conundrum
Cons
- They may well be the ideal hiking pants that you’ll want to wear when you get out into the wilderness, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re kind of expensive. But, if you want the best hiking pants, we guess you have to pay the best prices for them.
RUNNER UP
prAna pride themselves on making lightweight, sustainable clothing for yoga, travel, and outdoor enthusiasts.
They built their brand on that simple philosophy and it’s earned them the undying love, admiration, and appreciation of a legion of global adherents. And their Zion Lightweight pants are particularly beloved by hikers.
Fashioned from ninety-seven percent nylon and three percent spandex, these pants will stretch with you as venture further than you’ve ever been.
Quick-drying, comfortable, durable, and strong, Zion have been tailored to take all the bumps and trials that you’ll encounter on the paths and trails that you hike and will keep on going for as long as you want to.
Made to help you slice through the unexpected with ease, Zion will help you take on, and conquer any adventure, from the hidden paths to the victory drinks that inevitably follow a successful day's hiking.
And they look really, really good too.
Pros
- They’re light, strong, comfortable, have a high UPF factor, and DWR built into the fabric that prAna uses to make them. And as we said, they look good too. They are, quite possibly, and in our humble opinion, the best hiking pants in the world.
Cons
- And because they are the best, they’re not cheap. They might be the best hiking pants on our list, but they’re also the most expensive.
Best Hiking Pants For Men Buying Guide
What Are Hiking Pants?
Hiking pants are usually made from nylon combined with other materials to make them incredibly tough and durable. They are made to be lightweight and strong and should move freely and easily with the body of whoever is wearing them.
They are also tailored from quick-drying fabric that usually has a high UPF (ultraviolet protection) factor to protect their wearer from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays and usually have some sort of DWR (durable water repellency) built in to minimize the ill-effects of bad weather.
Often seen as being a brand-specific type of clothing, hiking pants have become an essential part of the more ardent outdoor enthusiasts wardrobe and are often also worn by climbers and mountaineers.
Which Hiking Pants Are Right For Me?
As all hiking pants are designed to follow a very similar pattern and perform an incredibly specific function, the most limiting factor when it comes to choosing a pair of hiking pants is your budget and how far it will stretch.
However, if your budget isn’t an issue, then we would always, without hesitation, recommend that you invest in at least one pair of prAna Zion lightweight pants, because they are, quite simply and (as we’ve already said) in our humble opinion, the best hiking pants in the world.
The rest, as a wise man once said, is up to you. Choose your hiking pants wisely and we’ll see you out on the trails.