The gear that gets you there.
Men’s and unisex picks first. Women’s picks on the same page.
Trail pants you hike in. Stretch, sun, and a pair you can replace. Not rain pants.
Three picks. Updated weekly. That is the whole list. If it is not here, it did not earn a place.
Men’s hiking pantsWomen’s hiking pants
· Top three updated weekly. Listed prices and shop ratings stay live.
Surveys 40% · independent tests 30% · merchant ratings 15% · relative street price 15%. Sources & method
Listed prices and shop ratings stay live once a shop page loads. GEAR UP has the current figure.
Built from published thru-hiker surveys and independent testing — not commissions. Sources & method · Disclosure
Shop the men’s or unisex product.
Swipe — three picks side by side
Stretch nylon · UPF 50+ · 12.7 oz
Listed price
8.3 / 10 Thru Picks
The stretch hiking pant OutdoorGearLab, CleverHiker, Treeline Review, and GearJunkie all name. Ferrosi fabric, not a rain pant.
Sources: OutdoorGearLab · CleverHiker · Treeline Review · GearJunkie · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Also at REI →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
UPF 50+ · 11.6 oz
Listed price
8.2 / 10 Thru Picks
REI Co-op Trailmade hiking pants — not the Trailmade rain pant. OutdoorGearLab and CleverHiker name this pair. Co-op shelf.
Sources: OutdoorGearLab · CleverHiker · Treeline Review · GearJunkie · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
Recycled nylon · UPF 40+ · 10.9 oz
Listed price
8.1 / 10 Thru Picks
Patagonia Quandary. CleverHiker, Treeline Review, and GearJunkie name this pair. Recycled nylon, not the women’s Halle pant.
Sources: CleverHiker · Treeline Review · GearJunkie · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Also at REI →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
Shop the women’s product. Unisex cottage pieces are labeled on the card.
Swipe — three picks side by side
Stretch nylon · UPF 50+ · 9.0 oz · women’s
Listed price
8.3 / 10 Thru Picks
Women’s Ferrosi pants. Same tests as the men’s pair. Real women’s SKU. Nine ounces. Not a rain pant.
Sources: OutdoorGearLab · CleverHiker · Treeline Review · GearJunkie · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Also at REI →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
REI Co-op
UPF 50+ · 8.0 oz · women’s
Listed price
8.2 / 10 Thru Picks
Women’s Trailmade hiking pants — not the Trailmade rain pant. Real women’s SKU at the co-op. Same tests as the men’s pair.
Sources: OutdoorGearLab · CleverHiker · Treeline Review · GearJunkie · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
Recycled nylon · UPF 40+ · 10.0 oz · women’s
Listed price
8.1 / 10 Thru Picks
Women’s Quandary pants. Treeline Review names this pair. Real women’s SKU. Halle is a separate prAna pant.
Sources: CleverHiker · Treeline Review · GearJunkie · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
This ranking already sits in a finished kit. Every item is among the best. Weighed. Ranked. Ready.
A harness, shoe, and layer stack that actually fits. Shelter, sleep, and cook stay among the best.
8 lb 6.3 oz base · Open kit →02 · UltralightThe lighter pick among the best in each slot. Dyneema shelter, open-foot quilt, flask filter.
7 lb 7.3 oz base · Open kit →03 · Lower spendA complete thru-hike kit from the best in each slot, chosen for a lower street price — not for a lesser hike.
8 lb 7.3 oz base · Open kit →04 · Highest performingThe highest-performing pick in each slot this site already ranks. Dyneema shelter, closed-foot quilt, SOS in the hipbelt.
7 lb 15 oz base · Open kit →05 · First long trailForgiving shelter, a stove that lights, tape in the hipbelt. Built for the first hundred miles, not for a forum argument.
8 lb 3.8 oz base · Open kit →06 · Two hikersOne two-person shelter, two sleep systems, a shared kitchen. Split the tent, the stove, and the filter. Carry your own pack.
13 lb 3.8 oz base · Open kit →07 · Cooler weatherA 15° bag, a warmer pad, a fleece under the puffy. For starts and finishes that are not summer.
8 lb 15.7 oz base · Open kit →08 · No stoveNo canister. No boil. Cold soak in the pot you already carry, or eat in town. The rest of the kit stays among the best.
7 lb 3.5 oz base · Open kit →09 · Section hikesForgiving shelter, a stove that lights, tape in the hipbelt. Weekend-to-week volume — not a five-month food carry. No traction.
8 lb 2.7 oz base · Open kit →10 · Sierra snowSnow travel with the traction this site already ranks #1. Rain pants and hiking pants on. No ice axe — that ranking does not exist here.
10 lb 2.9 oz base · Open kit →These three are named in independent hiking-pants tests we read: OutdoorGearLab’s 2026 best hiking pants, CleverHiker’s men’s roundup, Treeline Review’s women’s roundup, and GearJunkie’s men’s roundup. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s what-to-carry page says to pack long pants outside high summer. It does not name a model.
Outdoor Research Ferrosi is the stretch pair those tests keep naming. REI Co-op Trailmade here is the hiking pant (REI 236137 / 235802), not the Trailmade rain pant. Patagonia Quandary is the Patagonia pair Treeline lists for women. Halle is a separate prAna pant, not the women’s Quandary. Rank order among these three still updates weekly from shop ratings and street price.
Rankings and kits are based on published surveys and independent analysis. They are opinions for informational purposes only. Users are responsible for choosing and using gear appropriate to their conditions and experience. Thru Picks is not liable for outcomes related to product use. Terms