The 7 Best Hiking Pants of 2026

If the baleaf is the women's answer to a do-everything hiking pant, this is the men's: ripstop legs that zip off above the knee and pack into a pocket, so one pair covers a cold start and a hot midday without a second garment in the bag.

We think that versatility earns its premium. The ripstop is light and quick-drying, so a stream crossing or a passing downpour doesn't end the day, and the cut reads like an ordinary cargo pant rather than technical gear. What it isn't is a cold-weather pant — the fabric is thin, and a frosty morning goes straight through it.

One detail the photos get wrong: the shorts land higher on the thigh than they appear online, closer to above the knee than mid-thigh. That's fine on a trail and less so if you wanted something you could walk into town in. It's still our pick for the one-pant week, and the extended sizing means more guys can actually get the fit right.

Sun protection is usually the first thing to disappear when the price drops, and the Rdruko keeps it: UPF 50 on a quick-dry, water-resistant fabric with zippered pockets, down at the budget end of this list.

We think that combination makes it the value pick of the group. It's light enough to forget you have pants on, it dries fast enough that a sink wash at night counts as laundry, and dust and trail grit brush right off once dry. It also doesn't read as technical gear, which is why it ends up worn for errands and yard work as often as for a hike — the real test of whether a pair earns its space.

The caveat is length. The inseam runs short, so anyone on the taller side of average should measure against the chart rather than ordering a usual size, and taller hikers will want to look elsewhere. Below that, this is the pair to buy if you want one hiking pant you won't baby.

An elastic waist and a drawstring are the whole idea here: no belt, no hardware, nothing to fiddle with at a trailhead. Pull them on, cinch, go. They're light, they dry quickly, and the zippered pockets mean your keys aren't somewhere in the leaves behind you.

The fabric is thin in the way summer hiking pants should be. Air moves, sweat doesn't sit, and they wash and dry without shrinking, which matters if they're going to live in a duffel between trips. They look like regular pants at the ankle rather than pajamas, a small thing that decides whether you wear them into a diner after.

Our take: these are hot-weather pants, full stop. Thin, breezy, and happiest in summer, they're the pair we grab for a sweaty afternoon and the last pair we'd grab for a cold, wet ridge — for brush, look for a heavier weave. Within that window they're the best value in men's hiking pants on this list, and the price of admission is measuring instead of trusting the size you usually buy.

Changeable weather is where these earn their keep. The lower legs zip off above the knee, so a warm afternoon turns the same pair into shorts and a cold, windy ridge reverses it in seconds. On trips where these come along, we've stopped packing separate shorts.

The rest of the design is built for the trail: a high, wide waistband that holds everything in, a generous set of zippered and Velcro pockets, and a stretch fabric that dries quickly and isn't see-through on a bright day. The hand is a little crisp compared with the softest pants here — more nylon than jersey — but it's the kind of fabric that takes a scuff.

The fit runs long, so shorter hikers end up leaning on the hem cord or a tailor rather than wearing them straight out of the bag. We still recommend them over a fixed-length pair for anyone whose hikes cross a weather front, because the conversion is the point and everything else is competently done.

Thin is the whole personality here. Air goes straight through the fabric, they pack down to almost nothing, and they come out of a suitcase without a crease. On a hot, humid day that's exactly what you want next to your skin.

They're cut more like a jogger than a trail pant: elastic waist, zippered front pockets, a straight leg that reads closer to khakis than sweatpants. That's why they pass in places a technical hiking pant doesn't, and why they get worn from a trailhead to a casual dinner without a change.

What they aren't is a mountain pant. There's no insulation and no structure, and the fabric is the sort that notices a branch. As a warm-weather travel and easy-trail pair, we think it's the smart buy of the group; for a cold, wet week or anything above treeline, look at the Columbia or the AIRIKE instead.

UPF 50 is the reason these made the list. If you hike exposed ridges, above treeline, or anywhere the sun bounces off rock, a rated fabric is one less thing to think about than reapplying sunscreen every two hours.

The rest is standard trail kit done well: light stretch nylon, lots of zippered pockets so a phone, keys, and a snack each get their own, and a fabric that dries fast enough that a sink wash at night works as laundry. The waist is a drawstring, which is comfortable but can slide when a front pocket is carrying a phone — put the weight in a zippered pocket and it behaves.

The fit is the caveat. Sizing runs large and the leg runs long, so petite hikers are looking at a hem and anyone between sizes should go down rather than up. Ordering two sizes and returning one is the practical move if you're buying before a trip.

Where it beats the others is coverage: UPF 50 plus that many zippered pockets is a combination nothing else here matches for a long, exposed day. We take the baleaf for fit and the Cycorld for convertibility; the Toomett is the one for sun.