How to Choose Hiking Pants

 

The hiking is, quite simply, exciting. The numerous mountain ranges in nature provide unlimited hiking possibilities. As we know，hiking is often needed to reach varied terrain. So, it is necessary to prepare the proper hiking gear. Hiking pants are an important piece of hiking gear but one that we often take for granted.

So why the hiking pants play an important role？

Specialized hiking pants are perfect for uncertain weather conditions such as rain or scorching sun. Wearing hiking pants is the secret to retaining your body’s warmth and dryness through all sorts of hiking. Once you hike in a hiking pant, you'll leave the blue jeans and scraggly shorts at home for good.

Along with other benefits, the right pair of hiking pants should be highly breathable, lightweight, quick-dry, stretchy, and enough pockets. And also fit with freedom of movement. What about hiking pants that are bug resistant or provide a high degree of sun protection? All of these are important variables when choosing the best hiking pants.

• Breathability

For summer hiking, you need a breathable, lightweight fabric that will help you stay cool. You may want a three-season pant or one you can layer for winter, but if you plan on hiking at the height of summer, buy for that. Overheating will make you miserable, or worse. Most hiking pants are fully synthetic, which helps them dry out quickly when you sweat. Some also incorporate mesh panels and/or pockets to help airflow.

• Lightweight

Lightweight hiking pants are made from strong nylon and spandex—weighing less than even a cotton pair of shorts. On longer hikes, the large weight savings allows for more comfort and brings hikers more joy.

• Quick dry

Benefiting from the nylon construction, hiking pants dry very fast. If the pants get wet, they will dry out in a few minutes even while wearing them. For the nylon material which doesn’t hold or absorb water, hiking pants are ideal for hiking trips where stream crossings need to be made or where there’s the potential of stormy, wet weather. The peculiarity to keep the “pants dry” is especially important in mountain areas, where the cold temperature often accompanies rainy weather. A hiker wearing wet blue jeans in cold temperatures will leave an “unforgettable” hiking trip.

• Stretch & Durability

Another key feature to keep an eye out for is stretch, especially if you’ll be hiking in scrambly terrain. If you have to get your legs up and over obstacles, you’re going to want to give in the fabric. Most MIER hiking pants blend nylon with spandex to provide that stretch. Typically, the higher the spandex content, the more flexible the fabric. Aside from the durability of the fabric itself–which you learn through gear reviews along with trial and error–features that increase durability include reinforced seams as well as reinforced knee and rear panels. Heavier fabrics, or those with a tighter weave, maybe more durable, but that also needs to be balanced against breathability in the summer months.

• Pockets & Extra Features

Hiking pants usually have many, and often large, well-designed pockets, allowing for easy storage and access of essentials like maps, small digital cameras, lip balm, and other items best stored “on person” instead of in a waist pack or daypack, without rummaging through your pack. The many pockets on hiking pants always come in handy which are perfect to store sunscreen, munchies, phones, and other small items "on person" instead of buried in a pack. This is what we also called “ultralight”.  Extra features can make a good pair of pants into a great pair of pants. Well-placed waistbands won’t chafe under your pack’s hip belt. Reinforced pant cuffs can help prevent fraying.

• Style & Fit

Last but not least, there is the style factor. This one is all personal preference. The main element to consider when it comes to style is going to be the fit. Fit can generally be broken down into slim, regular, and loose. Although there are a lot of differences between, and even within, the fits of different brands, those three categories are a good jumping-off point for finding the fit that’s right for you.

Above what we have mentioned, they are the key factors you should pay attention to while selecting hiking pants. MIER hiking pants have received a tremendous comment of appreciation--owing to lightweight, quick-dry, durable, many pockets even water-resistant function and stylish design. They are truly the most comfortable hiking pants to own! Just hop over to our collections and check around!