Mountain Hardwear Dynama Ankle Pants Review

Bottom Line

For ultralight comfort and style that works both in the frontcountry and backcountry, we love the Mountain Hardwear Dynama 2 Ankle pants. Mentally and physically, we feel great wearing these pants: they have a flattering yet relaxed fit and a lovely, light fabric. 

Weather-resistant testing revealed that although these pants are not all that water-resistant, they dry quickly. Field testing on some of our backpacking trips confirmed the pockets are pretty much for aesthetics on these pants, which was a big downside for us functional pocket lovers.

We appreciate that Mountain Hardware added a waist tie, but wish that it were more functional. Durability isn’t the Dynama’s biggest strength either, but that may be a fair trade-off for those looking for a light pair of pants. 

Ultimately, it’s all about having the right tool for the job, and these pants certainly get the job done best as town-to-trail joggers, or for folks who dabble in climbing or bouldering. Keep shopping in our guide to the best hiking pants for women if you’re planning on dragging your bum over granite or going to shwack some bush.

How We Tested

The Dynama pants have accompanied us on hikes all over the San Juan Mountains. Most recently, we have used them on ridge line day hikes and backpacking loops in the Weminuche. These hikes let us test them in both rainy and sunny conditions. Aside from hiking, we also like to wear these pants to the office and while lounging around the house.

Comfort & Mobility

The Dynama pants are so comfortable that we like to wear them on the couch and the trail. In our experience, the softer fabric is extremely comfortable on the skin, and the looser fit paired with the fitted ankle makes it feel like wearing sweatpants. These pants are one of our first choices to wear on trail, when every bit of creature comfort goes a long way in camp at the end of a big day. During our side-by-side trials, we found little resistance when lifting our legs, which is great for hiking uphill or scrambling up and down summit blocks. 

Mountain Hardwear recently attempted to address one of our biggest complaints about these pants: the loose waistband. These pants now come with a built-in waist tie that can be used to keep them from falling down. 

Unfortunately, the material used is a thin string that can be difficult to tie tightly. It is also much thinner than the waistband, so the fabric bunches up awkwardly when it is cinched. It makes these pants more functional than they were before, but we are excited for Mountain Hardwear to level it up in the next iteration. That said, a final point in favor of the Dynama pants is that the design fits our body well, making us feel more confident and, thus, comfortable wearing them on the trail.

Durability

Mountain Hardwear has made improvements to the Dynama pants’ durability, but at 6.6 ounces, they are still ultralight and should be treated accordingly. After testing, we give them a solid average performance for this category. In order to more fairly compare the durability of the pants in our lineup, we put each pair through the same set of durability tests. 

This involved rubbing the pant legs against rough bark and pulling the fabric across a sharp branch. Previous versions of the Dynama pants showed wear during the stick test, so we were pleased to see that the current version did not demonstrate any thinning of the fabric. 

In the field, we wore these pants on day hikes and backpacking trips in the San Juan Mountains. We did not find any signs of pilling or thread pulls after hiking through thick willows, a huge improvement over past versions. We were also incredibly impressed with how they held up to abrasions. 

On one occasion, our tester took a good tumble on some rocks, and the Dynama’s got the brunt of the fall. Fortunately, she and the pants are a-okay. No rips, pilling, or thinning of fabric occurred, a big point in the Dynama’s favor. 

Overall, there are better pants to choose if durability is a priority, but the Dynama pants are a great choice when choosing a jogger-style pant.

Breathability

The looser fit and thinner fabric mean the Mountain Hardwear Dynama pants are relatively breathable. When we timed how long they took to dry, these pants were in the middle of the pack at one hour and six minutes. On the trail, they were as breathable as other pant options for retaining heat and triggering sweat. 

We never really noticed feeling especially hot in these pants while hiking on hot summer days. Essentially, they do not have any particularly noteworthy breathability features, but they also don’t have any detrimental qualities. They are just average.

Features

With a minimalist 6.6-ounce design, the Mountain Hardwear Dynama pants have scant features. These pants only have four pockets, significantly fewer than some of the other pants in our lineup. Mountain Hardwear has recently made some improvements to the pocket design, including a slightly larger hip pocket and a little redesign of the leg pocket. 

During the jump test to check for pocket usability, our tester’s phone didn’t fall out of any of the pockets. However, we found that when sitting, our phone would still occasionally fall out of the hip pockets. Mountain Hardwear also moved the zippered leg pocket to the right-hand side. This is great for right-handed users, but it would be nicer to have one on both sides to accommodate both hand preferences. The orientation of the zippered pocket also changed slightly, making it a bit harder to slip the phone inside due to the tight fit. 

Unlike most other pants we tested, the Dynama pants do not have any ankle cinches or roll-up snaps. Nor do they have added ventilation features. As mentioned in the comfort & mobility section, the waist tie is an upgrade, but still needs some work. Although we love the Dynama pants overall, we recommend almost any other pant if it’s the features you’re after.

Weather Resistance

Like many of the pants we tried, the Dynama pants are not exceptionally water-resistant. When we sprayed these pants with a squirt bottle, they did not soak in on the first spray, which was good. However, they only lasted three spritzes before being soaked in that location. This makes sense as the fabric is thin and quickly absorbs moisture. Allegedly, they are treated with a durable water repellent (DWR) finish, but we didn’t notice much, if any, beading when they were sprayed. 

On a rainy fall day in the San Juan Mountains, they resisted water from the willows for one or two passes before wetting out. When the sun emerged, the thin and light fabric dried quickly. During a light mist, the thighs soaked through, but the sides and inner legs stayed relatively dry. It didn’t take long for the entire pair of pants to be soaked once the rain picked up. Buyers looking to repel the elements will want to pair these pants with rain pants or consider a different option. Thankfully, they are quick-drying, especially when worn.

Should You Buy the Mountain Hardwear Dynama Ankle Pants?

We love the Dynama 2 Ankle pants, but are also picky about what we use them for. In our experience, they are great for mellow to average hikes where the forecast is clear and the bush-factor is low.

If comfort is a priority over features like pockets, they are fantastic. They are also great as town-to-trail pants for those who want a more stylish, multi-functional pair of pants. We would not recommend using these pants for more technical adventures, such as off-trail, rugged backpacking trips.

What Other Hiking Pants Should You Consider?

 As much as we love the Dynama pants, they are not quite as versatile as some of the options in our best hiking pants guide. If they aren’t quite what you are looking for, be sure to check out some of the other joggers we tested below. 

Athleta Trekkie North Jogger Review: Those looking for a comfortable pair of pants with better durability and functional pockets may like the Trekkie Joggers. They have a similar style, sporting an elastic waistband, cinched ankles, and a looser cut. Just know the Trekkie pants are also a fair-weather friend.

Patagonia Happy Hike Review: A very similar pair of pants to the Dynamas, Patagonia’s Happy Hike pants offer many of the same pros and cons. They also don’t have the best pockets or durability, but they are comfortable! Two main differences are elastic ankles(slightly higher up) and a more expensive price tag.

Baleaf Laureate Review: We love the Baleaf Laureate pants for their respectable performance at an affordable price. Out of all the joggers we tested, they had the best pockets and durability. The tradeoff for all of the pockets is slightly more limited mobility and comfort. Overall, though, we think these pants offer a ton of value and make a great buy.