10 Best Hiking Pants for Women 2024

The North Face Aphrodite 2.0s are some of the most comfortable hiking pants we’ve tested, and the standard straight-leg fit is flattering on many body types. These pants are a great choice for everything from day hikes, to travel, to going out for brunch. 

The Aphrodites are made with a soft, breathable nylon, so they’re an excellent choice for warm-weather hikes. These pants also dry quickly, so they readily bounce back from summer showers and sweaty ascents. CleverHiker Gear Analyst, Heather Eldridge, used them for a tough day hike up Misery Ridge in Central Oregon’s Smith Rock State Park and found that the fabric provided plenty of ventilation for active days on trail. The wide, stretchy waistband doesn’t pinch at your hips, and the standard fit makes these pants extra comfy and easy to move in.

Our favorite feature on the Aphrodites is the drawcord on the ankle cuffs that allows you to choose what length to wear them at. This adaptability means you can stay protected in buggy areas, catch a breeze on hot days, and match your personal style when wearing them around town. 

Though the pockets aren’t ideal for hikers who like to keep large convenience items stashed there, we really like the simplicity. Two hand pockets and a concealed zipper pocket on the right hip keep the profile of these pants sleek while providing enough storage for small essentials like a wallet or map. 

The construction of the Aphrodites favors comfort over hard-wearing performance, so we wouldn’t recommend these pants for hikers who are keen on scrambly routes or off-trail travel. The softer fabric has a tendency to pill and can show signs of wear after repeated abrasion, but they excel for day hikes on maintained paths and backpacking trips on established trails.

Best of all, the Aphrodites are some of the most affordable hiking pants on our list. So if you’re searching for the perfect blend of cost, comfort, and style for more casual pursuits – the Aphrodites are our top choice.

It was instant love the very first time we put on the REI Trailmade pants. These affordable hiking pants are surprisingly flattering for technical clothing, but not at the expense of functionality. 

With hand pockets that are actually deep enough to serve a purpose, two smaller pockets on the bum, and a zippered cargo pocket on the right thigh, the Trailmades will keep you organized without leaving you feeling weighed down. You can fit a large smartphone (we tried these with the Google Pixel 8 Pro) in the hand pockets and the thigh pocket without impeding movement – an all-too-rare feature for women’s pants.

While the lightweight fabric may not be cut out for trails with a ton of bushwhacking, it’s breathable, comfortable, and dries quickly. It’s also treated with a DWR coating and has a UPF rating of 50, so the Trailmades repel light rain and protect your skin from the sun’s rays. Senior Gear Analyst, Casey Handley, wore these pants for her Strawberry Mountain Wilderness Loop hike where the breathability and UV protection really came in handy for sun-exposed ascents over the trail’s ridges. She also loves that these pants have a decent amount of stretch, so the fit hugs body curvature nicely but doesn’t get in the way of scrambling.

The Trailmades have quickly become one of our favorite pairs of hiking pants, and we really view them as more of a tie for the number one spot with the Aphrodites than a number two on this list.

The Kuhl Freeflex Roll-ups fill a nice performance-meets-style niche, and they’ve become a go-to for us for on- and off-trail pursuits. The utilitarian design blends seamlessly into their refined fit making them our favorites out of the plethora of roll-up options on the market.

When rolled up, the Freeflex pants hit our ideal length of just below mid-calf. This height keeps them out of the way for water crossings and allows for a cool breeze, but doesn’t leave bulky cuffs sitting up so high that they rub together. 

Because we prefer hiking pants that transition well from town to trail, we opted for the short inseam which is 30 inches (regular is 32 inches). Unless you’re really tall, we think this length pairs nicer with hiking boots and doesn’t leave a wrinkled bunch of fabric at the ankle. We usually find that hiking pants with a relaxed fit tend to look baggy, but the cut of the Freeflex flows well with body curvature and the soft fabric drapes nicely.

We absolutely love these pants, but they’re not without their flaws. The most glaring of these is that none of the many pockets fit a smartphone. Not a dealbreaker for us since we prefer to keep our phone handy in a shoulder pocket or fanny pack, but it’s a bit surprising for the cargo-pant-leaning design of the Freeflex. The other issue we ran into is that the metal backing for the button closure has a tendency to dig into your belly if you wear your hipbelt tight. Senior Gear Analyst, Casey Handley, took the Freeflex pants for a test hike in Idaho’s Lost River Range and noticed the discomfort when she needed to tighten her hipbelt for more scrambly sections of trail. We appreciate the added durability of the metal button, but we’d prefer to see this switched to a low-profile button or snap closure on future iterations.

Still, if you’re in the market for a pair of hiking pants that hits the best balance between form and function – the Freeflex Roll-ups are hard to beat. Their durability and breathable, stretchy fabric will have you moving confidently through the mountains, while their superb fit will transition seamlessly to post-summit celebratory drinks.

The Mountain Hardwear Dynama/2 Ankle Pants are the lightest hiking pants on our list, and their minimal design keeps them airy and easy to move in. CleverHiker Senior Gear Analyst, Casey Handley, has worn them for a ton of big hikes across the country including Vermont’s Long Trail, the John Muir Trail, and the Three Sisters Loop in Oregon. The Dynamas are her absolute favorite hiking pants for their low weight, simple design, and flattering fit. 

The features of the Dynamas are simple, yet highly functional. The stretchy, breathable fabric is treated with Durable Water Repellent (DWR) so it sheds light rain. It also has a UPF rating of 50 for keeping harmful UV rays at bay. And rounding out the features are two hand pockets, a single covered back pocket, and a zippered thigh pocket. While most smartphones will fit in the thigh pocket, none of the options are a great place to secure a phone. Not a big deal to us since we prefer to keep our smartphone handy in a shoulder pocket or fanny pack while hiking anyway.

We love that there are no zippers, buttons, or drawstrings to deal with at the waist because it makes the wide waistband of the Dynamas sit nice and flat for comfort under a hipbelt when backpacking. That said, hikers who prefer an adjustable waist should check out the Dynama Pull-On Ankle Pants. This version has an internal drawcord at the waist to help get the right fit, and the ankle cuffs have cinch cords so the length can be adjusted to suit the conditions and your style preference. 

The stylish cut of the Dynama pants makes them useful beyond the trail. We love them for day-to-day wear in the city, and we’ve gotten several compliments on them while out on the town. It’s never a bad thing when your performance outdoor clothing can pull double-duty for urban adventures.

We absolutely love the way we look and feel in the Dynamas, but their best asset is their durability for the weight. We’ve put about 900 miles on a single pair of these pants – including some granite butt-scooching on The Long Trail – without a single rip, hole, or fray. We’re not saying the Dynamas are the best choice for the most rugged trails on your bucket list, but they can certainly take a surprising amount of wear for how lightweight they are. 

There’s no better option out there for hikers wanting a lightweight, flattering, and functional pair of hiking pants than the Mountain Hardwear Dynama/2s.

The REI Sahara Convertibles are designed with a plethora of useful features and pockets for utilitarian hikers. These pants have zip-off legs and can convert into cargo shorts on hot days. This makes the affordable price even more appealing since you’re getting a pair of pants and a pair of shorts all rolled into one. 

When CleverHiker Senior Gear Analyst, Casey Handley, set off for her thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail, that versatility was what made the Saharas her top choice. But even if you’re not planning to walk 2,000 miles across the country, weather is unpredictable in the backcountry. Having the functionality of shorts and pants to stay comfortable in a variety of conditions without the weight penalty of bringing both types of bottoms is a real game-changer.

The zippers that run up the side of the leg allow you to make the pants-to-shorts transition without taking off your shoes, and the color-coded conversion zippers make for an effortless switch back to pants. The drawstring at the waist helps dial in the fit of these pants, but there are also belt loops if you prefer to use a belt.

We can’t lie, we’re not the biggest fans of the convertible/cargo pant look because they’re a bit busy and baggier than our preferred style. That said – you’re wearing these on a trail, not a runway at fashion week. And you’d be hard-pressed to find any fault in the functionality of the Sahara Pants.

Jogger pants have become the unofficial office uniform for many members of the CleverHiker team since they hit the perfect balance of comfort and style. The Athleta Headlands Hybrid Jogger goes a step further by adding performance fabric and secure pockets to make these the ultimate town-to-trail option for outdoorsy urbanites.

These joggers are a good middle-ground between hiking pants and leggings. They’ve got plenty of stretch and follow body curves beautifully, and the performance fabric breathes nicely, blocks harmful UV rays, sheds light rain, and resists abrasion and tears. 

The two hand pockets on the Headlands Jogger are big enough to accommodate a smartphone and still zip closed. But – despite the ample amount of stretch in the pocket material – larger smartphones in the pockets can impede movement slightly and make sitting uncomfortable. This is because the mid-rise waist puts pocket contents right at the hip joint – we’d like to see future iterations add a large zippered pocket on the thigh for better phone storage.

Small gripes aside, the Headlands Jogger frequently finds its way into our weekly pants rotation, and it should be among the top contenders for hikers wanting performance features in a stylish package. 

We also tested Athleta’s popular Trekkie North Jogger which is a lighter and more breathable option for hikers in hot climates. While both are solid options, we prefer the softer fabric of the Headlands Jogger versus the ripstop nylon of the Trekkie North, and we think the wrap-around ankle cuff on the Headlands looks better than the half cuff on the Trekkie.

The Columbia Saturday Trail Stretch pants are among the most affordable hiking pants on our list, and their light, breathable material makes them a good choice for summer hiking.

We wish the roll-up design of the Saturday Trails was the industry standard. We often find that roll-up pants don’t roll to a very useful height – generally hitting somewhere just above the ankle bone. But the Saturday Trails snap up just below mid-calf when rolled and the straps tuck neatly into a sewn-in hood. This gives a really clean look and keeps the pant legs out of the way when crossing streams.

The articulated knees, two-way stretch, and crotch gusset make the Saturday Trails easy to move in, which is why CleverHiker Gear Analyst, Heather Eldridge, opted for these pants when she hiked a section of the CDT through Glacier National Park. The cut also allows room for base layers underneath, so they can easily be adapted to changing mountain conditions.

Now for the not so good. Many users have reported odd and inconsistent sizing on the Saturday Trails, with a large number of hikers saying they fit small. We ordered the pants in our testers’ usual size and luckily didn’t have any fit issues, but the complaint is common enough that it bears mentioning. The hand pockets are also shallow, and the zippered leg pocket holds items at the back of your leg which can feel a bit awkward. 

Still, we think the affordable price tag and functional roll-up design are good enough to earn the Saturday Trails a spot among our favorite hiking pants. We recommend trying them on in a store before committing though, and purchase from a retailer with a good return policy in case the sizing doesn’t work out.