7 Best Waterproof Hiking Pants of 2026, Tested

Sun is the weather most hiking pants ignore, which is why the UPF 50+ rating is the first thing we look at here. On a shadeless traverse or a desert approach, the fabric blocks most of the UV that would otherwise reach your legs, and it does it without the heavy, sticky feel of a dedicated sun layer. That combination, protection that doesn’t cost breathability, is what earns these a place.

The fit leans flattering rather than boxy, with a stretchy waist that moves with you under a pack belt. The quick-dry fabric comes out of a cold wash ready to wear, which makes this as good a travel pair as a trail one: they look tidier than jeans at dinner, and nobody has to know you wore them up a mountain that morning.

Pockets are zippered and glide without snagging, with enough of them to keep a phone, a map, and a snack off your hands. Where it lands for us is a three-season pant for sun-exposed trips, best ordered after you’ve checked the inseam against your own legs rather than the size letter.

A belt comes in the box, and it’s the kind of small practicality that tells you who these were built for: someone who keeps a pair in the truck for a spontaneous trailhead. It’s nothing fancy, and we swapped ours for a webbing belt we already liked, but it means the pants work out of the packaging instead of waiting on a shopping trip.

What keeps them in rotation is the fabric. It’s light and breathable enough that a warm climb doesn’t turn into a sauna, stretchy enough that a high step onto a rock doesn’t feel like a restriction, and quick to dry once it’s wet. We treat them as a shower pant rather than a storm one: light rain beads and rolls, a prolonged soaking gets through, and the fabric is dry again within a mile, which takes most of the sting out of it.

Five zippered pockets is more than most pants here, and the deep front slash pair is what we actually use; the thigh cargo pockets are the weak spot. Fit runs snug through the waist and seat, so if you’re between sizes, take the larger one. For most men’s hiking, though, these are the easy default.

The test we set for a travel hiking pant is a sink wash at nine at night and a dry pair at seven the next morning. These pass. The fabric is thin, soft against the skin, and comes out of a hand wash ready to wear, so one pair can cover a week of hiking if you’re willing to spend five minutes on laundry in the evening.

The hem is the detail we didn’t expect to care about. Each ankle has a drawstring with a small link back to the pant, so the tie doesn’t dangle loose and catch on brush, and you can shorten the leg above the mud without stuffing the cuff into your sock. On a 5’3" hiker and a 5’7" one, the same pair covers both, which is rare in a pant ordered online.

The waistband is elastic with a drawstring, comfortable under a pack and forgiving after a long lunch, and the zippered pockets are deep enough for a phone in a case. It’s a quiet, good-looking pant that doesn’t announce itself as gear, which is why it also ends up at dinner.

The cuff is what separates these from everything else here. It’s a jogger cut, gathered at the ankle, so the hem stays clear of mud, bike chainrings, and wet grass, and the shape reads as streetwear rather than technical gear. They also don’t rustle when you walk, which is the giveaway on most inexpensive nylon pants.

The woven fabric has a light sheen and a lot of give. It stays comfortable in heat and humidity, dries quickly after a soaking, and holds its shape through a day of walking, which is more than we expected from a cargo jogger. Pockets close with a mix of zips and Velcro, and the side cargo pocket sits flat instead of bulging at the hip.

Length lands differently on different frames, which is the usual hazard of ordering pants online, but the gathered cuff hides an inch of it either way. Check the hip measurement against the size chart before you commit; the cut is generous and the label runs large on the waist.

What we keep coming back to is how little these look like hiking pants while still doing the job. They’re the pair to pack when the day ends in a town with a restaurant in it. For scree fields and constant rock contact, we still take a heavier pant.

Eight pockets is the headline, and they aren’t decorative: two deep front slash pockets, zippered cargo pockets on the thigh, and a rear pocket set like a jean’s. That’s enough to carry a phone, keys, a folded map, a snack, and a small camera without touching a pack, which is the sort of load that usually means digging out a daypack.

The weave has more body than the lightest pants here, with enough stretch that crouching, stepping, and scrambling don’t bind, and it dries fast enough that a wet morning doesn’t follow you around all day. Wrinkles fall out on their own, so it packs flat in a duffel without a second thought.

Fit runs true, the waist doesn’t shrink in the wash, and the pants don’t ride up when you’re moving. The look is the honest caveat: cargo-heavy and tactical, closer to workwear than to the plain trail pants elsewhere in this guide. If that’s fine with you, this is a lot of pant for the money, and a good hybrid if your days mix trail and jobsite.

This is the least expensive pair in the guide, and nothing about wearing it feels like a compromise. The fabric is soft rather than crisp, with room through the thigh for a long stride, and it comes out of the wash looking presentable enough for a casual dinner in town.

We take it on the trips where the forecast is uncertain and the ground is muddy. Mud brushes off once it’s dry, the fabric dries quickly, and the gathered cuffs keep the hem out of wet grass while closing off the ankle, which is what you want in tall grass and tick country. Cheap, soft, and unbothered by dirt is the whole reason it’s here.

The pockets are where the saving shows. There are four, and the big side ones close with Velcro flaps rather than zippers: fast with gloves on, noisy in a quiet forest, and prone to catching on a strap. As a first pair of hiking pants or a second pair for messy weekends, that’s an easy trade.