What are the best winter hiking pants for cold weather? Well, you should probably consider wearing multiple pants. If you want to be prepared for cold temperatures, you should think about the layering system. In this article I will walk you through everything you need to know.
Winter pants layer system
The best way to deal with cold weather is to work in layers. I already talked about this in another article: proper hiking attire. I will summarize the core principles of layering below.
Base layer
The base layer is one of the most important layers. This layer provides a layer of warm air near your body, it also manages moisture. Make sure this base layer is made out of either nylon, polyester or merino wool. These fabrics will do a better job at keeping your skin dry. Therefore, this layer will help you prevent being cold and risking hypothermia.
Mid layer
The mid layer is very important when it comes to warmth. As usual, synthetic fabrics and wool are recommended. However, using cotton in your mid layer is more acceptable than using it in your base layer. s.
Outer layer
The main responsibility of the outer layer is to prevent your other clothes from getting wet. Obviously the outer layer should be waterproof and windproof. It is also very important that your rain gear is breathable, otherwise you would start sweating and sweat eventually leads to heat loss.
There are some alternatives to the regular layering approach like hiking in ski pants. This would combine certain layers in one piece of clothing. It’s often considered a simpler and cheaper approach for winter hiking pants, but it does have downsides. I will talk more about hiking in ski pants later in this article.
Base layer: best long johns for cold weather
Under Armour ColdGear
Let’s start with a good budget-friendly base layer pick: Under Armour Coldgear. It’s made from a mix of polyester (87%) and elastane (13%). It’s not the warmest base layer pants, but it will do in the less extreme temperatures.
There are 3 factors that are very important when it comes to picking your base layer.
- It should wick moisture
- It should provide enough warmth
- It should be comfortable
Under Armour ColdGear scores 3/3 – for an affordable price. However, in extremely cold weather I would probably spend a little bit more money and buy a merino wool base layer pants.
Some hikers even like to wear long johns under a short. It really depends on the weather and personal preferences…
Interested in the latest price? Check it out on amazon:
Men: Under Armour Men’s ColdGear
Women: Under Armour Women’s ColdGear
SmartWool Merino 150 Bottom
Under Armour ColdGear is a solid pick, but nothing beats a good merino wool base layer! It’s probably going to be slightly more expensive, but most hikers -including me- would say it’s worth the money.
For very cold winters, I would recommend buying the 250 version instead. However, in most situations, the 150 version will be plenty warm.
Merino wool is considered the best material for base layer clothing. Especially in cold weather. It’s comfortable, breathable, wicks moisture, etc.
These pants are available on amazon for both men and women:
Men: SmartWool Men’s Merino 150 Bottom
Women: SmartWool Women’s Merino 150 Bottom
Mid layer: Best hiking pants for cold weather
Regular hiking pants generally don’t provide too much insulation. For a lot of insulation, you should probably consider wearing insulated pants like fleece pants or even down pants. That said, certain regular hiking pants are more suited for winter hiking than others because they are made from thicker nylon/have some kind of added insulation. Let’s take a look at some of my favourite hiking pants for cold weather:
Outdoor Research Cirque Pant
One of the best -potentially the best- winter hiking pants for cold weather would be the Cirque Pants. Outdoor Research has long been one of my favourite brands when it comes to hiking clothing and once again, they did not let me down.
The inside of these pants is finished with a soft tricot liner. This provides a small amount of insulation, which is always welcome in cold weather. Some hikers even claimed they would not wear a base layer because the liner provides enough warmth and wicks moisture. Note that this was only true for temperatures above 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6.6 degrees Celsius).
If you combine these pants with a base layer and a rain pants you should be pretty comfortable in very cold temperatures. In very extreme conditions, you could consider adding a fourth pair of pants (insulation pants) in between the these pants and the rain pants.
These pants are very well received by almost any type of hiker. As long as we are talking about winter hiking. In fact, some of the only complaints are about the pants being too warm… I guess these pants are not the best option for summer hiking.
These pants are available for both men and women on amazon:
Men: Outdoor Research Men’s Cirque Pant
Women: Outdoor Research Women’s Cirque Pant
The North Face Paramount Trail Convertible
The North Face Paramount Trail are also great pants for winter hiking. They are better at water resistance and wind resistance than most alternatives. Still, for real waterproofness and windproofness, you need a rain pants (outer layer).
These pants are pretty warm for regular hiking pants. They are made from 100% nylon, but the nylon is thicker than usual, this is why these pants are warmer than most alternatives.
Convertible pants might seem weird for winter hikes. However, if you are on a multiday hiking trip and the temperatures can vary a lot from day to day, this is actually really handy. Going with pants like the Paramount trail pants will mean more flexibility, which is a big plus.
Overall, I’m still a bigger fan of the Outdoor Research Cirque Pants, but they are also quite a bit more expensive. For a more budget-friendly pants, these are pretty great!
Potential downsides: these pants have a rather baggy fit, which isn’t appreciated by everyone. There is also a lack of stretch, which can be slightly uncomfortable.
Once again, these pants are available for both men and women on amazon:
Men: The North Face Men’s Paramount Trail Convertible
Women: The North Face Women’s Paramount Trail Convertible
Fjallraven Vidda Pro
Probably the highest quality pants on the list. These pants are often recommended to bushcrafters and hunters as well. They are very durable and warm, but they do come with a price tag.
These pants are rather special because they are made from a mix of polyester (65%) and cotton (35%). Usually I will tell you never to go with cotton, not even a blend. However, Fjallraven uses a special technique to deal with most of the negatives of cotton.
They apply an old school technique where you have to rub/melt wax onto your clothing in order to make them water repellent.
These pants are definitely not for everybody, but I’m sure plenty of you will love them for cold weather hiking trips.
If you are interested in the latest price, this can be found on amazon:
Men: Fjallraven Men’s Vidda Pro
Women: Fjallraven Women’s Vidda Pro
Mid layer: Best insulated pants for cold weather
Another type of mid layer pants would be insulated pants. These types of pants have one purpose: keeping your legs warm. On most of my hiking trips, I feel like I don’t need separate insulated pants. However, in more extreme cold, you will be glad you brought them. Insulated pants can be made from down, synthetic materials or fleece. You can combine them with a regular hiking pants, long johns and a rain pants for the most extreme temperatures.
Under Armour Fleece Pants
let’s start with a simple but solid fleece pants, the Under Armour fleece pants.
To be honest, there is not too much I can say about these pants… And that’s a good thing. They simply do what they are supposed to do, provide warmth.
They are also not ridiculously expensive like certain other brands.
As usual, these pants are available for both men and women on amazon:
Men: Under Armour Men’s Fleece Pants
Women: Under Armour Women’s Fleece Pants
PANLTCY Winter Warm Utility Down Pants
Another option for an insulated hiking pants would be a down pants. The biggest benefit of these pants is that they are very affordable considering what they bring to the table.
If you would buy a similar pair from a more established brand you would pay a lot more… That said, they are not as durable as the more expensive options out there. Still, overall these are pretty great.
Sadly these are currently only available for men, but women can also wear these in adjusted size:
Men: PANLTCY Men’s Winter Warm Utility Down Pants
Outer layer: Best rain pants for cold weather
Last but not least, the outer layer. The layer that has to protect your legs from wind and rain. I have actually written a complete separate article about the best cheap rain pants. So if you are on a budget, that’s probably the article you should be looking at. And even if you are not on a budget, you might find a solid rain pants as well.
I will make a small selection of the best winter rain pants:
Berghaus Deluge Waterproof Overpants
Let’s start with a rugged budget-friendly pair of rain pants. They are made from a ripstop material, which makes them perfect for climbing and scrambling as well.
These pants also scored very good when it comes to being waterproof. That said, most rain pants that are very waterproof -especially the cheaper ones- tend to be slightly less breathable. Depending on how much rain you are expecting, this can be a problem. For example, if you expect a lot of mild rain, you should probably go with a more breathable alternative like the Outdoor Research Helium Pants.
These pants are available for both men and women on amazon:
Men: Outdoor Research Men’s Helium Pants
Women: Outdoor Research Women’s Helium Pants
Outdoor Research Men’s Helium Pants
These pants are probably my favourite rain pants at the time of writing. If you have read some of my other articles, you might have noticed that I’m a big fan of Outdoor Research. Just take a look at my article about waterproof hiking jackets.
The biggest advantage of these pants is that they are very breathable for a rain pants. This is often an issue I have noticed, once I put on my outer layer, I start sweating very soon. Not only is this uncomfortable, it can also lead to body heat loss.
I guess the only real complaints are about the fit. However, I have noticed that finding a good fit is pretty hard for rain pants in general. Other people might wear other layers underneath the rain pants. Make sure to always check the size on amazon, or even better, go to an actual store and try them on (but who has time for that…).
There is also a Helium jacket that has been very well received in the hiking community, that jacket also made it to the list of my top hiking jacket recommendations.
These pants are available both for men and women on amazon:
Men: Outdoor Research Men’s Helium Pants
Women: Outdoor Research Women’s Helium Pants
Best gaiters for winter hiking
Another piece of clothing that is highly recommended for winter hiking are gaiters. Some hikers even claim that this is a necessity in cold weather.
Rab Latok Alpine Gaiter
Rab is a lesser known brand in the hiking community, but they actually created a very good pair of waterproof hiking gaiters.
Something that a lot of waterproof gaiters lack is breathabilty, Rab was able to find a nice balance and ended up with a waterproof and breathable product. The fact that they are also lighter than most alternatives is why they are my number one recommendation.
I do have to say that these Gaiters are not as durable as certain other full-length gaiters like Outdoor Research Crocodile Gaiters.
Once again, these Gaiters are available for both men and women:
Men: Rab Men’s Latok Alpine Gaiter
Women: Rab Women’s Latok Alpine Gaiter
Outdoor Research Crocodile Gaiters
A warmer, more durable alternative would be the Crocodile Gaiters from Outdoor Research. As usual, it’s a trade-off… These gaiters are warmer and more durable, but they are also heavier and less breathable.
In very cold conditions, I would prefer the Crocodile Gaiters over the Rab Latok Alpine Gaiters. However, on a milder winter hiking trip, I would rather have the lighter more breathable alternative.
If you are looking for gaiters that are perfect in very cold weather, the Crocodiles are your best choice!
Sadly, they are pretty expensive. That said, they are very durable as well, so you won’t have to buy new ones too often.
The latest price can be found on amazon:
Men: Outdoor Research Men’s Crocodile Gaiters
Women: Outdoor Research Women’s Crocodile Gaiters
Alternative: Best ski pants for winter hiking
As an alternative to wearing multiple layers, you could simply combine layers and wear a ski pants. I know plenty of hikers who have worn ski pants this during their multiday winter hiking trip, and for most of them this wasn’t a terrible experience.
However, there are a couple of concerns.
First, when on a multiday hiking trip, the weather may vary a lot from day to day. If you are wearing multiple layers, you can simply wear a layer less on a warmer day for example. However, with a ski pants, you are kind off stuck on warmer days. Hiking in clothes that are too warm is not only very uncomfortable, it will also cause you to sweat a lot.
Also, I feel like hiking in a layering system is more comfortable – when done right. However, this might be just a personal opinion.
If you want to save money and use a ski pants that you already own for an upcoming hiking trip, you could still do that. Just make sure that they fit and are comfortable when you walk in them. Also, I would probably recommend hiking in ski pants on a day hike and see how you like them before wearing them on a multiday hiking trip.
In my other article I also recommend a budget-friendly hiking/ski pants: Nonwe Men’s Warm Windproof Mountain Fleece Hiking Snow Ski Pants.
Even if you do have to buy a new pair, this doesn’t have to be expensive either.
Conclusion
The most extreme layering system would include a base layer, a regular hiking pants, and insulated pants, a rain pants and waterproof gaiters. However, depending on how cold it will be on your winter hiking trip you might decide to leave the insulated pants at home.
Wearing a base layer, a regular hiking pants and a rain pants will be warm enough for most winter hiking trips. Only in very cold weather you might want to include the insulated pants.
The most important thing to remember is that every layer has its own task. The base layer is the first layer to trap your body heat, additionally, this layer should wick the moisture away from your body. The mid layer is all about warmth and insulation. Last but not least, the outer layer should be windproof and waterproof.
Have you tried any of the pants in this article? What were your experiences? Do you have any other recommendations? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!