Looking for a budget rain pants that’s good for hiking and other outdoor activities? In this article, I will provide a list of the best cheap rain pants. Additionally, I will provide an in-depth explanation as to why these are the best picks.
List of the best cheap rain pants
Finding good rain pants for an affordable price might be a challenge. Especially if you want to use these pants for hiking. You should not only care about waterproofing, but also about breathability and durability. This list will include the best budget options out there today. Please keep in mind that these pants are meant to be worn over your regular hiking pants.
Here is a quick overview of the selected options:
| Name | Price | Breathability |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia Rebel Roamer Pant | $$ | 3.5/5 |
| Marmot Precip Pant | $$$ | 3.5/5 |
| Berghaus Deluge Waterproof Overpants | $$ | 3.5/5 |
| Mountain Warehouse Pakka Rain Pants | $ | 2.5/5 |
| Paradox Waterproof Breathable Rain Pants | $$ | 2.5/5 |
| 33,000ft rain pants | $ | 3/5 |
| Outdoor Research Men’s Helium Pants | $$$$ | 5/5 |
Columbia Rebel Roamer Pant
I will start this list with the Columbia Rebel Roamer Pant (the Women’s version is called “Storm Surge” instead). These pants are great value for money. One of my favourite options for cheap rain pants.
They score very high on the most important factors. There are barely any complaints at all about the water resistance of this product. Many unlucky hikers who have hiked multiple days in the rain can confirm that these pants kept them dry at all times.
Sure enough, any fabric will eventually get soaked, even the ones used in the expensive rain pants.
When it comes to breathability, the Columbia Rebel Roamer Pant scores pretty decent as well. Note that in this price range, you won’t find pants that are both waterproof and very breathable. However, you can find pants that are waterproof and have medium breathability. Which is not a bad deal for a budget pants!
Also, it’s considered a durable product and they are comfortable to walk in.
The downside about these pants might be that it lacks additional features. They have no pockets and there are no zippers or anything so that you can put them on easily without taking off your shoes.
Also, these pants are not good for climbing or scrambling since they are not made from a ripstop fabric. They will not stand up to abrasion.
All in all, for the price, these pants are great for hiking!
These pants are available both for men and women on amazon:
Men: Columbia Rebel Roamer Pants
Women: Columbia Rebel Storm Surge
Marmot Precip Pant
My next recommendation is the Marmot Precip Pants. I talked about Marmot Precip jacket in my other article The best waterproof hiking jackets as well.
Both the Marmot Precip jacket and the Marmot Precip pants are simple but great products for hikers on a budget. These pants are a bit more expensive than most other options on this list, but Marmot is a very respected brand in the hiking world.
These pants are pretty similar to the Columbia Rebel Roamer Pants, they are waterproof, durable and they have medium breathability. However, these pants do have pockets, which might be a big deal for some hikers.
Again, these pants are not good for climbing or scrambling since they are not made from a ripstop fabric. They will not stand up to abrasion. That said, these pants are still one of my favorite cheap hiking pants.
There, I have said everything there is to say about these pants, they are budget friendly and high quality. A solid option for every hiker.
These pants are available both for men and women on amazon:
Women: Marmot Women’s Precip Pant
Berghaus Deluge Waterproof Overpants
If you are the type of hiker that enjoys some scrambling, climbing or a technical trail, then these pants are for you. As you are hiking/climbing, your pants might occasional touch/rub the rocks. When this happens, you will rather soon ruin your rain pants. Unless they are made from a ripstop fabric like Berghaus Deluge Waterproof Overpants.
Once again, these pants are very waterproof and have medium breathability. However, the main advantage of these product is the ripstop fabric. These were the cheapest pants that I could find that were both waterproof and had a ripstop fabric. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it made this list.
These pants also come with a vent system. However, these pants are still not considered “very breathable”. But hey, for this price, that’s very acceptable.
These pants are available both for men and women on amazon:
Men: Berghaus Men’s Deluge Waterproof Overpants
Women: Berghaus Women’s Deluge Waterproof Overpants
Mountain Warehouse Pakka Rain Pants
These pants are very budget friendly yet very solid, definitely a good option for a cheap rain pants. I was actually amazed that I would find a decent pair of rain pants for this price.
I’m not claiming that these pants are perfect, but they are waterproof and ridiculously cheap. Therefore, these pants deserve a place on this list.
These are the basic features:
- Waterproof: The rainproof ISODRY material of this outerwear will keep you dry
- Taped Seams: The stitched seams of thisclothing has been taped for added protection
- Hook & Loop adjustable ankle opening
- Packable in drawstring bag
This would be my top recommendation for hikers on an extreme budget!
These pants are available both for men and women on amazon:
Men: Mountain Warehouse Pakka Men’s Rain Pants
Women: Mountain Warehouse Pakka Women’s Rain Pants
Paradox Waterproof Breathable Rain Pants
Another great hiking rain pants would the waterproof breathable rain pants from Paradox. However, as usual, some people expected the pants to be more breathable. But, as I explained before, for this price it’s almost impossible to get a waterproof and breathable pants.
It’s slightly more expensive than the Mountain Warehouse Pakka Rain Pants and it’s not as high quality as the Marmot Precip Pant. However, this would be a good in-between pick.
One weird thing about these pants you might want to know: they claim to have hidden pockets, however, this only seems true for the Men’s version of these pants. I have no idea why the women’s pants do not come with the pockets.
Be careful when it comes to picking the rights size, some people claimed that these pants are really wide. For more information about sizing, I would recommend to check out amazon.
These pants are available both for men and women on amazon:
Men: Paradox Men’s Waterproof Breathable Rain Pants
Women: Paradox Women’s Waterproof Breathable Rain Pants
33,000ft rain pants
Only a little bit more expensive than the Pekka rain pants, but also a bit higher in quality.
These pants are made from 100% nylon on the outside and with a polyester inner lining.
At a breathability rating of 5000g/m2/24hr, these pants have decent breathablity considering how cheap they are.
Also, a waterproof rating of 5000mm will keep you dry in most occasions. However, if the rainfall lasts a really long time, or it’s very heavy rain, you will eventually get wet.
For reference, a high quality pants would have a waterproof rating of at least 20,000mm. On top of that, these pants are more breathable. However, you would pay at least 6 times the amount of money for a pants like this. Take a look at the outdoor research Foray pants for example.
These pants are available both for men and women on amazon:
Men: 33,000ft rain pants for men
Women: 33,000ft rain pants for women
Best breathable rain pants for hiking
All the rain pants I recommended in this article are only mediocre when it comes to breathability. The reason for this is that once you want pants that are both waterproof and have a good breathability rating, the price tends to go up pretty fast. This is why I recommend mediocre breathability for hikers on a budget.
That said, if you are hiking a lot of miles in the rain, I would recommend to invest a little bit more and invest in a more breathable pants.
So which rain pants would I recommend if you care about breathability?
Outdoor Research Men’s Helium Pants
This would be my best overall pick!
Those of you who read my other gear articles like the best waterproof hiking jackets, know that I’m a big fan of Outdoor Research hiking clothing. They always provide crazy value for money, especially when it comes to waterproof and breathable gear.
I was actually rather surprised that these pants are only slightly more expensive than certain other pants on this list.
These pants are waterproof, have good breathability, have ankle zippers, fully seam taped and are made from ripstop fabric.
Okay, so these pants basically have everything… and it’s only slightly more expensive than some other options on this list. If you can afford it, I would recommend these pants to every hiker.
The only real complaints about these pants are about the sizing. Just make sure to do your research about the sizing before you buy (you can find all the information about sizing on amazon).
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
Size guide
A lot of people are a little bit confused about the sizing of a raining pants. Since you want to wear them over your regular pants…
You don’t need to buy it in a bigger size because of that! Normally, you can just select you normal pants size.
That said, there are many rain pants where the sizing seems a bit off.
I would recommend to double check the sizing before you buy anything. If you buy from amazon, you should be able to see “Fit: …” (under the price tag). Here, you can see how many people reported it as too large/too small. This provides a lot of valuable information.
Additionally, you can simply go through the comments. If a product is truly too large or too small, multiple people will have reported this.
Do you really need a rain pants for hiking?
It might not be very pleasant to hike with wet pants, but it’s not absolutely necessary to bring a rain pants. However, the colder it gets, the more I would recommend bringing one.
See, if the weather is hot, you can simply where a synthetic hiking shorts when it’s raining. Your shorts will get soaked, but when the rain ends, it will dry up in no time.
However, in cold weather, you probably want to avoid soaking your shorts/pants at all times. Therefore, I would suggest bringing a rain pants in cold weather hikes.
In the end, it’s really up to you. I would recommend to bring them if you are in doubt. Sure, it might add some additional weight (which sucks), but better safe than sorry.
How much should you spend on rain pants
Well, the cheapest rain pants on my list was around 20-25 dollars. Now I have to say, that is a very cheap option. It will serve it’s purpose and it’s perfect for hikers who are on a very tight budget. However, for the average hiker, I would recommend to spend at least 60 dollars. This also seems around the average price of the pants that I recommended in this article.
Conclusion
Rain pants that are good for hiking do not have to be very expensive. You can definitely find good cheap rain pants. If you are a mountaineer, it gets a little bit more complicated because your pants might get damaged pretty fast. Mountaineering requires pants with ripstop fabric. However, there are even budget rain pants with a ripstop fabric, I provided two options in this article.
The only real reason why you might want to spend more money on a rain pants is to improve breathability (or overall quality). But even expensive rain pants are often not as breathable as you would like them to be. Therefore, I recommended a good breathable rain pants for an affordable price.
Do you have any other recommendation for cheap rain pants? Have you tried any of the options on this list? What are your experiences? Please let me know in the comments section below.
If you are also interested in the best cheap hiking pants, I would recommend my other article: Budget hiking pants: The best cheap hiking pants.
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