There are endless pairs of leggings on the market, all for different purposes. Here, Jazz Noble highlights the options that are best for hiking.
One of the best things about hiking leggings is their versatility. On a mild day here in the UK, a sturdy, well-articulated pair will work just as well for climbing and scrambling as they will for hiking and trail running. Any lighter, more breathable options designed for the summer months can also work impressively well as part of a carefully selected layering system too.
Take the North Face Felik Alpine leggings for example. We tested these earlier this year for our Outdoor 100 out in the beautiful Preseli Hills in Wales, and came up against our fair share of unpredictable weather conditions.
While hiking some rocky paths high up on the hilltops, we saw both sun and rain, along with some chilling winds from the Irish Sea. Overall, we were very impressed with how adaptable they were, especially how much easier it was to throw on a pair of waterproof trousers over the top.
OM tester Emma putting The North Face Felik Alpine leggings through its paces in Wales.
Another huge benefit of hiking leggings is their flexibility. Unlike a lot of hiking trousers out there, a good pair of leggings will move and flex with your body, morphing to your shape over time. A good pair will also not overstretch and lose too much of its core shape. Their close-to-skin fit also generally means you spend less time faffing with belts, or dealing with chafing – particularly chafing with hiking backpack belts – and more time getting into that flow-state on the trail.
Naturally, there are drawbacks too. But that’s where we come in. We’ve been testing out a wide array of outdoor-specific leggings recently to help narrow down the search for you. More specifically, we’ve been focusing on durability, temperature control, and any handy extra features for hiking. Crucially, this means they need to hold up against snagging branches and jaggedy rocks, and they need to withstand the temperamental weather conditions of the UK.
Here’s a few of our favourites so far.
The Best Women’s Hiking Leggings
Including options from Fjällräven, Patagonia, Passenger Clothing and more; there’s a whole lot of variety here. We’ll be continuing our testing as the months go by so keep an eye out for any changes and new additions to our list.
The North Face Felik Alpine
Fjällräven Abisko Trekking Tights Pro
Passenger Wintergreen Recycled Polartec®
Rab Talus
Salomon Cross Multi
Arcteryx Essent
Patagonia Pack Out
BAM Enduro Trail
Salewa Alpine Hemp
Fjällräven Abisko Trail Tights
Black Diamond Session
The North Face Felik Alpine
Price: £108.50 Weight: 340g Attributes: Lots of pockets, tough overlays, adjustable, durable, warm Best for: Climbing, hiking
The North Face women’s Felik Alpine leggings are made for climbing over rough, rocky terrain and for walking on the trail, combining comfort, warmth and moisture wicking fabric with robust abrasion-resistant overlays.
The leggings are made from North Face FlashDry-XD fabric, which is majority Polyimide with a touch of elastane. In short, it’s specifically engineered to wick moisture away from skin, acting like a second skin as it pushes moisture to the surface of the fabric to keep you dry, cool and comfortable. Overall, we found the fabric to be excellent. The leggings will keep you warm when up on a hillside with a bitter wind blowing, but also will let out the heat when the sun comes out. The XD version of FlashDry features increased abrasion and snag resistance meaning that these leggings can easily take on scrambling over rocks and hikes through rough terrain. The leggings also have a built-in stretch and an aforementioned next-to-skin feel, which makes them comfortable to wear and easy to move in.
The Abisko Pro Tights primarily consist of a durable and stretchy polyester (71% recycled, fluorocarbon-free polyester) however, it’s the abrasion-resistant Cordura that really does it for us. You’ll find this on the seat (the lower part of your bottom) and the knees of the leggings, creating extra protection for rougher, more technical terrains.
The waistband, on the other hand, has a wider fit than the slim fit legs, and includes an adjustable drawcord on the inside for varying waist sizes. There’s also map-sized leg pockets with secure envelope closures that are slightly tilted for easy access. Their slim design additionally means they’ll fit neatly under shell trousers on those unpredictably rainy days out in the British countryside.
New from Passenger Clothing, the Wintergreen leggings feature an impressive 84% of recycled polyester. The remaining material is 16% of stretchy elastane featuring Polartec Powerstretch technologies. As you might already know, we’re big fans of Polartec here at Outdoors Magic, and were pretty impressed by Passenger’s efforts here. In short, it means that these leggings are purpose-built to stay warm and breathable, all while remaining dry and highly flexible on the trail.
You’ll also find a soft brushed back for comfort, a supportive waistband, two phone (or snack) sized thigh pockets, secure flatlocked seams to keep you dry, an adjustable internal drawcord at the waist, and full length coverage of the legs. Passenger will also plant one tree with every order.
Price: £69.99 Weight: 165g Attributes: Stretchy but durable fabric, recycled content, DWR Best for: Trail running, fast-packing, warmer months
Built from ultra-stretchy Flexile fabric, the Rab Talus tights are ideal for high exertion outdoor activities such as trail running and fast-packing. The fabric is built to contour and stretch with your body as you move, and then recover to its natural state in the rest position. This means it shouldn’t overstretch and lose its shape over time.
The leggings are actually reinforced with two weights of Flexile fabric in those high-wearing areas, as well as a fluorocarbon-free DWR all throughout. We particularly liked the lumbar shaping at the rear, adding to that next-to-skin, contoured feel. Other impressive features include: a fully elasticated waistband, two roomy thigh pockets, a zipped pocket at the rear, sturdy flatlock stitching throughout, and a gusset panel insert for extra protection and comfort.
Well-known for their premium running gear, it’s no surprise that Salomon have created some great running leggings here. That being said, the Cross Multi leggings would work just as well on day hikes around your local countryside as on quick jaunts into town and weekly yoga classes.
The Cross Multi leggings come in a variety of lengths and feature a high waist with a wide shaping waistband. Salomon utilise AdvancedSkin ActiveDry technical fabrics too which ensure you stay warm when exposed to the elements whilst wicking away any build-up of moisture to keep you dry on the trail.
The Arc’teryx Essent leggings feature an abrasion resistant, antimicrobial Chira material that has excellent Lycra stretchiness and a solid amount of breathability for high-speed outdoor activities. There’s also a 360° stretch-mesh waistband that has a high rise build and an adjustable drawcord to keep you secure.
The flatlock seam construction keeps you streamlined when on the move, while the durable nylon knit ensures the leggings withstand a little wear and tear against rocks. There’s a nice amount of storage options too including a zippered security pocket and two roomy thigh pockets.
While Arc’teryx do say that some of the materials meet the bluesign criteria, we’d have liked to see more sustainability efforts here – in particular greater effort towards using recycled materials.
Price: £54.98 Weight: 303g Attributes: Recycled fabrics, PFC-free DWR, durable panelling Best for: An all-rounder
The Patagonia Pack Out leggings are the kind of tights you don’t want to take off. With 87% recycled polyester in the body, 85% recycled nylon in the panelling, bluesign approved fabrics, Fair Trade Certified factories, and a PFC-free durable water repellant finish; we’re big fans of the sustainability efforts too.
In terms of the build, the Pack Out leggings offer tough durable panelling at the knees and seat for optimal abrasion resistance, as well as a ribbed waistband and gusseted crotch. The ribbed waistband particularly comes in handy when wearing a hiking backpack.
You’ll also find two roomy side pockets, one zippered security pocket, a flat-seamed, anti-chafe construction, and an inseam of 28″.
UK-based Bamboo Clothing (BAM) are known for producing ethically made clothing, made almost entirely from bamboo, at affordable prices. In the past, we’ve reviewed some of their baselayers but it was the leggings that caught our attention this time round.
Made from 64% Bamboo Viscose, 24% Organic Cotton, and 12% Elastane; the Enduro Trail leggings are a stretchy and sturdy garment that feel genuinely soft-to-the-touch. The stylish side pocket on the thigh is particularly handy, and could hold the likes of a phone and a small bag of sweets. (Fun fact: Bamboo uses less water and land area to grow, including no harmful fertilisers or pesticides.)
Price: £44.95 Weight: 210g Attributes: Eco-conscious materials, tailored fit, very durable Best for: Alpine adventures, climbing
Another cool option in terms of innovative fabrics, here we’ve got the Alpine Hemp leggings from mountain experts Salewa. Like bamboo, hemp has a lower environmental impact that requires no pesticides, synthetic fertilisers and little to no water for cultivation. In fact, Salewa say it’s ‘the strongest and most durable natural fibre known to humankind’. Featuring a design specifically tailored to a more curvaceous body type, Durastretch panels at the seat and knees, a small side pocket, and an elasticated cordlock waistband, these are a solid choice at a decent price.
Price: £91.80 Weight: 200g Attributes: Multi-pocket options, tough build, high waist Best for: Multi-day hiking
The Abisko Trail Tights from Fjällräven are a tough pair that are designed for fast-paced or long-distance summertime treks. Interestingly, they have a ceramic print on the knee and rear to add extra reinforcement to the main material which is a mixture of polyamide and elastane. The lighter fabric on the Abisko’s waist, crotch, and back of the thighs aids ventilation and moisture wicking nicely.
There are also several pocket options including two impressively subtle leg pockets – one with a zipper and one with an overlapping closure – and a really useful security pocket at the back perfectly sized for storing your smartphone.
Described as an ‘all-mountain’ legging, the Black Diamond Session tights feature a Nylon Interlock Knit fabric that’s very stretchy but still hardwearing. The 3-layer waist construction with Powermesh lining is particularly impressive, and should ensure minimal movement and uncomfortable ‘shuffling’ when out on the move. Other handy features include: a quick-dry finish, an inner thigh gusset and both a thigh and waist stash pocket for your valuables.
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