Hiking trousers (hiking trousers, rain trousers, shorts)

Trousers are the one garment people are most careless about on a trip. People buy the jacket first, the socks next, and end up walking in an old pair of joggers because ‘it’s only trousers’. But the trousers have to deal with scrub, rain, sit-down slopes and kneeling while packing — everything the jacket gets away from.

The hiking trousers

The main garment. Worn most, worn out most, and they must sit well over several hours on the move. Two families dominate:

Softshell. Woven, slightly stretchy synthetic fabric (usually polyamide or polyester with elastane). Wind-resistant, water-repellent (but not waterproof), dries quickly. Good breathability and freedom of movement. The usual choice for friluftsliv year-round in Norway — from the Bergans Slingsby, Norrøna Falketind, Fjällräven Keb and upwards.

Classic hiking trousers. Heavier woven fabric such as Fjällräven’s G-1000 (cotton/polyester blend, wax-treated). More hard-wearing in scrub and against rock. Slower to dry, more of a workwear character. Suited to long summer trips where you often sit down and crawl.

Weight: 400–700 g for typical hiking trousers. Light synthetic trousers can be in the 250–350 g range.

Checkpoints when you try them on

• Reinforcement at the seat and knees. Wear out first, and are the first to go.
• Zips at the leg ends make it possible to put trousers on and off over boots. A two-way main zip is convenient.
• Pockets: two side pockets that close (with a zip or button), one thigh pocket large enough for a map.
• Elastic or velcro at the ankles that lets you cinch in over the boot shaft.
• Strap or belt: many hiking trousers have an integrated belt fastening. Check that it actually holds when the pack is on.

Cotton in hiking trousers is fine in cold, dry weather (the same principle as an anorak in winter), but not in rain — wet cotton trousers do not dry on the move and chill the legs quickly.

The rain trousers

The garment that sits at the bottom of the pack and that you pull over the hiking trousers when the rain comes. A membrane (often Gore-Tex Paclite or a 2.5-layer construction), a full-length zip along the side so you can put them on over boots without taking them off, and an elastic or stirrup at the foot that stops the trousers riding up.

Weight: 250–500 g. Light models (Norrøna Bitihorn dri3, Bergans Mikkelfjell) are around 300 g; heavier 3-layer variants around 500–700 g.

You need rain trousers on a multi-day trip, in the mountains, and when the weather is exposed and may turn. On short summer trips in familiar terrain many go without — the softshell trousers dry quickly enough in brief rain.

Shorts

On summer trips in the lowlands and long climbs in the sun, a breathable pair of shorts makes a real difference to comfort. Two choices:

Walking shorts of thin woven synthetic or a cotton/synthetic blend. Knee-length or mid-thigh. Pockets you can rely on. Often with a zip around the ankles so they can be used as three-quarter length on a cool morning.

Synthetic shorts (shorter, light running or hiking shorts). Suited to when you are active and warm, and can also be used as swimming trunks.

Convertible trousers (hiking trousers with a zip around the thigh) are practical in theory, but the zips are rarely used in practice — the weight and the zips are there all the time, and the aesthetics are not for everyone. A separate pair of shorts weighs 200 g and does the job better.

Winter hiking trousers

For dedicated winter and pulk trips a heavier softshell is often used, ideally with a little insulation in the thighs and seat, or the cotton anorak trousers as the classic Norwegian choice. Winter trousers are usually not rain trousers — in the cold, snow is dry, and breathability trumps a membrane.

Next steps

• Base layer — the wool underwear you wear beneath the hiking trousers
• Hiking jackets — the top half that matches the trousers in the layering system
• Gaiters — keep grit and snow out where the trousers meet the boot
• The layering principle — how the trousers fit into the whole
• Tear in the crotch of the trousers — the most common trouser repair on a trip

Learn more

The layering principle → · Choosing materials → · Hiking jackets → · Gaiters → · Tear in the crotch of the trousers →

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Text: Snuitide (2026).