Hiking pants guide

These four terms are often used as synonyms. Strictly speaking, they’re not the same. The fact is that hiking pants have been developed specifically for hiking, therefore they are abrasion-proof, breathable, stretch and have many practical details. All these features together make hiking pants very functional.

Trekking pants differ to hiking pants in that the material and finish are more robust. This is because you need to be comfortable for several days at a time when trekking. They also have to be able to dry quickly e.g. with dryprotec.

However, outdoor pants or functional pants are umbrella terms, which include all types of outdoor activities, therefore less clearly defined. Some manufacturers equip outdoor pants/functional pants with lots of functions. However, others make them barely distinguishable from standard cotton pants by adding just a few details that are suitable for the outdoors. Moreover, many functional pants nowadays are also suitable for everyday use.

Maier Sports has something for all needs, ranging from everyday functional pants to technically advanced hiking pants. In fact, all of our pants are functional and suitable for active outdoor use.

There is only one important difference: our functional pants are even more versatile whereas our hiking pants have been developed especially for long walks in the outdoors. Moreover, you will also find proper all-purpose outdoor pants such as our best-rated pants for hiking and travelling – multi-award-winning hiking pants with a plethora of functions and practical features.

In addition to the fabric, workmanship and features, hiking pants also have a different cut compared to everyday pants. The knee sections should be preformed if you want to be able to make wide and high steps easily when climbing or scrambling (or kneeling down). This is why the pants have a slightly curved cut. Moreover, details such as pockets should not limit freedom of movement or cause friction, even when filled.

The question then remains whether the cut of the hiking pants should be form-fitting (slim) or loose (regular). There are advantages to both cuts. Fashionable form-fitting hiking pants rub less and do not flap around. Loose-fitting pants have a more relaxed fit and provide better ventilation. In turn, you benefit from Maier Sports’ numerous sizes and product range (with slim and regular cuts): try them out for yourself and choose the version that makes you feel more comfortable.

The highest demands are placed on the fabric of hiking pants. This is why an all-rounder would make the best choice. On the one hand you never know exactly what the weather is going to be like. On the other hand you don’t want to have to buy special pants for every type of weather. The good news: you won’t need to if you choose a high-quality fabric.

Modern textile technologies manage to unite high breathability, insulation, strong elasticity, quick-drying time, wind resistance and a waterproof finish. Cotton can’t do any of this.

But there’s one thing you do need to know: not a single textile technology can guarantee all of these demands completely. So you will always have to compromise on one or more properties. The questions you should ask yourself, and only you can answer, are:

- What demands do my hiking pants need to fulfil?

- How environmentally friendly is the fabric?
Maier Sports can easily answer the second question. Since Fall/Winter 2018/2019, all Maier Sports products have a PFC-free finish. Our PFC-free finish is biodegradable and protects people's health and nature. Furthermore, we have managed to improve wash resistance, the simple reactivation of the water repelling effect and abrasion resistance without using environmentally damaging chemicals and to optimise the durability of our hiking pants.

However, when it comes to deciding what your hiking pants need to cope with, you first need to think about what kind of hiking tours you are planning to go on. How sweaty will it get? What will the weather be like? And how long will your tour take? Then you will know, which of the following textile technologies you need.




 

The question regarding the insulation or thermal output of hiking pants is pretty easy to answer. There are generally three types of hiking pants: padded, lined and ones which are nether padded nor lined.

You usually need padded or lined hiking pants when the temperature is below 10 °C. Padded pants are always slightly warmer than lined ones. Whatever you choose depends on how sensitive you are to cold as well as the temperature of the surroundings where you are going to be hiking.

Hiking pants with high-quality padding (go to Rechberg Therm), such as mTHERM, feel nice and soft on the skin and allow you to go hiking even when the temperature is below zero. You will also find the same hiking pants but lined for just cool days (go to Rechberg) in the Maier Sports range.

Also important to know: hiking pants aren’t supposed to be thickly padded. This is because you give off very little heat over the legs. Instead, hiking or any other physical activity is good for your circulation and will “warm” you in a natural way.

But if you choose pants that are too warm, then heat will build up and make it very unpleasant. Therefore, robust and padded winter functional pants or hiking pants (go to Helga hiking pants) should really only be considered for winter activities.

In our opinion, there are two important aspects regarding workmanship: quality and sustainability.  For this reason, not only the hiking pants from Maier Sports are PFC-free, but also our entire outdoor clothing range. This means: no perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals, which are very difficult to degrade and are a burden to the environment for decades.

And what about the quality? We are convinced that something can only be of high quality when it meets your needs and lasts for a long time.

As we are convinced of the quality of our products, we at Maier Sports give all our consumers a 5-year guarantee. This guarantee not only applies to our hiking pants, but also to all our products.

And what are your needs? Our philosophy: for something to work, it first has to fit. Functional pants are not supposed to rub, slip, pinch or drag along the floor. Only then will you feel comfortable and only then can functionally designed clothing perform all its functions. This is why we endeavour to guarantee precisely this, also online, with our Maier Sports perfect fit promise.

Last but not least, this buyer’s guide will help you find your perfect hiking pants.