The best Windbreaker Pants for athleisure, hiking, and retro style
Windbreaker pants serve a wide variety of adventurers across a wide spectrum of activities. From travelers to trail runners, from ultralight backpackers to retro fashionistas, this guide will help you find the best wind pants for your needs.
But first, how do we define windbreaker pants? For our purposes, we count any pair of lightweight pants or joggers constructed with wind-resistant fabric and an elastic waistband. While two ounce wind pants for fastpacking may look and feel quite different from athleisure windbreaker joggers, both serve the purpose of keeping your legs warm by blocking wind chill.
While our content normally caters to ultralight hikers and backpackers, we let loose in this guide by also including some great windbreaker pants for runners, travelers, uphill skiers, and retro enthusiasts. And while you’re here, don’t miss our guide to merino leggings, fleece pants, or windbreaker jackets, rain jackets, and rain pants, all of which block wind.
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Cover Photo by Simon Pratt
Technical Athleisure Joggers
Options for Trail Running, Hiking, Sun Protection, Adventure Travel, Gym Climbing, Cycling Around Town
Ultralight & Packable
Options for Backpacking, Fastpacking, Thru-Hiking, Ultra Running
Waterproof Rain Pants
Rain pants are windbreakers too! These three span from lightweight to ultralight.
Technical Athleisure Windbreaker Pants
Janji Atlas Multi Pants
8.9 oz | $134
Janji Atlas Multi are the stretchiest pair of windbreaker pants in our round up, which is both a blessing and a curse. No other pair is better for lunging and high stepping, and they’re overall extremely comfortable. The downside is that this is due to a very high Spandex composition of 23%. Spandex is relatively heavy, slows dry time, and increases smelliness. The weight specifically makes worse than other pairs in this guide for stashing in a pack or vest to pull on as temps drop. We do note the use of elongated ankle zips that make on off much easier over shoes.
Janji Transit Tech Pants
7.1 oz | $94
If you like hiking in trail running shoes, why not consider trail running pants too? The Janji Transit Tech Pants are our preferred trail running pants for fastpacking. They’re stretchy, breathable, durable, UPF 50, and have three excellent and secure zipper pockets. And for just seven ounces, they’re also lighter weight than any traditional hiking pants.
Path Projects Killam PX
8.9 oz | $98
The Path Projects Killam PX are the best looking, comfiest, and best performing pair of trail running pants for hiking that we’ve tested. That’s because they’re constructed with what is easily the best fabric – Toray PrimeFlex. The 100% polyester with 4-way mechanical stretch is more durable, more breathable, quicker drying, and less absorbent than competing fabrics made with elastic/Spandex.
Willit Lightweight Joggers
8.5 oz | $30
The Willit Lightweight Joggers are the first pair of trail running pants we’ve tested with hiking-pants-style cargo pockets, ultimately yielding best-in-class storage optionality for the category. The 95% polyester, 5% spandex blend is soft, lightly stretchy, comfy to wear, and UPF 50 rated. The elastic waistband is secure without using the drawstring.
Ultralight Windbreaker Pants
Enlightened Equipment Copperfield Wind Pants
1.5 oz | $80
For backpacking, fastpacking, and ultra running, we recommend the Enlightened Equipment Copperfield Wind Pants. Weighing just 1.5 oz in M’s medium, they are the perfect windbreaker pants to stow in any pocket, and provide incredible resistance to wind chill relative to their weight. The 10D nylon fabric is treated with DWR for light water repellency. They are extremely minimalist and delicate, so use them respectfully. A shock cord cinches the waist. It simply does not get lighter than these. Read more in our full-length Enlightened Equipment Copperfield Wind Pants Review.
Montbell Tachyon Wind Pants
1.9 oz | $109
Weighing just 1.9 ounces, the Montbell Tachyons are some of the lightest ultralight windbreaker pants on the market. They achieve this via a 7d ripstop nylon fabric, and overall minimalist design – the only features are an elasticized waist, one interior pocket, and the simple-yet-effective Samue leg closure system.
Montbell Dynamo Wind Pants
3.2 oz | $78
Montbell’s Dynamo are the third lightest pair of ultralight windbreaker pants, coming in at just over three ounces. While an ounce and a half heavier than the aforementioned Tachyon series, Dynamo’s 15D ripstop nylon fabric offers a degree of stretch. This may be especially desirable for runners and fastpackers. Features include an ankle zip for easier on/off, elasticized waist, small internal pocket, and the Samue leg closure system.
Waterproof Windbreaker Pants (AKA Rain Pants)
Zpacks Vertice Rain Pants
Zpacks Vertice Rain Pants
3.2 oz | $149
Fully waterproof, preposterously breathable, and only three ounces, the Zpacks Vertice Rain Pants are top tier rain pants for minimizing weight. Vertice has a breathability rating of 56k, that’s more than than triple Gore-Tex, perfect for high intensity movement. True, this isn’t the most durable pair of rain pants, but we find them to be sufficient for on-trail use and are the current best option for an ultralight gear list.
Montbell Super Dry-Tec UL
4.6 oz | $189
From specs to features, Montbell’s Super Dry Tec UL rain pants check all of the boxes. They’re one of the two best pairs money can buy, and the best option for those who don’t mind carrying a bit of extra weight for half-zip accessibility.
Outdoor Research Helium Rain Pants
Outdoor Research Helium Rain Pants
6.7 oz | $130
Incredibly light, fully waterproof, great value, and more durable than the competition, thanks for the Pertex DiamondFuse shell fabric. The Helium Rain Pants are our go-to rain pants for hiking and backpacking, and exemplary ultralight backpacking gear.
REI Trailmade Rain Pants
7.7 oz | $70
A basic pair of 2.5L, lightweight rain duds. What’s not to like? The REI Co-op Trailmade Rain Pants design features ankle zips, an elastic drawcord waistband, and a zippered back pocket. They’re available in a very wide array of sizes for all body types. Good all around cheap backpacking gear, perfect for hikers on a budget.
Wind Pants for Hiking & Backpacking
We view hiking pants separately from wind pants. Hiking pants typically have cargo pockets, a zipper fly, and belt loops, and are made to be more breathable and less wind resistant than windbreakers. Thru hikers, fastpackers, and ultralight backpackers might consider adding a pair of ultralight windbreaker pants if they plan to do a majority of their hiking in shorts. Windbreakers are the lightest possible mid-layer for situations where it’s too chilly for shorts but too warm and/or dry for rain pants. They can also act as a mosquito barrier. Consider treating them with insect repellent permethrin.
Wind Pants for Adventure Travel
The modern, high tech fabrics used in premium athleisure windbreaker pants are incredible comfortable, stretchy, breathable, and make for great all-purpose adventure pants. They are comfortable for air travel, walking around a foreign city, cycling around a mountain town, going on a short hike or chilly sunrise run, or whatever else you might ask of them
Wind Pants for Running
A good pair of windbreaker joggers can be comfier than shorts and tights and are perfect for brisk, chilly, cold weather runs. They prevent the front of your legs from freezing, while the stretch offers a full range of motion. And because they trap dead air pockets around your legs, they insulate better than tights and can be worn over top of shorts.
Rain Pants as Wind Pants
All waterproof fabric is also inherently windproof. As such, you may already own or be packing windbreaker pants without having even realized it. While less breathable, rain do double duty on handling precipitation, and may actually serve you better than traditional wind pants, depending on the circumstances.
Windbreaker Pants Conclusion
We hope you’ve found this guide to wind pants helpful and informative. Lightweight, wind-resistant pants are an incredibly useful tool across a wide spectrum of sporting and outdoor activities. May your next pair of wind pants serve you marvelously on your adventures. Happy trails!
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