[A self-paying review without any consideration] A field test of three carefully selected trekking pants that are lightweight and beautifully silhouetted in the summer mountains.

What are the best trekking pants for the summer mountains?

Summer mountain season has arrived!

It looks like it will be a hot summer this year too.

When you are worried about heat stroke, cool summer trekking pants are essential. The shorts are cool, but I'm worried about injuries, sunburns, and insect bites on rocky areas.

In this article, we will field test and review three carefully selected trekking pants for summer mountains, with excellent balance of breathability, durability, ease of movement and cost-effectiveness, from the trekking pants sold in 2024!

Field test of 3 carefully selected lightweight trekking pants

Sales in 2024, with a weight of 250g or less, we chose the following three items, which are excellent in breathability, durability, ease of movement, and cost-effectiveness, assuming summer fast packing.

• rab Momentum Pants 215g Matrix™ Fabric
• milestone Natty Long Pants 2.0 190g Dry Polyester Fabric
• Houdini Wadi Pants 217g Liquid Rock™ Fabric

Test environment and field test results

In the summer mountains, which trekking pants have a great balance of breathability, durability, ease of movement, and cost-effectiveness?

Field tests were performed under the following conditions and verified:

Test environment

• [Period] June to July
• [Mountain area] Minoh Trail (Osaka)
• [Weather] Sunny, rain
• [Activity] Hiking
• [Other] I wore it every day, even during work.

Field test results

The test results are as follows:

type	Minimal type with no gaps	Lightweight fast packing type	Mountain Travel Street All-Rounder Type
item	rab momentum pants	milestone Natty Long Pants 2.0	Houdini Wadi Pants
image
This is ◎	It feels great on the skin A shocking cost performance Easily lift your legs through three-dimensional cutting Excellent stretch performance	High functionality of the rear pocket High cost performance Lightweight at 190g	Scandinavian design High breathability Versatile for mountains, travel, and towns
This is △	There are only 3 pockets	There's no butt pocket	I'm worried about the durability of walking around rocky areas and bushes
Outdoor Gearzine Rating
Breathable	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆	★★★★★
Durability	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
Ease of movement	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
Functionality	★★★☆☆	★★★★☆	★★★☆☆
weight	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆
Cospa	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★☆☆
style	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★★
Specs
material	Matrix™ Fabric	Dry polyester fabric	Liquid Rock™ Fabric
Actual weight (g)	215 (Size S)	190 (Size M)	217 (Size S)
Reference price (as of July 2024)	¥13,200 (tax included)	¥14,300 (tax included)	¥22,000 (tax included)

Impressions of each model

Overall BEST: rab Momentum Pants All items are highly complete. Recommended for all hikers

Rab is doing great this season, releasing one after another, including the highly-finished lightweight backpack "Muon50" and the ultimate value-effective sleeping mat "Ultrasphere 4.5".

Rab's momentum pants are made of thin fabric and are breathable, making them cool even in the summer mountains.

Thin fabric generally reduces durability, but as for the impression that I continued wearing it, I never felt worried about its durability.

I think it's thanks to Matrix™ fabric that focuses on breathability.

Also, the comfort of the shoes is smooth and smooth, so you won't feel uncomfortable even in the humid summer.

Focusing on lifting your legs and ease of movement, the crotch gussets and three-dimensional cutting are excellent, and the outstanding stretch performance boosts it, so the goodness of lifting your legs is the best out of the three.

It weighs 215g (actually measured in size S), and is also lightweight and has DWR (durable water repellent).

Furthermore, in today's weak yen and high prices, the price is 13,200 yen (tax included), making it a great value for money.

The silhouette and color are beautiful, and the design is minimal, so I think there are many occasions where it can be used outside of the mountains.

My impression after field testing was that breathability, durability, feel, ease of movement, and cost performance are all at a high level, and are "highly perfect and minimal summer pants."

If I had to say, it would be a small number of pockets, at 3 (2 front and 1 back), but it would be enough for minimalist hikers.

First, it's the state I put it on.

The slim silhouette is beautiful, not out of place in town.

The light khaki color is also good.

It has stretching so there is no tension.

There is one back pocket on the right side

Waist adjustment is only a simple adjuster

Can be stored

The back of the waist is mesh-like, so it dries quickly.

Comfortable walking even on high temperatures and humid days

High stretchability makes it easy to lift your legs

Function BEST: milestone Natty Long Pants 2.0 A rear pocket that won't shake even when you put your smartphone in. Recommended for fast packing to cut luggage or trail running

The lightweight 5-pocket pants weighing 190g (actual measurement of size M) are the lightest of the three items.

Its features three pockets at the back. There are two envelope-shaped pockets on the rear side, making it an excellent piece of equipment that does not shake even when you run. The pocket is also large enough to fit my smartphone (16.5cm x 7.5cm) easily. There is one large pocket in the center of the rear that can store a windshell, making it useful not only for fast packing, trail running races, but also for strolling the mountains empty-handed.

The material is dry polyester, and is stretchy, water repellent, and quick-drying. It felt cool enough as summer pants. It's comfortable to wear and doesn't have to worry about lifting your feet.

The price is 14,300 yen (tax included), which is cost-effective.

There are many colors available in six, and the silhouette is beautiful, so you can wear it in the city and it's perfect for the hot summer.

The only thing that bothers me is that there are no butt pockets, but you'll get used to it without having to.

Compared to the "RAB Momentum Pants", I feel that "RAB Momentum Pants" are more suitable for the summer mountains in terms of breathability, comfort, and quick drying. It's not good or bad, but Natty long pants 2.0 can also be said to be versatile enough to wear from summer to autumn.

So, let's start with it.

The silhouette is beautiful.

It's slim, but stretchy so there's no tension.

It's natural to wear in town, including the colour.

The product name 2.0 indicates that it has been wrinkled.

Side pockets are large enough to allow you to smoothly insert and take out your smartphone.

The smartphone does not shake even when you drive, and the pocket arrangement is excellent.

The large center pocket is large enough to store a windshell.

It also serves as a ventilation when no items are in it.

It looks like a slim silhouette, but there is no tension

It has plenty of stretch performance so no stress

General-purpose BEST: Houdini Wadi Pants Excellent breathability and beautiful Scandinavian design. Recommended for hikers who love mountains and travel

These five-pocket pants have a wide silhouette, which is rare for trekking pants.

It is a Nordic brand with its beautiful silhouette, soft colors, and minimalist design. These versatile pants can be used not only in the mountains, but also in the travel and in the city.

The impression I received during field testing was that Liquid Rock™ fabric provides high ventilation, loose silhouette provides high ventilation, and comfort due to the low contact surface, making them ideal summer trekking pants. I especially felt that breathability was the best out of the three points.

It weighs 217g (actually measured in size S), and is light and comfortable to wear, so it feels like you're not wearing it. I want to wear it forever.

I imagine that wearing active insulation tights as an inner layer will look just right for summer, as well as winter.

The price is expensive at 22,000 yen (tax included), but considering its versatility, it can be used regardless of the scene (mountains, towns, and travel) or seasons (summer and winter), the cost performance is by no means bad.

On the other hand, there were two points that caught my eye: the fabric is too thin, making it a little uneasy to row on bushes and walk around rocky areas, and the wide silhouette makes it not suitable for quick mountain hiking. The advantages and disadvantages are traded off, so this may be the fate of summer pants.

Here's a picture of him wearing it.

Beautiful silhouette that's not tight

There are surprisingly many hikers looking for such pants.

One rear pocket on the left and right

It is designed to be tied with only a string. There is no elastic waist

It's more comfortable to fasten the belt when hiking speeds

The hem can also be tightened with elastic

There is no fastener, and an analog method of tying the rubber is also good.

The right pocket has an inner zippered pocket

Packable design for storing inside the zipper of the right pocket

As compact as a 500ml plastic bottle

Convenient for changing clothes on mountain hiking or carrying around when traveling

The loose silhouette makes it ventilated every time you walk, making it less likely to get stuffy

It's easy to walk, but sometimes I'm concerned about the flapping when I run.

The starting point of the Tokai Nature Trail (Minoh)

summary

After field testing three summer trekking pants, the one I wanted most this season was the Houdini Wadi Pants.

The key to this is that it is comfortable to wear and high ventilation, and is extremely easy to use not only on the mountains but also on travel. I often go on trips, and these are versatile pants that can be used in a variety of situations. While there were many slim-sized trekking pants, the loose silhouette was also refreshing.

However, the best I could have for me this time was the Houdini Wadi Pants, but when I carefully compared the other two, each one has different characteristics and appeal. For example, the Rab Momentum Pants, which have a high overall strength and no gap, can be used not only on low mountains but also on alpine mountains, and the Natty Long Pants 2.0, a milestone with a great functionality in the rear pocket, is a great partner for mountain climbing where you don't want to lower your backpack to act quickly.

The appropriate model will vary depending on the mountain range used, season, activity, etc., so we hope that this comparison review will be the mountain climbing when you make a judgment.

Reference: Recommended lightweight pants that remained as other finalists

For your reference, we have a final selection in this comparison review, and are summer trekking pants with excellent breathability, durability, ease of movement, and cost-effectiveness, assuming summer fast packing, provided that weighs less than 250g.

atelierbluebottle Hiker's SUMMER PANTS 2024 134g

AXESQUIN Ventilation Pant 192g

Houdini Wadi Pants 232g

milestone Natty Long Pants 2.0 190g

Mountain Hardwear Mountain Speed ​​Pants 240g

Rab Momentum Pants 238g

Teton Bros. Scrambling Pant 135g

Mountains and Roads Light 5-Pocket Pants 153g

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Murakami Haruki

He has been climbing for five years and two years at UL. He's still a hiker who's still trying to get trial and error. I like long hikes. I love traveling and go out both domestically and internationally. We will focus on what we feel from a beginner's perspective, and will explain it in an easy-to-understand manner so that readers can feel, "Let's go to the mountains again next week!"