I am on the hunt for the best hiking pants for petite women. I have had two kids, my body has changed over the years, and I am down to about one pair of hiking pants that currently fits me and that I like. So I decided to make the jump and purchase multiple pairs of hiking pants to figure out which ones are perfect for me.
I am 5’3 (160 cm) with a pear shaped body. So my hips are a little wider and my waist is small in comparison. This makes it tricky to find pants that will fit me through the hips and thighs but aren’t too baggy around my waist. I don’t mind having to cinch my pants a little bit, but I don’t like when it’s just a string as that can get uncomfortable since there isn’t any wiggle room.
I also really like pants that have a thigh pocket because when I am wearing my kids in a carrier on my back or I have a big pack on, it can be hard to access the normal pockets and having a thigh pocket where I can keep my phone or other essentials is very handy.
Here are the hiking pants I bought and my thoughts on them including how they fit and what I like and don’t like about them.
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My Measurements
To help you know how the pants fit and maybe help know what size to get, I am going to share my body measurements. For each pair of hiking pants, I included what size pants I ordered and the description will share how they fit me.
- Height: 5’3
- Weight: 130 lbs (give or take a pound or two depending on the time of day)
- Waist: 28.5 Inches
- Hips: 38 Inches
- Thighs: 33 Inches
- Inseam: 27 Inches
Hiking Pants for Women
REI Trailmade Hiking Pants
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Size I bought: 4 Regular
These REI Trailmade hiking pants are quite thin and comfortable. I actually found the petite to be slightly too short for me so I opted for the regular length.
They are a little big in the waist for me and do have an adjustable tie in the waistband which helps. However, I don’t find a tie to be the most comfortable to wear for long periods of time because it is a bit restrictive and doesn’t have any give.
They have two pockets on the back that are not closed at all. They also have two regular pockets on the front as well as a zippered thigh pocket that fits my phone just fine.
Like I said, they are very thin so I worry that overtime, they might snag easily or get a hole but I will have to test that overtime.
Outdoor Voices RecTrek Zip-Off Hiking Pants
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Size I bought: 4
The Outdoor Voices zip off pants are a thicker fabric and feel a little heavier on. possible from the multiple zippers. They are a little too long for me and only come in one length. They do have an elastic at the bottom to cinch them up but I don’t love the look of baggy fabric around my ankles.
They come with a thin, stretchy belt that makes adjusting the waist easy and comfortable. I love that they zip off to shorts, and they do zip off to capris as well, although I can’t imagine wearing them at that length often. The short length is perfect and I want to try the shorts Outdoor Voices sell to see if they are similar, because I would definitely wear those.
These pants don’t have typical back pockets which I don’t love, but they do have a very small mesh pocket in the middle back that could fit keys or a chapstick but not your phone. They have an expandable cargo pocket that has plenty of room for small gear. I actually prefer a tighter fit pocket because I just like to have my phone in that pocket and don’t love the feeling of it bouncing around against my leg.
Stio Pinedale Hiking Pants
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
The Size I bought: 4 Short
Discount Code: HaileyOutside
The Stio Pinedale Pants are pretty much my perfect hiking pant. They are a medium thickness fabric, so not a pair I would wear in the heat of summer. But they are very stretchy and the adjustable belt built into the waist is very comfortable and I like that it’s not seen around the whole waistband.
They have a regular and short length and the short length fits me perfectly. They have one zippered pocket on the back that fully fits my phone as well as a zippered thigh pocket that also fits my phone.
Gnara Go There Hiking Pants
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
The Size I bought: 4
The Gnara Go There pants are totally unique and solve a large problem for many women. They are the thickest pant I tried in this review which is good because they feel durable, but again, not a pant I would want to wear in warm weather.
They have two pockets on the back that don’t fully close with a zipper, but do have a fold over flap to help keep things in place and can hold my phone. They have a zippered thigh pocket.
I am bummed because they only have one size (30.5 inch inseam) and are a long on me. I have tried their shorts however and those are a great length on me! They do have a wide range of sizes from size 00-22.
The really unique feature of these pants is the GoFly zipper. This zipper starts right under the fly zipper and zips all the way up the back of the pants to the seam. This let’s women go pee when they’re out on the trail without having to take their pants off all the way. It’s pretty ingenious in my opinion and definitely something I think will benefit many women. There is a fabric that covers the zipper so you can’t even tell that it’s there.
Gnara is female founded and an all-female led team which I love to support!
Joggers
As a short girl, I am a big fan of joggers because they tend to fit me really well. I also find them to be very flattering on my body type.
prAna Halle Hiking Joggers II
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
The Size I bought: 4
These Halle Joggers are great! I had the Halle pants back in the day and they have made some great upgrades in my opinion. To compare the, the joggers are a little higher waisted, they only have one button instead of two, and this fabric feels a little more breathable but I’m not actually sure if they changed it.
They do still have a string tie to adjust the waist. I don’t love that option but it does the trick. I did feel like this waistband stretched out a bit as I wore them so I had to rely more on the tie which made them a little more uncomfortable.
They have two zippered pockets on the back as well as a flap over to hide the zippers. They also have two thigh pockets, one is just an open pocket that my phone perfectly slides into and the other is a discrete zippered pocket.
Stio Pinedale Hiking Joggers
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The Size I bought: 4
Discount Code: HaileyOutside
The Stio Joggers are thicker than the prAna Halle joggers but still very comfortable and stretchy. They have on pocket on the back that is zippered as well as the two regular front pockets that are zippered as well, and a discrete zippered thigh pocket.
There is a tie adjustment that I didn’t need to use but is there if you have some extra room in the waist.
They only have one length for the joggers and they were the perfect length for me. I imagine they would definitely show ankle on those taller.
Wondery Outdoors Isabel 3.0 Hiking Pants
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
The Size I bought: 4 Petite
While they call these the Wondery Isabel 3.0 pants, I am putting them in the joggers section because of their elastic ankles. These cotton pants are very comfortable and cute. They have very deep pockets on the front, two buttoned pockets on the back, as well as two cargo pockets that are folded over and closed with two buttons.
They have two straps on the back to tighten the waist and it gives them a very cute, cinched look. They also come in an incredibly inclusive range of sizing. From XXS-6XL as well as Short, Regular, and Long inseam lengths. This is so rare in the outdoor industry for women’s clothing and something I so appreciate.
Wondery Outdoors is a BIPOC-owned and women-led team which I love!
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