In Austin, TX, it typically doesn’t get cold, and most of the time, temperatures are above 70 degrees. When I am hiking, and the weather is above 70, I wear Propper Men’s Summerweight Tactical Pants.
The pants are light and have a UPF rating of 50. UPF stands for ultraviolet protection factor. A product that has a UPF rating of 30 or more is considered good. These pants will block out about 98 percent of the sun’s rays, or 1/50th of the sun’s rays will go through. A white cotton t-shirt has a UPF rating of around 5.
A hiking pant also needs to be quick drying. These pants are 94 percent nylon and 6 percent spandex. The spandex gives the pants some stretch. These pants also have excellent pockets. You get two side pockets on both the right and left sides, along with cargo pockets on your legs. The side pockets are nylon mesh. Some people in the Amazon reviews have said they have had problems with the mesh pockets tearing, but I have not had a problem. I find pockets vital since I like to carry photography equipment and various other stuff in my pockets. Many hiking pants typically have small pockets, which is a deal-breaker for me. Also, these pants can fit a belt up to 1.75 inches wide. Most belts are 1.25 to 1.5 inches wide.
There is one thing that I don’t like about these pants, and it doesn’t have to do with the pants themselves. The sizing from Propper is weird. To get a pair of pants that are the correct size, you will need to add 2 inches to the waist and subtract 2 inches from the length.
I wear these pants even in the summer so that I can get sun protection for my legs. If I wore shorts, I would need to put on sunscreen and reapply every few hours. The convenience of just putting these pants on and having UV protection all day is nice. Plus, I get protection from stuff like brush and bugs that are on the trail.
Overall I hope this advice helps. If you do any serious hiking, I recommend not using pants that contain cotton. Cotton is slow drying, and in cold climates, can kill you or make you pretty miserable.