I am looking for a pair of hiking pants for a trip to New Zealand in mid September.
Looking for something like what they sell at Kathmandu or Anaconda or similar.
Zip off legs would be nice but not a deal breaker if they don't have this.
Any suggestions?
How extreme (duration, terrain, etc.) is the planned hike?
If not too extreme, you can get away with just comfortable trousers.
Prefer something that's made for hiking as my partner and I are planning more hikes in the future.
Not too extreme. 10km+ hikes, unsure of terrain yet
I would go with something like the $40 trousers from Rivers (acknowledging dasher86's earlier comment)
https://www.rivers.com.au/shop/men%27s-clothes/men%27s-cloth…
You could also check out Rivers.
Rivers pants are pretty flimsy material unfortunately and did not make me feel they would keep me warm.
Hikers wear Shorts and Gaiters, not pants.
Shorts dont get soaked by rain if you're walking in a jacket
Gaiters protect the shins and calves from most ground-cover and keep the majority of rain out of your boots.
Be careful with zip off pants.. the zipper areas can cause chafing!
Zip off pants can also be loose fitting and make a swoosh swoosh sound as you hike.
When I'm going to NZ and possibly hiking over glaciers then I really want pants rather than shorts!
if you're hiking over glaciers you're probably want to go with line hiking pants or thermal & hiking pants.
Get something that is weather proof for your NZ trip. Don't get anything cotton - they don't dry off if wet. Softshell/nylon/polyester are better material for hikes in general.
I’ve used craghopppers for multi week treks in Nepal and Peru and they’ve been great!
Check out aldi this weekend.