The Best Women’s Hiking T-Shirts, Tank Tops, and Hoodies (2025)

Updated October 17, 2025 03:56PM

Make no mistake, these pieces are all business when it comes to performance: They wick sweat, banish chafing, and survive skirmishes with rocks and scrub. But each one also has a softer side that won the hearts of our trail-loving tester team. Beyond wowing us with their fit and comfort, this season’s top performers inspired affection and sometimes, true love. Here’s what made us swoon.

At a Glance

Best Sun Hoodie

Royal Robbins Amp Lite Hoodie

This hoodie bested all others thanks to the fabric’s light and cool feel, earning top scores for hot-weather comfort. “This is a super-breathable layer—very thin and wicking with a draped cut for enhanced airflow,” said our Montana-based tester after hiking Missoula’s Mt. Jumbo and rafting the Blackfoot River in full-sun conditions.

Though thin, the Bluesign-approved, 92 percent recycled polyester (with 8 percent elastane) delivers 50+ UPF protection. Additional cooling properties come from the brand’s HeiQ Smart Temp, a polymer coating that allegedly helps the fabric become more permeable when you’re hot and sweaty, and firms back up when you cool down. Our take: “Even in the dog days of summer, I didn’t feel steamy,” reported one wearer, who also praised the fabric’s stretch and exceptional softness. But like most synthetic fabrics, this hoodie accumulates odor.

Bonus features that helped push this hoodie to the top? Though it lacks adjustability, the hood includes a high-cut neckline that provides better coverage than most. Arms are cut long enough to prevent the cuffs’ thumbholes from tugging on our tester’s hands, and princess seams along the sides of the torso to make it less sack-like than many other sun shirts. Testers experienced no durability failures during months of routine use, although one observed some snags after indoor bouldering, and doesn’t recommend it for outdoor granite.

Best Tank

Rab Rivelin

Pros and Cons
⊕ Doesn’t chafe
⊕ Great ventilation
⊗ Limited sun protection

The Rivelin might be the airiest tank we’ve ever worn. Vertical vents along the center back seam both look stylish and improve airflow to a notoriously sweat-prone zone. Lightweight, fast-wicking fabric (83 percent recycled polyester, 12 percent lyocell, and 5 percent elastane) is woven with star-shaped yarns (rather than round ones) to provide more sweat-sucking surface area and speed cooling. Those design choices kept one tester surprisingly comfortable through steamy, 88-degree conditions while hiking 3,330-foot Mount Tremont in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Panels of even stretchier fabric (14 percent elastane and 86 percent polyester) encircle the arms for unfettered movement. And the crewneck and shoulder straps provide just enough skin coverage to alleviate chafing from rough pack straps.

Best Tee

Chill Angel Sereni-Tee

Pros and Cons
⊕ Very soft
⊕ Casual look fits in anywhere
⊗ Prone to abrasion

Hands down the softest merino layer we wore this year was the lightweight Sereni-Tee, which uses only ultrafine (16.5-micron) wool—no synthetic fibers to be found here. The result is a silky, cashmere-like feel next-to-skin and top-notch breathability. “It felt just right across a wide variety of conditions, from cool and damp to hot and dry,” says our coastal Maine tester, who adds: “It wicked sweat while hiking uphill and kept me from feeling chilled during descents.” She also liked the just-long-enough dolman sleeve length, which prevented chafing from pack straps, and its versatility for casual wear—this trendy tee fits in just about anywhere. The downside to the 100 percent wool construction? Constant contact with abrasive fabrics, like backpack straps, will eventually wear through the fibers, making this shirt best for occasional trips and lightly-loaded day hikes.

Best Wind Shell

Outdoor Research Shadow Wind Hoodie

Pros and Cons
⊕ Non-clingy fabric
⊕ Hood stays put
⊗ Poor water-resistance

So many wind layers are ultralight and ultra-clammy, but the Shadow Wind impressed us with its comfort—even while taking on serious vert. “I didn’t overheat during the final push to the summit,” said our Maine-based tester, noting that sweat didn’t accumulate at all in breezy conditions below 65 degrees during testing. The jacket’s differentiator is its stretch-woven material that feels unconfining and includes a lightly-textured inner that allows some space between skin and fabric.

The 20-denier, Bluesign-approved, 90 percent nylon/10 percent spandex fabric blend effectively blocked gusts up to 20 mph and included a PFAS-free DWR that shed drizzle but wet out in longer rainstorms. The brimmed hood wraps tight around the face and stays put in wind, too. Three zippered pockets hold snacks, and the jacket packs down to the size of a grapefruit—small and light enough for emergency use on day hikes and trail runs.

Best Fleece

Patagonia R1 Pullover Hoody

This year, after Patagonia trimmed some bulk from its much-loved R1 Pullover Hoody, our Alaska-based tester put it in permanent rotation. “It has become my favorite piece of outdoor gear,” she gushed after wearing it while backpacking and orienteering in the Chugach Mountains.

The R1 Hoody’s new construction places insulating-but-breathable Polartec Power Grid fleece across the chest and shoulder areas, while the back, underarms, forearms and hood feature a stretchy “Thermal Weight” Capilene (93 percent recycled polyester with spandex fleece.) That synthetic baselayer fabric allows for unrestricted movement and plays well with climbing harnesses and backpack straps. “I like that it’s warm where it needs to be warm, but doesn’t put the bulkier waffled fabric under your arms, at your wrists, and on your back,” explains our tester.

The center zipper extends to the belly button to vent heat and sweat, and a zippered breast pocket holds an energy bar. Two seasons of Alaskan punishment produced no snags or pilling, and the close fit feels efficient rather than confining. The hood’s tall collar provided a cozy retreat for our tester’s chin and nose during chilly rain in 45-degree weather. “It dries quickly and never feels like it’s too much,” they said.

Honorable Mentions

Rabbit High Country ($70): Hikers loved how this ultralight tank (88 percent recycled polyester with spandex) shielded them from scratchy pack straps while its perforated back released sweat. But the collared tank design wasn’t particularly popular.

Abode Outside Woodland Hoodie ($69): This versatile, summerweight synthetic sweater features sustainable materials (42 percent viscose and 28 percent recycled polyester) and a built-in neck gaiter that testers appreciated on blustery summits and around the campfire, although it lacks the low-bulk and breathability of a layer like the Patagonia R1.

Columbia Cirque River Pro Short Sleeve Crew ($55): Shadeless conditions in California’s northern Sierra made our tester appreciate the cooling feel of this super-silky tee, which provides 40+ UPF and never chafed. It got particularly odiferous, however, without any sort of stink-squelching finish.

Wild Rye Lil’Party Shirt ($89): Featherweight, waffle-textured fabric makes this wildly-patterned shirt the coolest collared button-down that we tested, but its cropped hem didn’t reliably prevent chafing from a pack’s hip belt.

How to Choose

Fit is paramount. Apparel that doesn’t suit your shape can prove uncomfortable on the trail. It’s also likely to languish in your closet because you won’t feel excited about wearing it. Once you’ve found apparel that fits, consider its fabric content. Different fibers deliver various performance benefits and drawbacks:

Finally, consider how garment features may dovetail with the rest of your hiking kit. Is the shirt’s hem long enough to stay tucked beneath the buckles of a waist pack? Are the chest pockets accessible underneath pack straps? By forecasting how your apparel will integrate into your ensemble, you can avoid buying pieces that disappoint you while hiking.

How We Test

Women defy generalization. No single “women’s fit” can celebrate all bodies. And a woman’s definition of a great hike is just as varied: for some, it might involve shadowing a toddler for an eighth of a mile, for others, pushing themselves through a 100-mile ultra.

So, to make our reviews relevant for the broadest possible audience, we recruited testers from a diverse pool. For starters, we recruited women hikers of various sizes, from XS to XL. But we didn’t stop there: We asked our testers to report on the micro-details that affect whether a hiking top makes or breaks the grade. Large breasts, extra-long arms, swimmer’s shoulders, sensitive skin—these and other realities helped us evaluate and winnow out the products that didn’t fit and feel comfortable on an array of women’s bodies. These hikers also tested in varying climates across the U.S. and Canada, including Maine’s dense forests, the Rockies’ wind-bitten summits, Utah’s sandstone canyons, and California’s arid hills.

Meet Our Tester Team

Over the 20 years that Kelly Bastone has been subjecting her 4’11” frame to the gear-testing mission, she’s watched the outdoor industry make significant improvements to the fit and function of women’s apparel. Yet even now, pants rarely earn her approval (properly fitting her pear shape requires an above-average attempt at patterning). Living in Maine puts a wealth of testing opportunities at her doorstep—she hikes, mountain bikes, and fly-fishes from the Atlantic to the Appalachians.

For her testing squad, she recruited Lake Tahoe area trekker and climber Jessica Hamilton, Colorado River hiker and rafter Sabrina Motta, Minnesota trail worker and paddler Kate Ratkovich, and a range of additional women representing various outdoor experiences and body types.

The Best Women’s Hiking Shirts for Sweat, Sun, and Wind