These Durable, Stretchy, and Breathable Trail Tights Do it All
This pair from Fjällräven won't fall apart even under harsh trail conditions.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
The best gear is the kind that lasts. In 1,000-Mile Test, our reviewers return to favorite pieces of gear to see how they perform on the trail after multiple years and hundreds or thousands of miles.
I didn’t think there was such a thing as a perfect pair of hiking pants until I wore the Abisko Trail Tights. They’re a lighter version of Fjällräven’s Trekking Tights, which we gave an Editors’ Choice Award in 2018, and have somewhat less-burly nylon reinforcements, an extra pocket, and a gear loop. But I’ve taken these tights on every backpacking since 2018, and they look as good as the day I got them.
Other tights either slide down my hips as I move, lack substantial pockets, or pill and rip after only a few washes and hikes. I found myself sacrificing breathability and mobility for durability, or vice versa. But this pair’s wide, 4-inch-high waistband stays in place no matter how bendy I get. A drop pocket in the back is big enough for my phone, while another drop pocket on the right thigh and a zip pocket on the left thigh hold my iPhone SE, a handful of tissues, granola bars, and a multitool.
As someone who is rough on my gear and uses tights for both hiking and rock climbing, I appreciate the Abisko Trail Tights’ reinforced fabric. This pair has tough but flexible nylon-elastane with ceramic reinforcement on the knees and rear, which come in handy when I kneel to fill up water or scoot over on a rock perch during a snack break. When I squeezed between boulders during a scramble on 14,073-foot Mt. Columbia in Colorado and accidentally slid on some loose gravel during a hike of the 30-mile Four Pass Loop near Aspen, the fabric didn’t show so much as a scuff. I’m not kidding when I say that they look like I just grabbed them off the table in a gear shop.
Everywhere else, the Abiskos are made of butter-soft, stretchy, and breathable nylon-elastane fabric, and it’s buttery soft, stretchy, and breathable. I never regret packing these tights even if it ends up being too hot for pants, such as on a day hike on the Arizona Trail when temps reached 80°F. They weigh only 7 ounces, and are super compact: I can roll them up into the size of a 16-ounce water bottle. $150; Buy Now
