The Best Women’s Hiking Apparel of 2021

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Warm-Weather Hiking Apparel

Outdoor Research Equinox Cape Cap

When the shade is minimal and the sun is strong, we want a brimmed hat that will keep us from squinting, burning, and overheating. This one is made of water-resistant nylon, and its plastic-stiffened brim didn’t lose shape when we stuffed it into our pack.  Buy Now / Read the Full Review

Patagonia Capilene Cool Merino Shirt

This shirt is so light and airy it’s like wearing just your birthday suit on the trail (without the awkward stares). On a blistering 100°F hike near Sedona, Arizona, the 65 percent merino wool/35 percent polyester fabric kept us from getting drenched over several sweaty miles. Buy Now / Read the Full Review

Matek Serval Squared Sports Bra 2.0

No woman likes to constantly retighten her bra straps on the trail, and the Serval Squared helps solve that problem. Its standout features are pliable plastic sliders located at the front of the straps, rather than out of reach at the back like most sports bras. Buy Now / Read the Full Review

Smartwool Merino Sport 8-Inch Shorts

These shorts keep us cool and comfortable during long trail days, and they never bag out. A double button and interior drawcord on the merino-lined waistband help dial in fit, and kept the shorts secure under the weight of a pack on a three-day backpacking trip around Mt. Hood, Oregon. Buy Now / Read the Full Review

Blyss Trail Skirt

Confession: We’ve never really liked wearing skorts on the trail, usually finding their confining fit a poor tradeoff for breathability. But the Trail Skirt’s freedom of movement and storage capacity have turned us into converts, especially for trail runs and short hikes without a pack. Buy Now / Read the Full Review

Shoulder-Season Hiking Apparel

Helly Hansen W LIFA Merino Lightweight Crew

The ideal trail shirt has the stink-free properties of merino wool and the quick-dry properties of synthetic fabric, and that’s how this two-layer long sleeve won us over. The interior polypropylene material helped wick away sweat within minutes and never made us itch, even on a foggy 50°F run in California’s Las Trampas Regional Wilderness Park. Buy Now / Read the Full Review

Mammut Aconcagua Light ML Hooded Jacket

Whether we were hiking in chilly conditions or hanging around camp at dusk, the Aconcagua Light was our stretchy second skin. “I loved how soft the ribbed lining is, and it stayed that way even after multiple washes,” says one tester, who threw it on over a sports bra after a breezy 45°F trail run in the Tetons. Buy Now / Read the Full Review

Beyond Clothing Women’s Veil Midweight K2 Pullover

At higher altitudes and in chilly weather, we stayed cozy and dry in this fleece. A cowl neck turns into a gaiter that stayed put over our mouth and nose on sub-30°F days near Ridgway, Colorado, and was also useful when we forgot a mask. Buy Now / Read the Full Review

Unightie

Truth: We felt ridiculous when we first put this wearable sleeping bag liner on. But we forgot about style once we realized how warm the Unightie kept us under a synthetic blanket on a 30°F night in Arizona’s Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Buy Now / Read the Full Review

Rab Ascendor Light Pants

The Ascendor Light’s polyamide/elastane fabric is stretchy enough in the waist and legs to fit a wide range of body shapes and sizes. This softshell pant was as flexible as we were when we made wide steps and deep knee bends in boulder fields and while bushwhacking, and the double-weave material and its PFC-free DWR kept us dry in light rain and warm down to 35°F. Buy Now / Read the Full Review