Hiking and backpacking rain pants are designed to keep you warm when you're hiking in rain, snow, or cold and windy weather. They do this by trapping your body heat and preventing cold precipitation, rain, or wind from stripping it away.While it'd be great if they also kept you dry in the rain, your pants or legs will inevitably get damp from the build-up of perspiration or internal condensation in cold weather if wearing them and hiking vigorously

While you can mitigate internal moisture buildup by buying waterproof/breathable pants, you're bound to overwhelm their ability to keep up with moisture vapor transfer if you hike in them for any length of time. You'll still stay warm if it's cold out even though it may be damp inside, because they trap your body heat. If you don't wear rain pants when it's raining, that body heat will “try to” evaporate the moisture on your skin, which can make you feel colder (it's called evaporative cooling). Wearing rain pants prevents this from happening so you stay warm and more comfortable. In more extreme cases, they also prevent hypothermia.

Here's a list of the best rain pants available today, whether they have zippers or not, and their weight (size medium) to help you make a selection.

Types of Rain Pants

There are three main types of rain pants: rain pants with zippers, rain pants without zippers, and rain chaps.

1. Rain pant zippers are like the pit zips on rain jackets because they let you vent moisture when opened. They run all the way down the outside of your legs or partway. When unzipped, they can also make it easier to put on or take off rain pants without having to take off your hiking shoes or boots.
2. Rain pants without zippers tend to be lighter weight than ones with zippers. They're also less likely to fail when a zipper breaks or jams. But you'll prespire more when using them because the excess heat you generate has no escape.
3. Rain chaps are leggings that cover your legs and attach to your pant belt, but don't cover your butt or crotch. While this makes them much more breathable, you need to wear a rain coat with a long torso or a poncho to prevent your crotch area from getting soaked.

Expected Frequency of Use

When choosing rain pants, you should ask yourself how frequently you expect to use them. If the chance of rain where you plan to hike is low, or if you only plan to use them for extra insulation on cold days or bug protection in camp, you'd probably benefit from buying a very lightweight pair of rain pants. There's no benefit in carrying around the extra weight of a heavy pair of rain pants if they're used infrequently.

Footwear Compatibility

When deciding between full-length zippers and ankle-height zippers, consider the type of shoes you'll be wearing on your hike. You can put on or take off most rain pants with ankle-height zippers without taking off low trail shoes or trail runners, but that can't be said of full hiking boots or mids. In general, full-length zippers are best for winter when you want lots of ventilation, and you don't want to have to take off big, bulky insulated winter hiking boots (and stand on freezing ground) to take off your rain pants. Rain pants with ankle-length zippers are usually much lighter weight and better for warmer weather.

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