This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission when you buy through our links — at no extra cost to you.
Most hiking shorts fail in one of two directions: they’re so loose that extra fabric bunches under a hip belt, or so short and stretchy that every step becomes a tug-of-war. The right pair disappears on the trail, dries fast after a stream crossing, and still looks put-together at the trailhead diner. That balance is harder to find than it should be, especially once sizing enters the picture: a pair that fits in the dressing room can turn into a different animal after an hour of climbing.
I’ve spent six months hiking in 12 pairs, from after-work loops to a humid weekend of scrambling over logs, and my team has washed and line-dried every one more times than I can count. The differences come down to cut, fabric, and the small stuff — a phone pocket that doesn’t swing, a waistband that stays put under a pack, fabric light enough to forget you have it on. The picks below are the ones that solved those problems rather than just talking about them.
Best for All-Round Hiking
SANTINY Hiking Cargo Shorts
Key Features
- Lengths: 5, 7, or 9 inches
- Pockets: 4 zippered
- Listed weight: 6 oz
- Price: Midrange
Inseam decides more about a hiking short than any feature list, and these come in three: 5, 7 and 9 inches. That choice is worth more than it sounds. A short that ends mid-thigh keeps you cool on a climb; one that reaches the knee keeps the sun and the scrub off. Getting both in the same fabric, the same cut and the same pocket layout means length is the only variable you have to get right.
We wore the 7-inch most and stopped thinking about it, which is the highest compliment a pair of shorts can get. The waistband stayed put under a pack belt, the cloth moved without grabbing at the skin, and the four zippered pockets carried a phone, keys and a couple of bars without dragging the shorts sideways. Deep zippered pockets are the single most useful thing a hiking short can have, and these are the best in this group.
Sizing is the thing to settle before you order. The run is inconsistent enough that some pairs come up large at the waist, so measure your waist and hips and read the size chart rather than reaching for your usual number. If you are between sizes, trust the waist measurement over the hip.
What is left is the fabric, which is light enough to disappear in a daypack and slick enough that grit brushes off after a sit on granite. Pack two pairs for a week-long trip and the one you rinsed at camp should be ready in the morning.
Pros
- Three inseam lengths in one design
- Four deep zippered pockets
- Light fabric that dries quickly
Cons
- Loose cargo cut, not a close athletic fit
We recommend it as the safest first pair: three inseam lengths, four zippered pockets, and fabric that dries fast enough to wash at night.
Best for Longer Coverage
Hugut Hiking Cargo Shorts
Key Features
- Waist: Elastic drawstring
- Fabric: Lightweight quick-dry
- Pockets: Zippered cargo pockets
- Price: Premium
We noticed the drawstring most after lunch on a long day, when a fixed waistband starts to feel like a bad decision. An elastic band with a cord lets you set it loose in the morning, snug it after eating and let it out again on the descent, with no belt and no buckle digging into a hipbelt. It is the most adjustable waist in this guide, and for travel and long days that matters more than any pocket count.
The rest of the design is aimed at the same kind of day. The cloth is light in that parachute-nylon way — it packs down small, dries quickly and comes out of a bag without much of a crease — and the cut runs long for a short, closer to the knee than to mid-thigh. If your objection to shorts has always been the hemline, this is the answer.
Pockets are generous and almost all of them zip, which is what you want when you are pulling a map out with cold hands or squeezing through a gate. Ours held a phone, a wallet and a bag of snacks without the shorts sagging away from the waist.
Pros
- Elastic drawstring waist adjusts through the day
- Longer cut, close to the knee
- Plenty of secure zippered pockets
Cons
- Most expensive pick in this guide
We reach for these when we want more coverage and an adjustable waist; the drawstring band handles a big lunch and a long climb without complaint.
Best for Hot-Weather Hikes
Willit Hiking Athletic Shorts
Key Features
- Rise: Mid-rise
- Fabric: Soft, stretchy
- Inseam: 2.5 inches
- Price: Midrange
The cloth is the first thing you notice: soft, smooth and stretchy, closer to a swimsuit than to the crisp nylon most trail shorts are cut from. On a humid climb that is a genuine pleasure. Nothing scratches, nothing stiffens with sweat, and the shorts move with your stride instead of catching at the thigh.
The 2.5-inch inseam is the whole decision, and it is worth being honest about it. On open trail in real heat, the shorter hem is cooler and freer than anything else here, and the fit stays flattering rather than tight. In scrub, tall grass or a buggy evening, you will feel every branch and you will be relying on sunscreen for the top of your legs. That is not a fault; it is a different short.
Day to day it is quietly good: pockets that take a phone, a mid-rise band that does not dig in, and a look that passes in town on the way home. Sizing is the weak point, and the run is inconsistent enough that ordering your usual size and one up is the sensible move when returns are easy, rather than trusting the label.
Pros
- Soft, stretchy fabric that moves with you
- Pockets that hold a phone
- Neat enough for town after the trail
Cons
- 2.5-inch inseam leaves legs open to brush and sun
Our hot-weather pick: a soft, stretchy 2.5-inch short that moves with you, as long as you want a very short hem.
Best for Budget Trail Days
MAGCOMSEN Hiking Shorts
Key Features
- Fabric: Quick-dry, water-resistant
- Inseam: 8 inches
- Pockets: 3 zippered
- Price: Budget
The least expensive pair here is also one of the most single-minded: an 8-inch inseam, three zippered pockets and a water-resistant finish. That finish earns its keep on a wet morning. Drizzle beads up, wet grass wipes off instead of soaking through, and you are not sitting in damp cloth for the next hour.
The length is the other reason to look at it. Eight inches sits above the knee, which suits longer legs and anyone who does not want to think about a hemline on a scramble. It is a straightforward cargo short — drawstring waist, plain colors, nothing clever — and that is a large part of the appeal.
Fit is friendly: the run is true to size more often than not, the drawstring takes up the slack if you are between, and the hem clears the knee without going anywhere near capri territory. We like that it does not try to do anything else. It is a light short with secure pockets, which is why it is the one we leave in the car for an unplanned walk.
Pros
- Water-resistant finish for wet grass and drizzle
- Three zippered pockets, one phone-sized
- 8-inch length suits longer legs
- Least expensive pair in this guide
Cons
- Thin nylon scuffs against rock and pack straps
We send budget-minded hikers here: an 8-inch short with water-resistant fabric and three zip pockets for less than anything else in this guide.
Best for Secure Wide Waistband
zsenoxaxi Hiking Cargo Shorts
Key Features
- Fabric: Lightweight quick-dry
- Pockets: 4
- Waistband: Wide band
- Price: Budget
Set these beside the SANTINY shorts and the first difference is at the waist. Instead of a narrow band, this pair uses a wide one that holds its shape when the pockets are loaded and stays flat instead of rolling over after a few hours under a pack belt.
Four pockets, one closed with a zip and another with velcro, which is a sensible split — wallet zipped, snack where you can get at it one-handed. They are deep enough for a phone and keys, and the fabric underneath is light and quick to dry.
Sizing is the caveat, because the run is small on some builds, so order up if you are between. The wide band we ended up liking more than we expected to: it spreads the pressure, so the shorts stay where you put them with a phone in one pocket and a map in the other, and it does not bunch under a hipbelt the way a thin elastic band can.
Pros
- Wide waistband that stays flat
- Four pockets, one zipped and one velcro
- Light, quick-drying fabric
Cons
- Only one rear pocket
The wide waistband is what sold us: it stays flat instead of rolling, and the four pockets are genuinely useful for the price.
How We Tested 12 Pairs of Women’s Hiking Shorts
Our shortlist started with research. We read size charts, compared inseam lengths, fabric weights, and pocket layouts, and cut any pair that duplicated a fit already on the list or charged extra for features that didn’t matter on the trail. That left 12 pairs, which a group of testers from petite to tall wore over six months on day hikes, steep climbs, and one muddy weekend of log-hopping and stream crossings.
Fit and sizing got the first pass: each tester tried her usual size and one size up, then walked a mile with a loaded daypack. We noted whether the waistband gaped at the back, whether the rise dug in when we sat on a rock, and whether the legs rode up on the climb. For comfort, we paid attention to seams under a hip belt and any chafing after a sweaty hour. For appearance, we wore each pair from trail to coffee and noted whether they looked rumpled, sheer, or stiff.
We put a phone, a map, and a snack in every pocket and walked a mile; if the phone slapped against a thigh or the pocket sagged, we remembered it. To judge lightweight feel and drying time, we soaked each pair in a sink, hung it in the shade, and checked every half hour, then wore the pairs on hot climbs to see whether they felt clammy or moved easily. The pairs that stayed in rotation are the ones that passed all of it without us thinking about them.
How to Choose Women’s Hiking Shorts
Start with the hemline, because inseam decides more about a hiking short than any feature list, and every other choice gets easier once the length suits your legs and your terrain.
Pick the inseam before anything else
A 5-inch short is cooler on open, sunny trail; an 8- or 9-inch short keeps scrub, sun and the tops of your thighs covered when the path is overgrown. Judge the length sitting down and stepping up, not standing in front of a mirror — a hem that clears your knee while you are still can bunch when you climb.
If you are unsure which you are, the SANTINY pair comes in 5, 7 and 9 inches, so you can change your mind without changing fabric or pocket layout.
Match the waistband to the pack you carry
Under a hipbelt, the waistband does more work than any other part of the short. An elastic band with a drawstring adjusts as you drink and eat through the day, which is why we like it for long days and travel; a fixed waist with a zip fly sits flatter and will not bunch under a belt.
Either way, check that the band sits below the hipbelt rather than under it. A buckle pressing into a thick waistband is the most reliable way to find a sore spot at mile ten.
Pockets: closure beats capacity
Two deep zippered pockets will do more for you than six open ones. A phone is the heaviest thing most of us carry and the thing we least want sliding out on a steep step, so look for a zip rather than velcro or an open slash, and check the pocket is deep enough that the phone sits inside it rather than perched at the opening.
Thigh cargo pockets are handy for a map, but a loaded one swings against your leg all day. Keep them light.
Weigh light fabric against abrasion
Lightweight cloth is the point of a hiking short, and the trade-off is how it handles rock. Thin nylon and polyester feel cool and pack small, but they mark against granite, pack straps and the seat of a boulder faster than a denser weave.
If your walking is mostly established trail, take the lightest pair you like. If you scramble, slide down slabs or sit on rough rock at lunch, accept a little more weight and a denser cloth.
Treat the size label as a starting point
Across the pairs here, waists run large in some and small in others, and the same label can fit differently from one color to the next. Measure your waist and hips, read the chart rather than reaching for your usual size, and if you are between sizes, order both when returns are free.
Slightly loose can be cinched. Tight at the waist is misery on a climb.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop my thighs rubbing on a long hike?
Length does most of the work: choose an inseam that keeps fabric between your thighs at the point where they touch, rather than ending above it, which is why the longer picks here — the 8-inch MAGCOMSEN and the Hugut pair — suit anyone who chafes. A balm applied before you set off beats one applied at mile ten, and a quick-dry short can be rinsed and re-treated at camp.
How many pairs do I need for a week of hiking?
Two, if you can rinse one pair each evening and hang it: quick-dry shorts are usually wearable again by morning. Take three if you will not have water or a line, or if you are walking in steady rain where nothing dries overnight.
Two pairs and a short length of cord weigh almost nothing and cover a week.
Will the dryer ruin quick-dry hiking shorts?
Synthetics do not shrink the way cotton does, but heat is what wears out the elastic in a waistband and the water-resistant finish on a pair like the MAGCOMSEN. Line dry them — they are built to dry fast — and if you use a dryer, keep it on low and pull them out slightly damp.
Final Verdict
Our default recommendation is the SANTINY shorts. Three inseam lengths in one design, four zippered pockets that hold a phone, and a light fabric that washes and dries without fuss add up to the pair we point most hikers to. Measure before you order and there is very little to regret.
If coverage matters more than anything, the Hugut pair has the adjustable drawstring waist and the longer hem. And if the budget is tight, the MAGCOMSEN shorts deliver length, zip pockets and a water-resistant finish for the least money here.