Welcome to Ask an Outsider. We are here to answer your most pressing questions about enjoying time outside, like how to make outdoorsy friends, tips on going No. 2 in the woods or how to reconcile a different risk tolerance with a partner. Our advice givers are experts from both inside and outside REI Co-op who draw from their own experience and knowledge to help inform yours.
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Dear Outsider,
A close friend recently brought me along on my first real hike, a 2-mile outing at our local state park. We had a great conversation (I think we might have solved a few of the world’s problems!) and even saw a bald eagle soaring above the lake. I loved it!
The only issue: My jeans left me with some painful hot spots (I’ll leave the where up to the imagination). I’m excited to go on more excursions with my friend, but I think I need to invest in some different hiking pants. I’m not a big fan of those traditional khaki hiking bottoms—they don’t fit my vibe—and would feel much more comfortable hiking in jeans, but I definitely want to avoid the subsequent pain. Help?
Charlie S., REI Co-op Member since 2024
Dear Charlie,
First off, welcome to the hiking ranks! We’re glad you’re here. Lucky for you, outdoor brands have introduced plenty of style-forward hiking pants in non-khaki hues. Still, we hear you about wanting to hike in duds that fit your personality.
To answer your burning question about hiking in jeans: Yes, you can! Hitting the trail in denim doesn’t have to involve irritated skin at all. If you pick the right pair of trusty dungarees, the likelihood of chafing, rubbing or any other discomfort is as slim as Mick Jagger’s go-to pair of skinnies.
That’s because while the denim that is designed for athletic, outdoor activities might resemble the standard pair of britches, it actually features a hidden superpower: Performance jeans are made to move on the trail. Brands that specialize in hiking jeans, like DUER, Ripton and KUHL, use a high percentage of durable, breathable and abrasion-resistant cotton in their pants, blended with a synthetic fabric like elastane and/or spandex to give those blues a bit of stretch. Other movement-enhancing design elements like gussets and articulated knees can also help them flex freely, and some feature outdoor-ready details like windproof, water-resistant and antimicrobial treatments; fleece linings for warmth; and reflective hits for enhanced visibility.
The primary reason most outdoor enthusiasts discourage hiking in jeans is that cotton absorbs moisture easily, which both means it stays wet longer and that it can get cold quickly when damp. If you’re planning to sweat heavily or may encounter water or precip on your hike, consider opting for performance denim with added polyester, which wicks moisture and can keep you drier.
Always take care when choosing the right apparel for your activity. Learn more with our guides What to Wear Hiking and How to Choose Hiking Pants.
7 Reasons to Hike in Jeans
For more reasons to believe in trail denim, we asked Calgary, Alberta–based REI Co-op Member Jay McDonald, co-owner of commercial creative agency ROAM Creative, who spends 90% of his work days outdoors and behind a camera. When he’s not working, he’s usually outside by choice, regularly hiking more than 2,500 feet up the Canadian Rocky Mountains—and he almost always does so in his DUER All-Weather Denim Relaxed Taper jeans.
McDonald says not only can you rock the right kind of denim on your next hike, here are his top reasons (beyond style) why you should.
Hiking in jeans saves time and energy.
“When I know that I can go from the streets to the summit in the same outfit, that’s great,” McDonald says, celebrating the fact that he’s got one fewer decision to make. “I just want to go to work, go hiking after and then maybe grab beers—and not have to change.”
Hiking in jeans saves suitcase space.
Forget packing pants for every bullet point on your travel itinerary. The right pair of jeans can be as comfortable hiking in desertlike conditions as trekking to mountain tops—and you’ll still look natural when discussing work over brunch, says McDonald, who’s dusted sand from Israel’s Negev Desert and snow from the Swiss Alps off his performance denim.
Denim is built for tough jobs.
“People think it’s goofy to hike in jeans,” McDonald says, “but that’s what denim was made for: working, being on the farm, tossing hay around, getting [stuff] done. And hiking or being outside, that’s hard work.”
Can’t-be-beat durability.
Heavy-duty, full-coverage denim bottoms protect your legs from some of the great outdoors’ biggest downers: scrapes, insect bites and sunburns.
Nobody panics if you’re wearing the same thing as your buddy.
McDonald remembers a business trip to Switzerland when he and his coworkers, all fellow outdoors-folk and minimalist packers, wore the same DUER jeans to trek across the 9,744-foot Schilthorn–Piz Gloria summit. The next morning, they all happened to have those same jeans on while walking through town to get coffee. “It looked normal because we were just wearing jeans,” he says. “If you see five dudes walking down the street in super rugged hiking pants, you’re like, ‘What is happening?! They have different colored patches on their thighs? Something is about to go down.’”
You’ll always have an ear worm to get you through that last interminable stretch of trail.
“Forever in blue jeans, babe.” “I pull my blue jeans on; I pull my old blue jeans on.” “I’m a jean-y in a bottle.” Just try to name one tune that waxes poetic about a nylon-spandex blend with zip-off legs. We’ll wait.
With denim, you wear your memories.
Hikes often serve as the backdrop to deep conversations and campfire-worthy anecdotes. We always carry those memories in abstract form, but jeans make them tangible. “If you’ve got a nice leather belt or a nice leather wallet, you get a patina; it’s kind of road-worn,” McDonald says. “Denim is the same way. If it has grass stains or dust from the trail, that’s just part of the story.” And it becomes part of yours.