The Best Men’s Climbing Pants of 2026

The Patagonia Venga Rock Pants ($109) have long been a staple of the Patagonia climbing line, and the most recent iteration is easily the best. So good, in fact, that we’ve named them our favorite climbing pants of 2025. The balance of comfort and durability makes them the pants we want to boulder, sport climb, or just hang out in from spring to fall. There are better, all-synthetic choices for alpine climbing, but for everything else, we’ll happily pull on a pair of Vengas.

Older versions of the Venga used a very comfortable, lightweight cotton fabric that couldn’t hold up to a season of climbing and scrambling in the High Sierra. Our lead tester fondly remembers the pants hanging off the local Tuolumne dirtbags like rags.

A decade and several redesigns later, Patagonia has nailed the material weight and blend. It’s stretchy enough for the highest high steps, durable enough for the occasional offwidth, and the cotton is still soft and comfortable.

The fit is fairly neutral and shouldn’t offend. It’s not too baggy, but not hip-hugging like the Patagonia Terravia Alpine pants. The Vengas have stretchy elastic panels on either side of the waistband. Brand new, it makes the waist feel very comfy, but after a few washes and a few months of wear, our tester needed to use a belt. There are belt loops, and the pants still felt plenty comfortable with the belt, just be forewarned. Otherwise, these are a perfect fit for climbing. They’re not overly baggy, and the gusseted crotch, articulated knees, and 7% spandex material allow for complete freedom of movement.

Features-wise, these pants have what you want without any gimmicks that would immediately call you out as a climber (depending on your color choice) among the general public. Two deep hand pockets are oriented to stay out of the way of your harness, with a third zippered thigh pocket for your phone or a topo.

Unless rain is in the forecast, the Vengas are a fine pair of pants for a multi-pitch. The two back pockets are pretty standard, but they don’t have a closure. Finally, an elastic cord allows you to cinch down the heel cuffs if that’s your style. If it’s not, you’d never know they’re there.

Again, we don’t recommend the Venga’s for every type of climbing. The BD Alpine pants, or really any all-synthetic pair of trousers, are a better choice for volatile mountain weather. But for bouldering, cragging, and summertime multi-pitching, you won’t be disappointed by the Vengas.

The simple and streamlined Basin Pull-On Pants ($79) from Mountain Hardwear are the most comfortable rock climbing pants we tested. We recommend these pants to any climber looking for a go-to pair of pants for all types of fair-weather climbing.

Unlike many of the pants on this list, the Basin has a straight-leg fit. The extra roominess in the legs allows for totally unrestricted movement. The stretchy blend of nylon and elastane breathes well, too. We never overheated in these, even though the pair we tested was dyed black.

Dual square-cut, drop-in front pockets help prevent your items from easily sliding out while climbing. A zippered back pocket provides a secure place to keep a phone on multipitch routes, though it’s slightly tricky to access while hanging in a harness.

Even after many uses, the elastic waistband held its shape and never dug into our skin. As a backup, a simple drawstring allows the wearer to customize their fit. These pants do not open at the fly, which slightly complicates the process of relieving oneself in certain climbing scenarios.

Though nicely priced, these pants are fairly bare-bones in terms of features. There’s no zippered fly, the knees aren’t articulated, and the crotch isn’t gusseted. If you can get a good fit, the stretch factor should allow for decent mobility, but not like the prAna Stretch Zion or the BD Alpine pants. The Basin Pull-ons are comfortably baggy, but their loose, drapey appearance might not be a great choice for date night. If, however, you’re on a budget and looking for capable, comfortable climbing pants, the Basin Pull-ons will do the trick.

Stretchy and comfortable, the Black Diamond Sequence Pants ($95) are nearly perfect for bouldering and training on all but the warmest days. Whether you’re sending double-digit boulder problems or just lying around the house, they feel great against the skin. These pants feel more like something from Vuori or another athleisure brand than techy climbing pants, but ripstop nylon and a DWR treatment ensure they’ll survive a winter in Hueco Tanks and weather the summer bouldering season in Tuolumne Meadows. Plus, nobody will think twice if you wear them straight to dinner after a training session.

The material blend in the pants is their strongest selling point. It’s an awesome combination of comfort and durability. They fared well during a winter of butt-scootching down quartz monzonite in the Buttermilks and a fair amount of padless knee barring in Bishop’s volcanic tablelands. We tested the equally comfortable, hemp Patagonia Hampi pants, and they did not fare as well. With a DWR treatment, the Sequence pants won’t leave you totally SOL in a rainstorm, and the synthetic material will dry quickly if you do get properly soaked. Synthetic material tends to hold odor more than cotton, so be mindful if you’re living in the Sequence Pants for days on end without washing them.

A comfy, elastic waistband with a drawstring keeps these pants up, while two back pockets with snap closures keep items secure. The Sequence pants don’t have a fly, which is really our only complaint. A fly is very convenient when you’re wearing a harness, especially on a multi-pitch when you’ve got a rope, a belay device, and a personal anchor device all converging near your crotch. For this reason, they’re not our favorite pants for multi-pitch climbing, and they don’t make the tippy top of our list.

For training and bouldering, Black Diamond knocks it out of the park with the Sequence pants. The brand has come a long way since its apparel launch in 2013, when it released odd-fitting pants with a crotch that blew out in a few weeks. The Sequence pants are so good, and we know folks who already own multiple pairs.

“The rope, the rack, and the shirt on your back” is the old saying that championed a minimalist, ground-up ethic in climbing. We assume the pants were implied, and the Black Diamond Alpine Pants ($150) carry the tradition of bold minimalism, with everything you need in a pair of climbing pants and nothing you don’t.

First things first, our 155-pound, 5’10” tester feels like BD really nailed the fit. Not too tight, not too baggy, and the combination of 4-way stretch fabric, gusseted crotch, and articulated knees allows for a complete range of motion. If you can’t high step to your shoulder, it’s time to do some stretching, because these pants are not the limiting factor. However, if you’ve got big legs from bagging lots of peaks, they may feel a little tight. 

The BD Alpine Pants have three pockets — two hand pockets and one on the side. All are zippered to keep your Gu’s and chapsticks from falling into the void, and the hand pockets are positioned to stay out of the way of your leg loops. There’s no back pocket, but you don’t need your wallet up there anyway. The feature set rounds out with a low-profile adjustable belt and adjustable hems. The slim, built-in belt feels much more comfortable paired with a harness than a regular belt.

These pants are for fair-weather alpinism, like long traverses in the Wind River range or the High Sierra. They dry quickly and have a DWR treatment that will prevent them from soaking through in light rain, but they are thin, and you’ll want some warm baselayers in cold weather. When the forecast calls for snow or a lot of mixed precip, you’ll want something a bit more heavy-duty, like the Arc’teryx Gamma Pants.

We shimmied up chimneys and a handful of offwidths in our backyard of Bishop in California and butt-scootched over sharp limestone boulders in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. Sometimes, the pants got snagged on thorns or sharp rock, but they never ripped. So far, the BD Alpine Pants have held up well. If you’re boppin’ around the lower 48, these pants will be perfect for whatever type of climbing you’re doing from April to October. BD also makes an Alpine Light pant that we haven’t had the opportunity to test yet, and we’re very curious how a capable pant for alpine climbing could be any lighter than these.

For cold-weather climbing conditions, the Gamma Pants ($200) from Arc’teryx offer an impressive balance of warmth, comfort, and freedom of movement. We tested these pants in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, during a series of blustery early spring climbing sessions. Our lower body always felt warm and well-protected — even when exposed to severe winds and rain.

These versatile softshell pants will thrive in any cold-weather climbing scenario. For ice climbing or mountaineering, the Gamma is equipped with many helpful features.

Unlike most pants on this list, the Gamma is a bit of a thicker weave, making them feel lightly insulated. Even with the extra warmth, the pants remain fairly breathable, an ideal combination for constantly changing alpine conditions. We wore these in all sorts of weather and even used them for backcountry skiing on a mild spring day.

While multipitch rock climbing, we appreciated the addition of a zippered thigh pocket that was easy to access with a harness on. An integrated, low-profile, adjustable waistband is simple to use and eliminates the need for a belt.

The straight-legged regular fit is roomy enough to allow a full range of motion. Stems, splits, and high steps are all on the menu in the Gamma. The adjustable cuffs help maintain a clear line of sight between you and the rock or snow beneath your feet.

Like most Arc’teryx gear, these pants are not cheap. However, their high-quality materials, thoughtful features, and impressive versatility offer plenty of value for the price. The Prana Stretch Zion and the BD Alpine pants are less expensive and can cover much of the same territory, but just won’t hack it in the worst weather. For those looking for a reliable pair of climbing pants to wear in unpredictable mountain environments, go for the Gamma.

A few things became clear within 10 seconds of donning the Topo Designs Dirt 5-Pocket Pants ($109) — they fit perfectly and felt great. After a quick mirror check, we discovered they looked quite snazzy, too. Check, check, check — trifecta complete.

The tight cotton weave of the Dirt Pants feels soft and supple against the skin, while the exterior is highly abrasion- and stain-resistant. After over 20 days of use of rock climbing, housework, hikes, and grocery store runs, the pants still look and feel new. No pilling, fraying, or ripping whatsoever.

At 6’3” and roughly 170 pounds, our climbing pants tester, Austin Beck-Doss, typically goes for the longest pants length available in a 32 waist. In the case of the Dirt, Topo only offers a 32 x 32. With a surplus of skepticism, Austin grabbed a pair and — against the odds — they fit just right. That said, these pants certainly have a longer cut than most others on the market. This bodes well for the tall and lanky, but perhaps less so for the short and stout, depending on your style preferences.

Length aside, the Dirt pants are close-fitting and slim, but not so much that they impede mobility while hiking or climbing. A dash of woven-in spandex adds just the right amount of flex. At 98% cotton, these are not your high-tech synthetic alpine pants. They look and fit more like quality workwear.

Design-wise, this design offers a classic 5-pocket layout: two roomy front pockets, one small front change pocket, and two drop-in butt pockets. Hidden inside the right rear pocket, a zippered closure allows you to secure a wallet, phone, topo, or other valuables while climbing. If your project involves a full-on bat hang, rest assured that the contents of your pocket won’t rain down upon your belayer.

Aside from the zippered pocket and stretchy material, the Dirt Pants don’t have any climbing-specific features. They aren’t strictly made for climbing, they just happen to work quite well — especially for offwidth, bouldering, and other blue-collar styles that put a lot of wear and tear on apparel. None of the Dirt Pants’ pockets are easily accessible with a harness on, and customization of the waist fit requires a traditional belt — which we tend to avoid while climbing. A climbing-specific model like the Black Diamond Alpine pant is tooled to comfortably accommodate a harness, but won’t give off the same blue-collar casual vibes.

Many climbers consider jeans too hot and too restrictive for climbing, but these might change their minds. We tested several pairs of climbing jeans, and we found Coalatree’s new Decaf Denim ($109) the most capable and comfortable of them all.

The common complaints about climbing in jeans just don’t apply to these pants, and they still manage to preserve the feel and durability of high-quality denim.

Coalatree is known for its low-impact manufacturing processes and utilization of recycled materials. Uniquely, each pair of their Decaf Denim pants is partly made from recycled coffee grounds and plastic water bottles. This innovative fabric blend feels highly breathable compared to other jeans.

We wore these while sport climbing in warm summer weather, and we remained cool and comfortable throughout the day. Upon their first use, these jeans feel soft and lightweight against the skin, and the four-way stretch makes them plenty flexible for dynamic climbing movements.

Though these jeans are not designed specifically for climbing, they have been purpose-built for active use. A hidden zippered rear pocket keeps items secure and would certainly come in handy while multi-pitch climbing.

Like many jeans, the Decaf Denim is cut extra long to allow the wearer to cuff or roll the legs. Unlike many jeans, these pants manage to look great and also function as high-quality climbing apparel.

Climbing in the Patagonia Hampi Rock Pants ($99) feels like climbing in pajamas. Taken as an endorsement, this means they’re light and comfortable, and make high steps, drop knees, and over-the-head heel hooks as easy as possible. Taken as a criticism, you could argue that they aren’t durable enough to withstand the rigors of crack climbing, bushwhacking, and scrambling. 

These pants are great for lounging, stretching, yoga, board climbing, lifting, bouldering, and sport climbing when it’s warm outside. The hemp and spandex blend feels great and allows for total freedom of movement. The elastic waist is comfortable and has held up well. After a few months of use, they still stay up even without tying the drawstring.

In the mountains, up against the elements, you’re going to want a tougher pair of pants. The Venga rock pants are better in terms of durability and versatility, and the BD Alpine pants would be a better choice for the Alpine (it’s in the name!). For folks who mainly boulder or climb indoors, the Hampi pants are a comfortable choice. They’re just a little bit too light-duty for traditional climbing, which bumps them further down on our list.

The beloved Black Diamond Notion Pants ($95) are back on the scene, and they’ve got a few new tweaks (and still all of the comfort we loved about the previous version).

With a redesigned waistband, the drawstring tie rests inside the pants, keeping it tucked out of the way of harnesses — an improvement we give a nod to. The cotton twill material is also dialed up a bit more, though, in our opinion, it feels the same soft fabric we formerly enjoyed in the earlier version.

Though we tested these pants for various climbing disciplines, we liked them most for bouldering. They can accommodate high steps, mantles, and wide stemming with ease — all movements relatively common in the sport. Because bouldering usually takes place in cooler weather, it’s a perfect activity for the thicker material of the Notion. They’re also a comfortable choice for sport climbing. Just remember, comfortable cotton can get pretty swampy on long approaches in the hot sun, and moisture-wicking is not something these pants do. A synthetic pant like the PrAna Stretch Zion will perform better in sweaty scenarios.

Overall, the fit is on the tighter side, though the elastane keeps things stretchy and comfortable. These pants come in sizes XS-XL. We tested a size small, and they fit pretty well on a 30-inch waist, though the legs did have a shorter crop. Thanks to the elastic waist and cuffs, the Notion can stretch to accommodate different body types.

The Notion pants have two hand pockets and a right rear pocket. The jogger style is in right now, and we wouldn’t think twice about heading straight to the bar from the gym while wearing them. For more crag-to-town options, check out the Topo Designs dirt 5-pocket pants, or the Coaltree Decaf Denim. The Notions aren’t packed with features or technical materials. Instead, these are extremely comfortable climbing pants best suited for bouldering in the gym or outside in cooler temps.

Lightweight and comfortable, the Patagonia Terravia Alpine Pants ($149) are ready for all-day fun in the sun. Reinforced panels on butt and the legs protect key areas of wear, and a generous stretch allows for all manner of contorions. For long approaches that cover numerous microclimates on the way to the summit, the Terravia is a worthy choice, just don’t expect much weather protection and bring an insulating layer to throw over your legs if you’re expecting long, windy belays.

“Alpine” can mean a lot of different things. Alpine climbing in California might look like hiking through miles of sagebrush, dealing with a little wind, and maybe seeing a patch of snow in some shady coloir. Alpine climbs in Washington may require solid glacier skills, a lot of steep walking, and special sunglasses that protect your nose. The Terravia are more suited to the former. They’re light and breathable, and while the DWR treatment is a nice touch, they’re not going to stay dry very long in substantial rain. The BD Alpine pants or even the Arc’teryx Gamma pants are more of what you’re looking for if your day involves crampons and inclement weather.

Case in point, our tester used these pants on two free attempts of Moonlight buttress in Zion National Park, and while he could see some snow patches up on the north-facing rim of the canyon, the climbing was not “alpine.” To him, the Terravia Alpine pants felt perfect on both days, where he mostly climbed in the shade with highs in the mid-60s. 

The Terravia Alpine Pants have 2 hand pockets, one back pocket, and a useful thigh pocket. The thigh pocket is the perfect size for an iPhone 12 mini. Larger phones are a tight fit. After a few days of climbing sandstone, a small hole wore through the pocket, The panels over the butt are reinforced and slightly thicker, as are the ankles, though a misplaced crampon spike could still easily shred through.

Overall, these are a great pair of technical climbing trousers. They fit well and have plenty of stretch, just know that they are better suited to “alpine-light” and not so much to alpinism.

They’re back! After enjoying high praise from climbers everywhere for some 20 years, the prAna Stretch Zion Pants ($95) have returned to their original fabric (after a brief stint as offered with prAna’s ‘ReZion’ material — a slicker and less-breathable substitute). Rest assured, this is the real deal again, and we’re here for it.

You don’t have to be an OG to appreciate the Stretch Zions, either — these pants simply nail the execution at pretty much every angle for what we’re looking for in the best climbing pants. The hallmark Stretch Zion material is a 97% nylon/3% elastane blend that balances the breathability to durability scales well, and is cut with a generous hand to provide all the room you need to make the move.

The pocket layout, too, is nigh-perfect: two deep drop side pockets are mesh-lined to bump up the ventilation factor, and are flanked by two rear pockets (one with a flap to retain essentials when things get inverted), as well as a thigh pocket that opens with two different zippers — one horizontal, and one vertical. Killer for accessing while wearing a harness.

The tradeoff for the original fabric is going to be eventual pilling after hard climbing, but the trade-off in stretch and breathability is well worth it in our opinion. These pants are ideal for anyone climbing outdoors on a variety of rock types and in multiple climates. If you’re thrutching up burly squeeze chimneys often, you may want something with a bit better armor, such as the Topo Designs Dirt 5-Pocket Pants.

Updated back in 2023, the Outdoor Research Cirque Lite Pants ($139) elevate an already capable alpine rock pant with a few new key features, including an integrated belt, expandable ankle gusset, and tweaked scuff guards over the previous version.

We first tested the Cirque Lites during an early spring pilgrimage to Joshua Tree, where they might have at first felt undergunned, surprised us with their rough and tumble durability. The Crique Lite pant is obviously a lighter cut of the uber-popular OR Cirque pant, but whereas those pants excel as mountaineering softshells, we found the Lites right at home on rock pitches.

At 12% spandex, there’s stretch for days in these climbing pants, and on pitch after pitch, we had no problem making the move. We also greatly appreciated the zippers on all pockets, which kept our phone and essentials where they needed to be.

The expandable ankles also feature loops for a piece of shock cord under the instep, making these pants ideal in our minds for early-season snow approaches to rock routes, where you very well may hike up in high-top approach shoes or boots, then transition to rock shoes.

For the climber who wants a light summer alpine pant that moves with you, the Outdoor Research Cirque Lite Pants are a solid choice.