The Best Men’s Climbing Pants of 2024

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 opinions. 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, but for pretty much everything else, these are the ticket.

It’s refreshing to see a brand read the tea leaves and bring back a cult favorite, and the prAna Stretch Zion Pants certainly deserve the title.

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 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.

The Basin Pull-On has quickly become one of our favorites for both climbing and everyday use. With supreme comfort and a relatively affordable price tag, these are great climbing pants for folks on a budget.

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. For those looking for a reliable pair of climbing pants to wear in unpredictable mountain environments, go for the Gamma.

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 apparently dialed up a bit more, though in our opinion, it’s still 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.

Overall, the fit is on the looser side. These pants come in sizes XS-XL. We tested a size medium, and they fit pretty well on a 32-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.

Unfortunately, the new version of the Black Diamond Notion Pants did lose a rear pocket, which we will miss dearly. In the grand scheme these pants were never porting around tons of kit anyway, but a loss is a loss, and we’d rather have the space than not. That considered, the makeover is still a winner in our books.

The Notion is not 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.

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 five-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.

Limited features aside, we climbed for several days in these pants and found them to be well up to the task. Plus, the lack of climbing features makes them more capable in other aspects of life. For traveling,  general use, and occasional days at the crag, the Topo Designs Dirt 5-Pocket Pants are nothing short of a ten out of ten.

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 are 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 multipitch 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.

Newly updated in 2023, the Outdoor Reseach Cirque Lite Pants ($139) take an already capable alpine rock pant and elevate it 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 while 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 shockcord 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 high on our list.

For staying cool during high-intensity, fast-paced objectives, these lightweight pants from Patagonia are top-notch. The breathable and lightweight Terravia Light Alpine pants ($129) thrive in warm and humid conditions.

Made from a blend of polyester and spandex, these pants are super stretchy and will not restrict movement. Even with a highly tapered fit, they allowed us to high step, stem, and heel hook with ease.

Like all well-designed climbing pants, the Terravia Light fits comfortably under a harness or backpack. All three pockets have zippers, and a phone-sized thigh pocket sits out of the way of harness leg loops. We like the low-profile elastic waist belt but felt that the integrated drawstring belt often loosened up on its own.

As to be expected from ultra-lightweight pants, these are not the most durable option on our list. After a handful of pitches of trad climbing on rough granite, small patches of lightly frayed abrasion began to show around the knees. For off-width climbing and other more rugged disciplines, you’ll want something a little hardier.

We recommend the Patagonia Terravia Light Alpines for summertime alpine objectives, long approaches, and generally staying cool when the conditions get warm.

The Mountain Hardwear Chockstone Trail Pants ($99) are high-quality and fully capable of thriving on the rock or at the gym. The nylon and elastane construction is fairly standard, but the fit and features are well above average.

Like all good climbing pants, the Chockstone comes with an integrated fit adjuster at the waist. This micro webbing and buckle system is ultra-low profile — it never causes an issue underneath a harness. The actual buckle is so tiny that it can be difficult to grab and operate at times, but we found we got used to it after a few wears.

Like the brand’s excellent Basin pants, the only zipper pocket is in the rear. Though the pocket is secure and roomy, we’d prefer a thigh pocket for easy access while wearing a harness.

We’ve been wearing the Chockstone for a few months, and they still look good as new after an attempt on the Grand Teton and a multi-day ascent of El Capitan.

We recommend the Chockstone Trail Pants for climbing in moderate to warm weather. The material is light and breathable — perfect for hot summer days. If you’re looking for similar pants for cold weather or high-elevation climbing, Mountain Hardwear also makes an Alpine version. 

The origins of Gramicci are firmly rooted in rock climbing. Though their current apparel lineup trends slightly toward an urban setting, we found the NN pants ($110) to perform beautifully on the walls and boulders of Yosemite National Park.

Gramicci is credited with developing many active apparel innovations that have since become industry standards. The NN pants feature Gramicci’s patented gusset crotch and super-durable stretch cotton twill fabric.

This combination of features allows for unrestricted movement when climbing in the gym or at the crag. We climbed many pitches of rough granite cracks in these, and the fabric held strong without any signs of wear.

Though we love the feel and durability of the stretch cotton twill, it’s not quite as breathable as some of the more lightweight options on this list. These pants perform at their best in cooler conditions. Still, the minor lack of breathability is more than made up for in build quality and comfort.

The NN pants include an elastic waist belt that can be adjusted via a low-profile, built-in nylon belt. This adjustment system is simple, sturdy, and easy to access with a harness on. Though these pants do not include a zippered pocket, the rear pockets have a Velcro closure that helps secure a phone or other valuables on a multipitch route.

Overall, these are high-quality pants that are ready-made for use in all parts of your life — climbing, hiking, or just plain hanging out.