prAna Stretch Zion Convertible Pants For Men Review

The last few weeks I've been looking out for good hiking pants for men and for women. Today I want to add another pair of great hiking pants to the men's list, the prAna Stretch Zion Convertible Pants for men.

These came to my attention after seeing lots of great user feedback across the web so I thought a closer look was in order. Another thing that really jumped out at me about the brand is that they seem to be very socially conscious and environmentally aware which is pretty cool.

I'm going to start with the visuals on these pants. In my opinion, the prAna Stretch Zion convertible pants look like hiking pants should but they're also smart enough that they wouldn't look out of place on a city street.

Now, I don't wear my hiking pants doing day-to-day things but it could well be a requirement for many, especially if you're backpacking moving from town to town via the hills.

It's interesting, as recently I bought I nice pair of nylon hiking pants, similar to these, from Berghaus and I have to admit that the thought has occurred to me, that I would actually enjoy wearing them out for normal day-to-day use which is not something I normally do. They're more comfortable than jeans for sure!

The pants are mostly made from 97% nylon with 3% spandex. The nylon mixed with spandex gives some pretty darn good stretching capability which, by all accounts is very functional. Why is that important?

Well, when you're out on the trail, at some point you will need to negotiate trickier terrain. Be that some rocky areas you need to scramble over or some marshy lowlands you need flexibility for, as your feet sink into the ground with each step, you need the ability to move freely and easily, otherwise you will be chaffing and stumbling and no-one wants that now do they 😉

The material make-up in these pants give you the freedom to handle exactly those types of situations. The nylon is also quick drying so even if you get caught in a deluge, you will dry off quickly. A must for the trail in temperamental conditions!

As any regular hiker will tell you, you need breathability in a good pair of hiking pants. You need to be able to let air get in around your legs to let your legs stay dry and cool should you be pushing it hard on a steep incline or challenging peak. Need to let sweat wick away from your skin.

I have this option in a pair of Columbia pants I have and it is great. They're made in such a way that you don't need to take your boots off, just open the zips, take the bottoms off and you're good to go. Really handy to have this option when out hiking up peaks on a hot day. Simply turn your pants into shorts as it get's warmer as you descend. Perfect!

The prAna Stretch Zion pants are suitable for multiple outdoor activities so if you like to do a bit of rock climbing as well as hiking, they will fit the bill just fine. (Think about the Versatility and Flexibilty as mentioned above)

Finally, they will be suitable most of the year round as a good all round pair of hiking pants, I'd say you're good with these as 3 season pants and possibly part of season number 4 too depending where you're doing your hiking of course.

Any good pair of pants needs to have decent sized and functional pockets. The pockets on these are standard enough for hiking pants, two cargo and two hand pockets. For me personally this would work fine but a zipped secure key type pocket might also be nice to have.

I should mention here that I did read some comments from a few reviewers that the cargo pockets are a bit small but that's probably more a personal taste thing that any fault in the pants as such.

Best Uses

The prAna Stretch Zion pants are great for any type of hiking in most conditions. As you can see from the photo;s they're also very easy on the eye so they will look great walking about town or touring around a city on a day exploring.

They're comfortable and easy to maintain and care for so they are truly versatile when it comes to what they're best used for. They'll work great for most outdoor activities e.g. climbing, backpacking, hiking, etc.

In conclusion, I think these pants are a really good pair of hiking pants suitable for most of the year round use. They look the part and they're not overly priced in comparison to other similar hiking pants, so I think you could do a lot worse than go with these pants.

They have everything I would look for in a pair of good hiking pants, versatility, flexibility and functionality. They even look pretty stylish too so you won't go amiss wearing them as casual pants.

A big thumbs up from Cool Hiking Gear on the prAna Stretch Zion convertible Pants for men!

If you are just starting on the road to buying a good pair of hiking pants, check out the hiking pants buying guide, that will walk you through all the things you need to think about before buying a pair of hiking pants to meet your needs. Also, you can check out some top hiking pants recommendations here.

Have you used these pants on the trail? I’d love to hear about your experience with them in the comments below.