This article is part of our series?Battle of the Brands, in which we compare category-leading products to their counterparts to determine which are actually worth your money.
With the weather warming, the blossoms blooming and trekking season rearing its head again, chances are you’re looking for that perfect pair of hiking pants to comfortably explore the bucket list trails on your calendar. But what even makes a pair of hiking trousers worth the splurge, and where can you stand to save a little cash?
We pitted a pair of bestselling budget REI Trailmade Pants against performance brand Arc’teryx’s all-new Gamma Hybrid Pants to answer that very question. To get a full view of where each of the pants shined (and where they weren’t so great), I personally hiked up and down a handful of peaks in the Rocky Mountain foothills and took both pairs of trousers on a 10-day hiking tour of Japan’s fabled Nakasendo Way with Walk Japan. Over the course of a solid month of testing, these babies weathered rainstorms, blustery springtime winds, hotel sink washes and miles upon miles of sweaty thighs.
Read on to find out if the REI Trailmade Pants or the Arc’teryx Gamma Hybrid Pants are the right addition to your hiking gear.
REI Co-op Trailmade Pants vs. Arc’teryx Gamma Hybrid Pants at a glance
Women's sizing
Wallet-friendly and made with sustainable materials, these hiking pants offer key features like zippered side pockets, cinchable leg cuffs and rear stash pouches. They’re also incredibly quick-drying, should you face an unexpectedly high creek crossing.
Stretchy, form-fitting and wonderfully weatherproof, Arc’teryx’s harness-compatible Gamma Hybrid Pants feature a lay-flat elastic waistband and three different zippered pockets. Designed with the brand’s proprietary soft-shell fabric, the Gamma Hybrid Pants are great for windy, drizzly climates when you may not want to pack extra rain trousers.
Men's sizing
With waist sizing from 28 to 50 inches, REI's affordable Trailmade Pants are made in three colors, though some discontinued shades may still be available for half off.
While they're not the same exact model as the women's Hybrid pants, these light yet durable pants boast the same proprietary soft-shell fabric.
Quick comparison
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REI Co-op Trailmade Pants
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Arc’teryx Gamma Hybrid Pants
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|---|---|---|
| Fabric | Nylon and spandex (Bluesign approved) |
Polyester, elastane, nylon (recycled) |
| Weight | 7.8 oz. |
10.2 oz. |
| Colors | Black, Navy, Green |
Black, Khaki, Light Green |
| Pockets | 5: 2 front, 2 rear, 1 zippered thigh pouch |
3: 2 zippered hand pockets, 1 zippered thigh pouch |
Fit and comfort
First and foremost, when I’m trying on a pair of hiking pants, I need to know that they’ll be comfortable and not sag at the waist when I’m knocking out a 12-mile day on the trail. After the pandemic lockdowns, I’ve become enamored with stretchy waists and jogger styles, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that Arc’teryx just launched this soft-waisted “hybrid” style of its beloved Gamma Pants. Similarly, REI has designed its Trailmade Pants to feature a rear elastic band around the waist, even though the front presents more like a straightforward jean fit.
Fit and feel is the main category where these pairs of trousers differ. At first glance, the fabric feel of REI’s pants is a bit softer than Arc’teryx’s Gamma, but when you look under the hood for a moment, you’ll see why. Arc’teryx has designed its Gamma Hybrid Pants with soft-shell material, meaning that it will easily ward off strong wind gusts and shed mild precipitation. On long days hiking up and down Japan’s volcanic foothills, I noticed that the stretch of these trousers kept them comfy on full 10-mile days, and the waistband didn’t stretch out or sag down throughout the day. The overall fit of the Gamma is true to size and flattering, especially with that fantastic lay-flat waistband.
REI’s Trailmade, on the other hand, is designed like a more traditional, quick-dry hiking pant, like Prana’s beloved Halle. The body fit is looser, compared to the snugger Gamma, and it features articulated knees, as well as cinchable ankle cuffs to keep out insects and debris. The only downside? I did notice this pair of pants sags down a bit on my longer day hikes, likely due to the waist stretching out with time. Thankfully, REI included an internal drawcord to help keep them up, even on my gnarliest days. The Trailmade run a smidge large too, so if you’re between sizes, consider sizing down, as I had to.
Pockets
Here’s another area where I’m a stickler when it comes to hiking pants: pockets. I don’t care how comfortable a pair of trousers is; if they don’t include at least one zippered pocket for my smartphone, I’m not taking them on the trail.
I’m sure you can imagine that I was pleased as punch to find that both the Trailmade and the Gamma Hybrid included well-sized, slightly stretchy zippered thigh pockets that were the ideal size for a phone or a small trail snack. Though the more expensive Gamma only offer three pockets, all of them are zippered, making these pants a better choice for climbers or mountaineers who need the extra protection for easy-access small items. On my hiking trip with Walk Japan, I stashed a map, lip balm, a phone and a pack of gum into these pockets with zero chafing.
The Trailmade are designed with a whopping five pockets, but they’re much more like the open fabric pouches you’d find on a pair of street-ready jeans, minus one excellent zippered leg pocket. This is great if you like to quickly grab small necessities without fidgeting with a zipper, but personally, it’s not my style. On my Rocky Mountain day hikes, I tend to only use the thigh pocket, then store my other valuables into a lightweight daypack.
Weatherproofing
As I briefly mentioned before, Arc’teryx’s Gamma Hybrid Pants are a bit thicker and heavier than REI’s Trailmade, because they’re designed as a soft-shell trouser, able to fend off high winds and moderate rain while staying breathable for high-intensity pursuits.
The wallet-friendly Trailmade Pants come coated in a durable water repellent (DWR) to shed mild weather, but on my rainiest days in Japan, they soaked through in under an hour. However, they are rated at UPF 50+ when it comes to sun protection, making them a great lightweight pick for summer hiking.
In my month of testing, both pairs of pants were fabulously quick-drying, even after rough-and-tumble hotel sink washes when I really needed my pants to dry out overnight in my room. Both trousers rose to the occasion in Japan, fully drying out while I slept, which makes them double as awesome travel pants, especially when space in your carry-on is sparse.
Bottom line
Both the REI Trailmade Pants and the Arc’teryx Gamma Hybrid Pants are stretchy and quick-drying, and offer a zippered thigh pocket. Where they differ, however, is in Arc’teryx’s use of high-tech soft-shell fabric, which is more wind- and weather-resistant than REI’s DWR-coated nylon.
If you’re an avid climber or mountaineer, the security pockets and harness-compatible, lay-flat waistband of the Gamma Hybrid Pants are likely to be the tantalizing features that make this $180 splurge worth it. For most of us who simply want comfortable, quick-drying hiking pants that have plenty of pockets and won’t break the bank? Go with the Trailmade. You can’t beat REI’s second-to-none product guarantee either.
