Pants and Shorts

You will probably ignore my advice and just bring jeans. This is fine for moderate conditions, but they are bulky, heavy, too warm in summer, and dry slowly. If you get caught in heavy rain, they will be wet for the rest of the trip.

However, I believe the industry has some work to do in offering alternatives. Most hiking pants are made of ultra-thin nylon, which is lightweight and breathable, with a million pockets and zip-off legs to double as shorts. These are nice, but look a bit silly, and they are awful in the rain. Hikers have rain pants, but these look silly too.

A few companies use Schoeller Dynamic, a fabric which is comfy, stretchy, breathable, lightweight, packs easily, but is also water-resistant, able to shed light rain and dry quickly. It also looks like ordinary cotton. It is awesome. Companies using this fabric include REI, Montbell, Cloudveil, and BeyondFleece. Patagonia and Arcteryx make a few pieces with similar proprietary fabrics. However, these all look rather hikery.

Tip: if you get pants that actually fit, you can skip the belt. This saves weight, and the pack straps won't force it to dig into your hips. If you want a belt, consider one of the lightweight, thin webbing ones (though if you wear your pants low, this won't be a problem).

Guess what? If you get quick-drying nylon shorts, you don't need to pack a swimsuit. And ladies, remember that most foreign countries are rather progressive. You can pack lighter and smaller by going topless, and wearing a thong. :)