Hiking Skirts

Featured review by Twig

A Purple Rain Adventure Dress is a nearly perfect hiking garment, especially for hot, muggy, and shaded conditions such as those found on the Appalachian Trail. I wore mine continuously for my AT thru-hike. I prized it for its supreme ventilation, simplicity, functionality, durability, comfort, and quick-drying materials. The side-pockets were perfect for carrying my phone, snacks, toiletries, and a myriad of other things. I never thought I'd find a more comfortable piece of clothing than a Purple Rain Adventure Skirt, but the dress design is my new favorite.

  The most classic of AT scenes atop McAfee Knob The Purple Rain Adventure Dress in Shenandoah National Park My Background & Experience with hiking skirts and dresses: In 2017, I began a series of adventures that would eventually lead to a career, of sorts, in thru-hiking. I started with several section hikes of the Appalachian Trail, as well as a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail. These were my first trails wearing a Purple Rain Adventure Skirt, for which I published a review of my very positive experiences at the time.  Southern Terminus of the CDT, in my favorite Purple Rain Adventure Skirt (worn on the PCT, CDT, and AZT)  and a merino T-shirt.

Read more: Purple Rain Adventure Dress reviews (2)

Featured review by Twig

The Purple Rain Adventure Skirt has become one of my all-time favorite pieces of clothing for its functionality, versatility, comfort, and durability. What sets it apart from all other hiking skirts are the functional cargo pockets and a stretchy yoga-style waist band. It is the kind of garment you can eat, sleep, bathe, swim and walk thousands of miles in, never once having needed to take it off. This versatility makes it an ideal candidate for long-distance hiking and other endurance activities. It gets my highest honors by being a part of my ultralight equipment for multiple thru-hikes/section-hikes this year. It’s so good, I couldn’t resist buying a second one (even though the first still has many years left in it).

Hiking skirts: a brief background and intro (please scroll down for just the skirt  review): My interest in hiking skirts was first sparked by a Review Corps product I received for testing, the Sierra Designs Silicone Trail Skirt. Despite the skirt being a little too short and large at the waist, I really grew to like it. Here are some of the many benefits of hiking skirts for women (many apply to men too!): Ventilation is supreme. Pair with a set of merino undies for odor-free bliss. Freedom of movement…no restriction around the knees and no annoying swish/swish around the ankles, as commonly experienced in pants.

Read more: Purple Rain Adventure Skirt reviews (4)

Featured review by MrsMustard

This wrinkle and water resistant skirt can fold up into pants or shorts and is perfect for hiking or travelling. It is lightweight, breathable, and even fashionable!

I purchased this "hiking" skirt about 5-6 years ago after reading about it on whiteblaze.net. I have used it on many, many trips and washed it many times and it still looks brand new! I purchased the regular, ankle length skirt and usually wear it as such. The fit is very comfortable since it has an elastic waist band and a drawstring, however, I have found that I need to use Body Glide under the waistband while hiking to avoid friction.   It comes with a clip to adjust it from a skirt to pants or shorts.

Read more: Macabi Skirt reviews (4)

Featured review by Terry.Tyson

For comfort, ease of movement and adaptability, hiking in a kilt for the first time can be a revelation. Sport Kilt manufactures a quality lightweight, microfiber hiking kilt that could be worn by men or women. For the price and the workmanship, it's hard to find a better hiking kilt.

Sport Kilt of Signal Hill, California, was the result of a group of athletes who were looking for a garment that could be easily be donned after an exhaustive event with no locker room nearby. Taking a nod from surfers in Long Beach who'd wrap a towel around their waist to remove their trunks after surfing, the Sport Kilt (SK) concept quickly gained favor from athletes as an alternative to shorts. Their attention to detail, quality of workmanship and competitive prices lead more traditional kilt wearers to become satisfied customers as well.

Read more: Sport Kilt Hiking Kilt reviews (2)

Reviewed by SkirtedWalker

Super comfortable men's or women's walking skirt.

Great men's or women's walking skirt, especially nice for men. Wear skirt size XL, which weighs 192g (6.7 oz) and has a 44.5 cm (17.5 in) side seam. Am 6'2", 225 lbs., pants size 38" / 32". When resting on my hips where I normally wear my pants, skirt is about 7.5 cm (3 in) above my knee—just right for striding. The TENCEL fabric feels great. Material is super soft, moves well with motion, and hangs nicely. Been wearing the skirt during morning exercise walks, all day around the office, working outside on the ranch, and when running errands in town.

Read more: Patagonia Edge Win Skirt review (1)

Reviewed by Twig

The Sierra Designs Silicone Trail Skirt is a fun and feminine outdoors garment and can be very practical in certain circumstances. In conceding some important factors such as protection from insects, vegetation, and the sun, great ventilation and freedom of movement are gained. These are tradeoffs that must be weighed depending on individual circumstances. For hiking, backpacking, and watersports, I enjoyed wearing the skirt simply for the light, airy, and feminine feel. But fit was an issue for me, as I found it to run large around the waist and not be quite long enough to live up to its claims of keeping your bottom dry.

(photo courtesy of JohnBobCarlos) Tech specs from the manufacturer: Inseam Length: 15.5 in. Air Permeability: Main: 2 CFM; Seat: 0.1 CFM Water Entry Pressure: Seat: 910 mm Weight: 5.5 oz. / 0.16 kg Fabric: Main: 90D x 300D, 94% Nylon / 6% Spandex woven, DWR; Seat: 90D x 300D, 94% Nylon / 6% Spandex woven, Silicone treatment MVTR: Main: 21,500g (JIS); Seat: 1,500g (JIS) (photo courtesy of JohnBobCarlos) Fit & Comfort: My biggest beef with this garment and reason for the average rating was the fit.

Read more: Sierra Designs Silicone Trail Skirt review (1)

Reviewed by Alicia MacLeay

Hike, run, move through the mountains—the Dynamo Skort is a well-made, durable, all-around mountain skirt. Its soft shell fabric stretches and keeps you covered, and is also extremely abrasion resistant and fast drying. If you want a skirt solely for running, you can pick a model with longer side slits designed specifically for that movement. But otherwise the Dynamo is a versatile, high-performing, technical skort, and will meet your outdoorsy needs on those days when you just want to pull on a skort and get going.

Stopping for a picture during a trail run in the Dynamo Skirt Mountain Equipment made the technical, stretchy Dynamo Skort for "the fastest moving trekking and training" and calls it "perfect for use in the mountains." Well, I may not be the fastest mover, but this skort definitely works well for long days in the mountains and on trails, whether you'll be hiking or running, its primary uses. I've even gone swimming and paddling in it, when the need arose, further proving its versatility as an all-around outdoor skort.

Read more: Mountain Equipment Dynamo Skort review (1)

Reviewed by OutdoorKelly

SKHOOP's Gretchen may draw you in with its good looks, but it's not a skirt to take lightly. A flattering insulated skirt, the Gretchen provides an extra layer of warmth in the backcountry and incorporates side stretch panels for easy layering and unrestricted movement. This skirt is worn comfortably hiking, snowshoeing, backcountry nordic skiing, and around town. While I could certainly survive in the backcountry without it, I've found myself bringing it along, unwilling to part with it, on many an outdoor excursion this season.

Testing Conditions: I tested the Gretchen Windstopper Mini Skirt from November through February in and around the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire. During this time, I've worn it hiking, snowshoeing, and backcountry nordic skiing, as well as around town and out with friends. Temperatures during this period of time have been variable, ranging from 0-50 degrees Fahrenheit.  Fit and Comfort: The Gretchen is available in sizes ranging from extra small through extra large and fits true to size.

Read more: Skhoop Gretchen Windstopper Mini Skirt review (1)

Reviewed by SkirtedWalker

Great unisex hiking or running skirt. Skirt allows you what to or NOT to wear beneath for activity. Great baggies material with flat waistband plus drawstring.

Baggie Skirt is one of the best new Patagonia products in a long time! This skirt is ideal attire for backpacking, hiking, running, trekking, and walking. It is my new morning striding bottom. Baggie skirt is perfect for working out on our ranch, sharing a morning cuppa, running errands, and computing in my home office. This product will have many women and men adopters. This skirt is so much more than “just” a swimsuit cover up. Thanks for keeping this a skirt — as I get to choose what to wear, or preferably NOT wear underneath.

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Reviewed by Bruce Johnson

I never would have guessed a skirt could be warmer than pants, but it is!

Having evaluated this Skhoop Long Down Skirt in Patagonia, Argentina, I learned this goose down filled skirt is something that will block wind and keep you warmer than pants! A skirt will trap heat with minimal surface area (one tube) to exchange heat with the cold, whereas pants (two tubes) have more surface area, thus more area for cold to take over. (Ask an engineer versed in thermodynamics.) I found the long skirt useful as a cover on the bed and legs because it opens up fully. There are zippers on both sides.

Read more: Skhoop Alaska Long Down Skirt review (1)