The Best Family Hiking Clothes for Summer Outdoor Adventures 2022

Men’s Hiking Shorts - Topo Designs River Shorts

Durable yet flexible, minimal yet a touch stylish, and cut perfectly for motion, these are great hiking shorts for the dad who is ready to log long miles yet also wants to look decent when he’s not on the trail. You could wear these shorts with sandals and a tee while on vacation, but they are indeed at their best on the march. The six-inch inseam hits a bit above the knee, the hem shape allows for easy motion, and side vents let out some heat. An adjustable built-in belt allows for a great fit, and two side and one rear pockets allow for some gear or snack stashing.

Men’s Hiking Pants - Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pants

Close your eyes and picture a pair of men’s hiking pants and chances are good they look just like this. Which is to say maybe not highly fashionable, but superbly functional. Even on hot, muggy days, these pants won’t heat you up too much, being made of very lightweight, breathable (yet UPF 50 rated) nylon, so when you need to keep your legs covered because of bugs and brambles and such, you’re good to go. And when the trail widens and it’s time to shed the pant legs, you can zip the Silver Ridge pants into cargo shorts, thus cementing your legendary dad status. Legendary hiking dad status, that is.

Women’s Hiking Shorts - Helly Hansen’s Vetta

These UPF 50, quick drying, lightweight hiking shorts are comfortable, practical, and have a great fit.  Made of comfortable stretch fabric with a wide yoga waistband they provide a total range of motion on the trail. They have a pair of phone-sized pockets, one on each side and smaller zippered stash pocket perfect for smaller items you need to stow away on the trail.

Women’s Hiking Pants - Mountain Hardwear Dynama/2 Ankle Pants

Lightweight and airy, these pants won’t warm you up even on a hot summer hike. In fact, they can even keep you cooler, as they wick away moisture from within even while repelling moisture from without thanks to their water repellent fabric. That same flexible nylon/elastane blend also offers UPF 50+ sun protection and will stretch and flex with ease, never affecting your stride. And while the fabric is light, it’s still tough enough to protect you from scratching against rocks or branches or from biting bugs. Hand pockets can be used for snacks or small gear items, while a rear zippered pocket can keep a phone or keys or cash safe.

Kids Hiking Pants - Primary Stay Cool Jogger with UPF 50

In this case, two of the three main selling points of what makes these our choice for the best hiking pants for kids are right there in the name: “stay cool” and “UPF 50.” As those terms suggest, these are lightweight and breathable pants that release excess heat and that offer excellent sun protection, thus making them great for family hikes on warm, sunny days. And while other selling points include their stretch and flexibility, the broad drawstring waist cord, and the fact that they’re made from recycled material, frankly the third biggest selling point is the fact that they sell for a great price.

Kids Hiking Leggings - Active Pocket Legging

The best hiking gear for kids is basically just the same as the best hiking gear for adults, but in kid sizes. And by basically, we mean 100% that’s the story. And these leggings, designed for kids who are on the go, are just that. They feature the same flexible, comfy poly/spandex blend that you’ll see in high quality adult leggings, they have side pockets for storing a few sundries, and they have a wide waistband that helps them stay in place. Alright, as per standard operating procedure with Primary, there’s one other marked difference between these and great adult hiking leggings: they’re low priced.

Kids Hiking Shorts - Stay Cool Running Shorts with UPF 50

Just like the Stay Cool Jogger with UPF 50 pants explain themselves in their name, so too do these shorts: they’re light and breathable and, for the part of your outdoorsy kid that will be covered, they offer great sun protection. Flexible and stretchy, they won’t restrict range of motion in any way, and they have side pockets for holding a few choice items. And again, as you always find with Primary, these are great hiking shorts for kids that don’t cost very much at all. Also, they come in multiple colors, so your little hiker can pick a pair he or she will like.

Reima Hiking shorts with inner tights made with xylitol cool

These are an ideal choice for girls’ hiking shorts because they offer comfort and protection. The comfort comes in the form of soft flexible fabric, that is infused with xylitol, a safe and natural ingredient that promotes cooling. The protection in the form of as solid UPF 40+ rating and a built-in tight to keep out bugs, brambles, and more.

Men’s Short Sleeve Hiking Shirt - Columbia Alpine Chill Zero

This lightweight, highly flexible short sleeve shirt is ideal for hiking in warm weather because it is amazing at wicking away sweat, thus letting the naturally cooling effects of evaporation do their thing. Even better than that? The interior of the shirt has a proprietary pattern (Columbia calls it Omni-Freeze ZERO) that features hundreds of little blue dots that actually help cool you down even when the shirt is too saturated with sweat (or drizzle or splashes from a river crossing) for evaporation to do the trick. The Omni-Freeze dots hold cooled moisture next to your skin while the rest of the fabric keeps releasing it, so you are kept as cool as possible until you can dry off and chill out during the next trail break.

Men’s Long Sleeve Hiking Shirt - Columbia Men’s Fork Stream Hoodie

There’s a reason experienced desert dwellers don’t traverse the barren, scorched wastes in as little clothing as possible but instead cover themselves as much as possible: the sun. This soft, flexible shirt offers 50 UPF sun protection from your wrists on up to the top of your head thanks to its hood, and it’s light and flexible enough that you’ll appreciate that sun-blocking coverage more than you’ll ever miss a bit of air on your forearms. And besides, in humid conditions, the sweat-wicking properties of this 100% polyester shirt will help with evaporative cooling even more than your damp skin could do on its own.

Women’s Short Sleeve Hiking Shirt - Janji Helio Tech Tee

This is a remarkably lightweight shirt, the kind you forget you’re wearing even on long hikes on hot days, because it wicks sweat away, dries fast, and it won’t cling to your body even as it’s doing its wicking and drying business thanks to a textured interior designed to prevent those clingy patches of fabric. Designed with long-distance trail runners in mind, this is a great shirt for hikers, too.

Women’s Long Sleeve Hiking Shirt - Janji Runterra Bio Long Sleeve

When you want better coverage to block the sun’s rays but still figure you may do some sweating on that hike, you pull on this long shirt that will cover you up yet keep you cool. It’s very lightweight and wicks moisture well, and it’s also not quite so tight and clingy as so much women’s technical apparel tends to be, so you can get a bit of a breezy feeling as you trek or trail run. And when you’re done with the shirt many years from now, don’t feel bad about tossing it: the materials are designed to biodegrade in less than four years once in an anaerobic environment, AKA buried in a landfill.

Kids Short Sleeve Hiking Shirt with Xylitol Cool from Reima

The name says it all once again with this one: this soft, flexible tee offers excellent sun protection for your young hiker’s shoulders, torso, and upper arms, and it helps keep them cool even during a rigorous trek thanks to Reima’s Xylitol Cool finishing treatment which gives a cooling effect during physical activity (And yes, they’re great for the backyard or beach or a bike trip and such, too.)

Kids Long Sleeve Hiking Shirt - Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Sun Hoodie

One of the things we like the most about Patagonia (aside from their commitment to our planet. And the Nano Puff – the G.O.A.T. minimalist puffer) is that they make children’s technical outdoor apparel that’s the same quality as their adult clothing and gear. This light, flexible, breathable, quick-drying, and sun blocking hoodie is perfect for the young outdoorsman or outdoorswoman who is going the distance with mom and dad, whether that’s an all-day hike, a summit push, or a paddle, bike ride, or wherever else warm weather family adventures take you.

Men’s Hiking Jacket for Warmer Weather - Janji Thermal Zephyr Running Jacket

If your summertime hike is all more or less at the same altitude and will take place entirely during the heat of the day, you can stash this jacket for fall. If, however, you will be gaining some altitude and may face cooler temps higher up or later in the afternoon or evening, or if some light rain is in offing, pack this jacket along. And indeed the Zephyr packs down small. On your torso, however, it’s a superb lightweight layering piece that can offer just a bit of warmth when worn open with its chest hook, that will keep you much warmer when zipped shut and layered, and that will shed moderate rain with ease regardless of temperatures.

Women’s Hiking Jacket for Warmer Weather - Cotopaxi Teca Half-Zip Windbreaker

First things first: yes, this jacket has Cotopaxi’s awesome semi-retro/semi-current color block styling. But the looks are not why you wear it, good as they may be. You wear this jacket to shed a summer afternoon rain shower and take the sting out of colder gusts that blow at higher altitudes even in warmer seasons. You wear it because of the half zipper that lets you control your level of insulation. And because of the large kangaroo front pocket and an interior stash pocket. And also because it’s made of 100% recycled fabrics.

Kids Hiking Windbreaker - Hanna Andersson Recycled Colorblocked Windbreaker

Styled rather like that awesome Cotopaxi jacket, what with the bold color blocks, the coolest thing about this jacket isn’t the looks, it’s the function. Very lightweight and packable, this jacket is tough enough to take the fangs out cold gusts, helping kids keep warm in milder temps with nothing but a tee underneath and serving as a great outer layering choice when a few more layers are needed. The fact that it’s made almost entirely out of recycled materials is also great.

Kids Hiking Rain Jacket - Hanna Andersson Recycled Wind at Your Back Anorak

This jacket is a bit warmer than the Colorblocked Windbreaker, offering plenty of insulation in mild temps and even suitable for use into the fall. Where it really serves, though, isn’t in modest to medium chilly temperatures but in rainfall. The coated (and recycled!) polyester exterior of this coat will stay dry even in a downpour. The coat has a soft lining (even featuring a lined hood) and tapered back hem, all of which ensure your little hiker will be protected against inclement weather and will be ready to log another few miles.

Men’s Warm Weather Hiking Socks - ScentLok Ultralight Merino Sub-Crew Socks

ScentLok was started as an outdoor apparel company for hunters, with the odor-trapping properties of the clothing meant to mask a human’s scent from animals. But frankly, the fact that these socks trap and neutralize odor is merely the icing on the cake: we love them because they are soft yet supportive, they breathe well and wick moisture reliably so your feet stay cooler and drier, the socks have a reinforced, cushioned area around the heel, they stay in place even during long hikes (or cold weather jogs or trail runs, by the way), and they hold up remarkably well even after multiple seasons of use. (In fact, while I’ve introduced a few pairs of the same ScentLok socks into the mix in the past four or five years, my first pair is still in the rotation!)

Women’s Warm Weather Hiking Socks - Ably Apparel Pilchuck Women’s Hiking Socks

These socks are soft but supportive, gripping your arches and ankles and staying in place well whether you’re moseying along a level trail or charging down a rough mountain scramble. They breathe well, releasing excess heat and moisture and keeping you cool. And they look good. But that’s not what’s truly cool about Ably socks: that honor belongs to the fact that they are all but waterproof. Thanks to a proprietary Fillium treatment, they shed water so well you can literally step into a puddle and, if you draw your foot out fast enough, not a drop will penetrate through the fabric. (Now, if you neglected to take your boot off first and it’s now filled with muddy puddle water, that’s another story…)

Kids’ Warm Weather Hiking Socks - Bombas Youth All-Purpose Performance

These durable, flexible socks come in both ankle and calf height. The shorter pairs are ideal for warmer shorts weather, while the taller socks are good well into fall, but also good for use in areas with taller grasses and brambles and bugs your young hiker wants off his or her skin. The socks are thin enough to release heat but thick enough for some support and padding, and they stay snug to feet without being clingy. Bombas socks wick well and hold their shape even with hours of wear.

Toddler Warm Weather Hiking Socks - Bombas Gripper Calf Sock

Just tall enough for use with most little hiking boots, these cute and snug socks are great for active little feet whether they’re on the trail or anywhere else. Added arch support helps those tiny feet still getting used to walking on uneven ground, while grippies on bottom of the sock are helpful on smooth floors sans shoes and also help to create traction within the shoe, providing additional stability from the child’s foot inside the shoe or boot.

Men’s Warm Weather Hiking Hat - Tilley LTM5 Airflow Brim Hat

If you already have your classic Tilley Wanderer Hat, just stick with it, for that’s a fine warm weather hiking hat indeed. If you are still on the search for a great hat for summer hiking, however, go with this one, the LTM5 Airflow. It features the lifetime durability and understated styling you expect from a Tilley, along with the sturdy brim, built-in chin and back-of-the-head cords, a sweat band, and a little stash pocket at the top, but this hat offers something extra: the breeze. A band of mesh at the top of the hat lets breezes drift through and your own warmth drift out. And the whole hat, mesh included, offers UPF 50 sun protection.

Women’s Warm Weather Hiking Hat - Columbia Escape Thrive Cap

Light, soft, and elegantly simple, this hiking cap keeps the sun off your face, it wicks sweat and releases heat, and its understated design won’t cramp your style. A pair of mesh panels allow for cool breezes to drift in while body heat wafts out, reflective details provide some safety after dark, and an easy-to-adjust band assures a secure fit for various head sizes and hairstyles.

Kids’ Warm Weather Hiking Hat - Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat

These are, hands-down, our favorite hiking hats for kids whenever it’s warm and sunny out. And even when it gets a bit rainy, too. They are amazingly lightweight (as in just 2.2 ounces!) and can be rolled or folded for packing, yet the brims hold their shape well when in use, creating a generous area of shady protection for a little hiker’s face. The fabric is rated UPF 50+, including the broad neck cape that hangs down to keep the sun off young necks, yet still lets the breeze get under and allows for copious heat release. A built-in sweatband keeps drips from rolling and neckband keeps the hat in place even in gusts or when the little adventurer is running about.