Don’t Go To Hawaii Without: Moisture-Wicking, Quick-Drying Pants

Andy likes to wear zip-off pants (left) while I like my convertible trousers (right).

With Hawaii’s weather being warm and tropical, you might not think of packing long trousers, but they are very useful.

Several Hawaii vacation activities either require or are best done in long pants. Some of those fun activities are:

horseback riding
hiking over lava – to protect your skin in the event you fall on this very hard and uneven surface

ATV riding
sightseeing in the upcountry (elevated) areas that have cooler environments. Note that you’ll definitely appreciate long pants if you go up to Mauna Kea or Haleakala.
ziplining is best done in either long shorts or pants (the safety harness tends to hike up what you’re wearing
sightseeing and hiking in rainforest areas and botanical gardens to protect your legs from mosquito bites

I recommend quick-drying pants because your adventures might include a passing rain shower or crossing a stream. Most quick-drying pants are also moisture wicking to keep you feeling relatively dry even when you’re sweating.

Since we’re big on packing light, we usually wear our trousers on the flights to Hawaii. That serves two purposes — saves room in our luggage and keeps our legs warm when the plane temperatures get chilly. As both of our trousers are convertible to shorter lengths, we normally zip off or roll up when we get close to landing in the warmth of Hawaii.

Where to buy moisture-wicking, quick-drying pants:

Zappos, REI and other outdoor sporting goods stores carry a variety of these trousers. Prices typically start at about $35 and can increase significantly from there.

—

Read the other posts in this series:

Don’t Go To Hawaii Without: Rash Guard Top

Don’t Go To Hawaii Without: Shoes You Don’t Mind Getting Muddy & Wet