The Best Women's Rain Pants

Women's rain pants are a just-in-case item that you’ll hardly need to take out of your bag…until you really, really do. If you’re hiking in a warmer climate, you probably don’t need rain pants. In fact, a pair of rain pants could actually make you much too warm in places like these, or they could cause chafing and discomfort while you’re sweating. Most women's rain pants are meant to keep water out, which also means that they don’t let sweat out—so if you’re hiking only a short distance in hotter weather and you won’t be wet for long periods of time, you should probably leave your rain pants behind. However, if you’re planning to hike in colder climates or at higher elevations, or you’re traveling to a place that has frequent, heavy rainstorms that last for long periods of time, or if you’ll be trekking through wet, brushy areas, this guide is for you. Keeping your core warm is more important than keeping your extremities warm, but your chance of getting hypothermia increases when you’re both cold and wet. Rain pants can help solve this problem. The women's rain pants in this guide are for everyday hikers and backpackers—they’re not designed for full-submersion situations, like angler fishing or kayaking, or extreme cold weather situations, like alpine mountaineering. There are bike-specific rain pants and snow pants also. But for a quick walk through the woods or a muddy outdoor chores, our picks will work just fine.