Australian Hiker

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Prana Zion II Stretch Pants Review

After footwear, your pants are probably the one piece of personal hiking equipment that needs to withstand a beating. Sliding down rocks, brushing past sharp vegetation and the constant movement involved with hiking that includes those gazelle like movements when you are occasionally required to cross streams or jump across narrow gaps. The Prana Zion II Stretch Pants, which are the second version that I have worn are a durable all-purpose piece of clothing that many hikers will come to love.

The material is supple and feels good against the skin, and they fit well where they need to but not so tight to be restrictive. The leg length has been judged well and isn’t overly short like many other pants. I’m 188 cm tall (6’2″ on the old scale) and I tried on the 34″ inseam and it was too long on me (with boots) so I opted for the shorter 32″ inseam.

These pants also look good as a result of the cut. In addition, they have a great colour range. I usually try to avoid khaki or light brown colours wherever I can. You only have to look through this website to see I like quirky colours and am always drawn to companies that provide some different options. The full range of colours are not always easy to find but the larger specialist stores will usually stock a decent range.

The horizontal stretch of the fabric means you don’t end up with any restrictions even when doing a wide stretch, crossing streams or manoeuvring up rough sections of trail. The material is robust without being excessively heavy. They are one of the most comfortable hiking pants I have ever worn and feel good both while hiking as well as lounging around at the end of the day.

Having worked outdoors for most of my life, I have a very high tolerance to cold weather so will only wear long johns when I absolutely necessary. I have worn these pants at temperature ranges down to -8°Celcius and up to 32°Celcius (28-90°F) and even at the colder end of the range, I was very comfortable. However at the warmer end of the scale, I was wishing for a lighter pair of pants and in my case 25°Celcius is the warmest weather I will wear these pants.

Having said that, I don’t wear gaiters for most of my hiking and found that while I was a bit on the warm side at the high temperatures, the pants are thick enough to protect my legs when brushing past sharp plants such as spinifex and are able to stop our local March Flies (Horse Flies) that can, and do, bite through thinner thickness pants.

The Durable Water Repellent (DWR) treatment on the pants doesn’t provide full waterproofing but it does mean that when walking in light rain or through wet grasslands you stay relatively dry and the pants dry out more quickly than you would expect.

The pocketing on these pants is jean-like with two year pockets, two hip pockets and one leg pocket. The leg pocket and one of the rear pockets have a cover flap. In my case the single leg pocket is almost a deal breaker as I don’t use the rear pockets, ever! I will only use one of the hip pockets for a handkerchief and will always use both leg pockets. If you aren’t into leg pockets then there’s no issue. Another thing worth noting is that the leg pocket has both a side zip and top zip so you need to be really careful that the side zip is closed otherwise small stuff can come out if you aren’t careful.

Price wise these pants sell around AUD $169.00 RRP give or take and that’s what you should pay for them although you may also see ridiculous prices on offer and if you do, then look for another option. Some stores will also stock these but that’s a bit hit and miss but its work a try. In addition to pricing you will find that it can be a struggle to find larger sizes and in my case I ended up paying over AUD $200 because there was only one purchasing choice for the size I needed.

All up these are great pants for hiking and for that matter casual wear due to the styling which is what I often wear mine for. They are durable and flexible with my initial pairs lasting until I grew out of them, not because they wore out!

We Like

• Durable Water Repellant Treatment (DWR) on the fabric that helps repel water and allows it to dry faster when wet. This miminises water soaking through to the legs in wet weather
• Ventilated inseam gusset that provides breathability in the crotch area helping to reduce sweating and helping to maintain comfort
• Stretchable material providing an increased range of movement. This creates a high level of comfort for any active sport such as hiking or rock climbing. This stretchable material also means that these pants will last longer than pants that don’t have this built-in stretch
• Abrasion resistant material that ensures these pants will cope with most abuse that you throw at them and won’t need replacing as often. More money to spend on other toys!
• Adjustable waistband that allows you to adjust the fit with weight gain/loss and allows for the addition of under layers. There’s nothing worse than pants that keep on wanting to slip down at the most inopportune moments!
• Five pockets: one on the legs, two at the waist and two rear pockets provide ample storage
• Love the lairy colours when you can find them

We Don't Like

These pants are close to perfect from my perspective but there are a few minor shortcomings that are worth mentioning:

• The adjustable waist bans loosens throughout the day when wearing a pack and made me wish I had brought a belt which would have defeated the purpose. It took me a week to discover a hack for this problem – by looping the tensioning strap back onto itself this issue was fixed

• The double entry leg pockets are designed to provide easy access in any position however I’m not a fan of this system. I usually put valuables such as cash, credit cards, mobile phones or a key in these pockets on short walks, and tend not to use them on long walks instead relying on internal pockets in my pack. Having to check both zips each time you use the pockets is an inconvenience and creates an additional opportunity for losing things. The first time I wore the Prana pants I did a 50 minute walk with my house key in one of the leg pockets and the ‘side’ zip was left fully undone. My mistake but it was just sheer luck that I didn’t loose my key

• Larger sizes can be hard to source from an Australian perspective

Best Uses

• Three season hiking where snow is not involved
• Temperatures under 25°C (77°F)
• On hikes where you would prefer not to use gaiters
• Hikes that require a lot of dynamic movements that may split other pants

Buy One

You can purchase the Prana Zion Stretch II Pants online from Amazon Australia

Disclosure:  We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

Investment

AUD $169.99 RRP (pricing will vary but it will sit around this range)

Other Versions

Pran produce a range of other pants and clothing options

Prana Zion II Mens Pants Rye Green/Camo colour (my choice)

Prana Zion Stretch Pants side view

Image showing the pocket entry on the front leg. The two entries are designed so that whether you are sitting or standing you have a pocket that you open at the top. Be careful when using this pocket to ensure both zips are closed otherwise you may loose something. This pocket will comfortably fit an iPhone 15 Pro

Prana Zion II Mens Pants rear view

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by Australian Hiker

Last updated

16 February 2025

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