Railriders Bone Flat Pants are thin lightweight long pants with mesh vents running down the inside and outside of the leg. I discovered them last summer when we had record heat and humidity in New England and I wanted long pants that were even lighter weight and more breathable to wear for hiking and fly fishing than the Railrider Eco-Mesh pants I’ve been rocking for the past 10 years. The Bone Flats are not treated with Insect Shield like the Eco-Mesh Pants but they have a comfortable elasticized waist and come with a fabric belt. They dry very quickly and provide good sun protection when you want long pants for hiking or backpacking.
Specs at a glance
- Material: Featherweight 1.5oz Duralite Nylon
- UPF 30+ Sun Protection
- Dual 27″ vertical mesh panels on the outseam and inseam
- Pockets: 4: including zippered back pocket, 1 zippered security pocket
- Weight: 8.5 ounces
- Sizing: True to size
Railriders Bone Flat pants are long pants suitable for hiking and casual wear. They have long vented mesh panels along the inside and outside of the pant legs to help vent body heat and dry perspiration. I like to wear them on very hot and humid days when insect activity is high because I dislike wearing insect repellent if I can avoid it. They’re made with thin nylon and dry very quickly when they get wet. This makes them particularly good for hikes that frequent stream crossings in very warm weather,
The Bone Flat Pants are quite similar to Railriders Eco-Mesh pants which have mesh panels along the outsides of the pant legs but can be zippered closed for extra warmth. In contrast, the Bone Flats are made with an even lighter weight fabric and the vents are permanently open. The Bone Flats are also not pre-treated with Insect Shield like the Eco-Mesh Pants, but that is easily remedied by sending them to Insect Shield (15% Off with coupon code “SECTIONHIKER”), which I recommend doing when they’re brand new.
I also like the pockets in the Bone Flats which lend themselves well for travel. They have 4 pockets – two front change pockets including one that has an interior zippered security pocket good for carrying valuables or cash, and a zippered rear pocket.
The durability of the Bone Flats is good provided you don’t try to hike off-trail with them. While the solid fabric panels stand up to a lot of abuse on our New Hampshire granite, the holes in the mesh do snag on vegetation and tear.
Recommendation
RailRiders Bone Flat Pants are thin lightweight nylon pants, originally designed for saltwater fishing, that dry quickly and provide a high degree of sun protection. They also make great hiking pants, particularly for very hot and humid weather because they have long mesh vents on the inside and outside of the legs to keep you cooler and help dry perspiration. I like mine so much, that I picked up two more pairs this spring to wear hiking, fly fishing, and backpacking in Vermont and Montana. High recommended!
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