Blog

Is UNIQLO Good Enough for Hiking? A Full Outfit, Tested

2026.03.20

"I'd like to start hiking, but buying proper outdoor clothing adds up fast." If that's you, here are two spring/summer light-hiking outfits built entirely from UNIQLO. The short version: on a well-maintained low mountain, UNIQLO will genuinely do the job. Use the DRY-EX and UV-protection pieces and you'll be comfortable enough. There are limits, though, and I'll be straight about those too.

Prices are as of when the video went up. Stock and pricing change, so check the official site before buying.

The premise: a well-maintained low mountain

"Light hiking" here means low mountains with proper trails, and walks of that order. For mountains where the weather turns quickly, or for long ridge traverses, dedicated outdoor clothing is still the safer choice. Read this as advice for someone who wants to start walking in the mountains without a large outlay.

Outfit 1 | DRY-EX tee and jogger pants

The first is a grown-up active look — functional without shouting about it. The centrepiece is the DRY-EX T-Shirt (¥1,990). Choosing a deep, smoky purple keeps a sports tee from reading as loud, which makes it much easier to wear if you're past the age of dressing like a gym kit. It sits just as naturally in an everyday outfit as on a trail.

For the bottom half, the Ultra Stretch Active Jogger Pants in a natural colour. A lighter shade keeps the whole outfit from feeling heavy and gives it some spring-summer lightness. The tapered, cuffed jogger shape moves well and doesn't catch on anything on the trail. Finish with the UV Protection Cap in dark grey (¥1,990), which pulls the whole thing together.

What I like about this combination is that it doesn't look like you're trying hard to be outdoorsy. It works for low-mountain hikes, walks in the hills near town, travel, and light exercise.

Why DRY-EX actually works on a mountain

UNIQLO's DRY-EX isn't just a quick-dry tee; there's a real mechanism behind it. In simple terms, the fabric is built so that sweat is absorbed, moved to the outer surface, and evaporated in one smooth sequence. The skin side takes sweat up readily, the outer side spreads the moisture out to dry, and the result is that you don't get that clammy layer against your skin.

The knit also changes by area — open mesh under the arms for airflow, a denser structure across the chest. There are few seams, so there's less rubbing, which matters on the kind of day where you sweat continuously.

Outfit 2 | UV hoodie and shorts

The second is lighter, for when it starts getting properly hot. The Ultra Stretch AIRism UV Protection Full-Zip Hoodie as the outer layer, with the Ultra Stretch Active Shorts. If you'd rather not have bare legs, the AIRism UV Protection Leggings (full length) underneath solve that. Use the Ultra Stretch Active T-Shirt as the base layer and the whole thing moves even better.

The hoodie's UV protection is good enough to call it wearable shade, and it's easy to pull on and off when the sun is strong on an open ridge.

Is AIRism good for hiking? Fine in spring and autumn, not in high summer

Since AIRism is doing a lot of the work in Outfit 2, here is what actually happened when I hiked in it.

The answer depends entirely on how much you sweat that day.

On a spring or autumn hike, where you're warm but not soaked, it's genuinely good. It feels smooth against the skin, and the UV hoodie changes how the sun lands on you the moment you pull it on. Within that range, AIRism works on a mountain as it is.

But once I sweated properly, it clung to my skin. And it dries more slowly than DRY-EX — comparing the two within UNIQLO's own line, DRY-EX is clearly faster. On a hot summer climb, the kind where sweat runs off you, AIRism could not keep up.

So the split is simple:

• Spring and autumn, low mountains, sweating lightly → AIRism is enough
• High summer, a climb that soaks you → put DRY-EX against your skin

The AIRism UV hoodie is excellent as a layer against the sun. So the combination I'd recommend is DRY-EX as the layer touching your skin, with the AIRism hoodie over it. That's the setup least likely to let you down.

Where it falls short of dedicated kit, and what I'd conclude

Honestly, the decisive difference is how it copes with bad weather and long days. Waterproofing, insulation, and dependability in genuinely harsh conditions still belong to purpose-built outdoor clothing. Which is exactly why the right way to use these UNIQLO pieces is deliberately: maintained low mountains, shorter walks.

Even so, kitting yourself out head to toe for under ¥10,000 in clothes you'll also wear at home is hard to argue with. If buying expensive hiking clothing feels like too big a first step, start walking in UNIQLO, and upgrade to dedicated gear once you know you're going to keep going. That order round makes sense to me.

Common questions

Does this also work for trekking and hiking?

The name changes, but the criterion doesn't: it's the grade of the mountain. For trekking or hiking on a maintained trail for a few hours, these outfits work as they are. The moment the altitude climbs or the day gets long, that's when purpose-built trekking wear earns its place.

Can these replace trekking pants?

For freedom of movement alone, the jogger pants and shorts hold their own against dedicated trekking pants. What differs is fabric weight, water repellency, and resistance to abrasion. On overgrown trails or rocky ground I'd want proper trekking pants; on a maintained trail, UNIQLO's stretch pants are plenty.

Do I need a hiking shirt?

A collared hiking shirt is there to keep sun and insects off your skin. In both outfits here, the UV hoodie covers that job. If you're carrying only one layer in summer, I'd take the hoodie — it's easier to throw on and it doubles as a windbreak.

Does this work for men?

The DRY-EX tee is unisex, sized XS to 4XL, so men can wear exactly the same piece. The jogger pants I'm wearing are from the women's line (XS to 3XL), so men would pick an equivalent from UNIQLO's ultra-stretch active range — something that stretches well with a tapered hem. The way you choose doesn't change.

If you'd rather not have your legs on show, layering the UV leggings under the shorts solves it, as above.

🛒 See the gear from the video as a list → Staying comfortable on a low mountain in summer: heat-beating gear

※As an Amazon Associate, Yoshimi Iwasaki earns from qualifying purchases.

Related posts

3 Grown-Up Outfits with Montbell's New Wickron for Spring/Summer 2026 | Mountain Function That Doesn't Look Out of Place in Town

5 Low Mountains Near Tokyo With Big Views, All Reachable by Train

Workman's 2026 Hot-Weather Range, Judged as Hiking Kit | X-SHELTER, Peltier Vests and Fan Vests

Why Montbell's Wickron T-Shirt Is Hard to Beat | 4 Honest Reasons It Handles Sweat, Odour and Years of Washing

This post contains affiliate links. Prices and specifications are as of the video's publication date. Most items are sold in Japan.

← All posts