Best Hiking T-Shirts for Women in 2024

When the weather gets too warm for wearing a long-sleeved baselayer, what’s better than throwing on a short-sleeved shirt and feeling the sun and wind on your arms? However, your everyday cotton t-shirt won’t perform well here as cotton is poor at regulating your body’s temperature, absorbs a lot of moisture and dries very slow (read more in the article Why is cotton bad for hiking). You should instead go for a proper hiking shirt made of either lightweight Merino wool and/or a synthetic blend (polyester, nylon, spandex etc.) to ensure that it has qualities such as being breathable, temperature-regulating, moisture-wicking, quick-drying and anti-microbial (Merino wool provides this naturally). Some people might still think that Merino wool garments are suitable only for hiking in cold weather, but nothing could be further from the truth as long as the fabric is thin and lightweight. To learn more about the properties of different baselayer materials, go to our article comparing the various fabrics. Below we have made a selection of the best hiking t-shirts for women, which you can wear over a medium support or high-impact sports bra depending on your preferences and activity level. Just remember sunscreen!

1. Our Picks of  Women’s Hiking T-Shirts

1. SmartWool Merino 150
2. Icebreaker Tech Lite II
3. Mountain Hardwear Everyday Perfect
4. Patagonia Capilene Cool Trail
5. Outdoor Research Echo

2. Comparison of Hiking T-shirts for Women

Feature/Product	SmartWool Merino 150 T-shirt	Icebreaker Tech Lite II	Mountain Hardwear Everyday Perfect	Patagonia Capilene Cool Trail	Outdoor Research Echo
Material	87% Merino wool, 13% nylon	100 % Merino wool	Wick.Q (96% polyester; 4% elastane)	100% polyester (50-76% recycled) spun jersey	100 % polyester
Fit	Slim fit	Regular	Regular	Relaxed	Trim fit
UV Protection	n/a (probably >UPF20)	UPF20	UPF30	n/a	UPF15

3. The Selection

1. SmartWool Merino 150 T-shirt

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Backpacking
• Climbing

The SmartWool Merino 150 t-shirt is made of a great blend of light-weight Merino fibers (87%) spun around a core of nylon (13%) which enhances the durability of the fabric while it still provides all the characteristics of Merino wool such as breathability, natural UV-protection, anti-odor and temperature-regulating properties. To prevent chafing and irritation at the top of yours shoulders when wearing a backpack, the SmartWool t-shirt is made with raglan sleeves. It is sewn with stretch merrow stitching for comfort and the side seams wrap to slightly to the front for a body-enhancing fit. The SmartWool Merino 150 t-shirt is available in a variety of colors.

 

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2. Icebreaker Tech Lite II

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Backpacking
• Climbing

Icebreaker is the grand old lady when it comes to producing Merino wool garments for hiking and offers a wide range of hiking shirts with varying amounts of Merino fibers (from 46% to 100 %) and fabric densities. The redesigned bestseller Icebreaker Tech Lite II t-shirt is now made of 100 % Merino fibers with a diameter of 18.9 microns, rather than blended with synthetic fibers. The fabric density is, however, still 150 g/m². This means that the Icebreaker t-shirt is even softer, breathable and odor-resistant. The offset shoulder seams reduce chafing if you are carrying a backpack. The Icebreaker Tech Lite II tee is available with a crew or scoop neck, in solid colors or with various cool prints.

 

3. Mountain Hardwear Everyday Perfect

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Backpacking
• Climbing

The Mountain Hardwear Everyday Perfect t-shirt is made of the brand’s own lightweight and moisture-wicking Wick.Q polyester blend (UPF-rated 30) to keep you cool and dry. Construction-wise, the Everyday Perfect t-shirt has several nice details such as the shorter cap sleeves for unlimited freedom of movement and a dropped tail hem – which has a split up to the lower back! This unique feature means that you can tie the ends in a knot for a sporty casual look (or to get them out of the way while wearing a climbing harness) or let them hang down and enjoy the combination of extra length and ventilation. The Mountain Hardwear Everyday Perfect t-shirt is available in muted solid colors as well as some striped color combinations.

 

4. Patagonia Capilene Cool Trail

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Backpacking
• Climbing

The Patagonia Capilene Cool Trail t-shirt is one of the most sustainable products on this list as it is made of 50% or 76% recycled polyester, depending if you choose the t-shirt in a solid color or striped version respectively. Both options are Fair Trade Certified sewn, and feature the bluesign-certified HeiQ anti-odor treatment. Sustainability aside, the Patagonia Capilene Cool Trail t-shirt is full of functional details like a drop-tail hem for coverage, a tag-free construction for comfort, and raglan sleeves (and underarm gussets) for freedom of movement and to avoid chafing from shoulder seams when carrying a backpack. The material is particularly excellent at wicking perspiration to keep you dry, but has a certain warmth to it in spite of the name. You can read our firsthand review of the Patagonia Capilene Cool Trail t-shirt here.

 

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5. Outdoor Research Echo

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Backpacking
• Climbing

The Outdoor Research Echo is perfect for hot summer days as it is light-weight, moisture-wicking and quick drying. These qualities can be attributed to the sophisticated AirVent fabric which offers a UPF-rating of 15 (meaning that it deflects all but 1/15≈ 6,7% of UV-rays) and also have been treated with the anti-odor agent Polygiene. To reduce the possibility of chafing, the t-shirt is sewed with flatlock stitches and has Raglan sleeves – meaning that each sleeve extends to the collar in one piece, leaving a diagonal seam from underarm to collarbone rather than one on the top of your shoulders where it could chafe under the pressure of a backpack. The Outdoor Research Echo is available in a wide range of colors.

 

4. Buying a Hiking T-Shirt for Women – What is important?

Material

The material of your hiking shirt influences your performance on the trails in the summertime as it determines whether the respective garment offers proper ventilation, moisture-wicking and a comfortable body temperature. Such qualities can be found in sophisticated synthetic blends as well as lightweight Merino wool fabrics, potentially mixed with a bit of nylon fibers to increase the durability (read more about the durability of Merino wool in our article How durable are Merino garments?). Merino wool garments for summer use should naturally be made of thin and lightweight fabrics (<175g/m²).

Fit

It’s very individual how tight a fit one prefers for hiking clothes, but do keep in mind that a slightly loose fit will offer better ventilation than a very tight. On the other hand, a too loose fit can cause problems if you are wearing a backpack as it is easy for the fabric to bundle up and start chafing at your skin.

UPF-rating

It is definitely an advantage if your hiking shirt offers UV-protection. This will usually be indicated through a UPF-rating, especially when it comes to synthetic garments. The UPF-rating of a garment indicates how much UV-radiation it can protect against; a hiking shirt with a UPF20 blocks all but 1/20 (≈5%) of UV-rays. The UPF-rating is dependent on various factors such as tightness of weave (think denim versus loose knits), fiber type (wool, polyester, cotton etc.), amount of stretch, dyes, treatments and condition of the garment (brand-new or worn-out). Read more in our article Sun Protective Clothing for Hiking.