Best Fleece-Lined Leggings for Cold Weather for Winter 2024 & 2025

Updated November 2024

It’s winter and it’s cold. But that doesn’t mean you have to stop wearing leggings. The secret is investing in the best fleece-lined leggings that fit the activity you want – whether running errands or going for a cross-country ski.

I’ve spent years wearing, testing, adventuring, and working out in fleece-lined leggings in temperatures down to -45°C/-49F here in our Canadian winters.

I’ve curated this list as my top recommendations when it comes to the best fleece-lined leggings for cold weather. I recommend any pair on this list but have broken it down into categories based on features and activities you might be doing.

READ MORE: How to Layer Properly for Cold Weather Activities

Here are the best fleece-lined leggings for cold weather depending on the activity you’ll be doing.

Complete Guide to the Best Fleece-Lined Leggings

While still slim and fitted, fleece-lined leggings give more warmth than regular leggings. But it’s important to note that no matter what lining is in a pair of leggings, they won’t replace the warmth properly insulated ski pants provide in the winter months. So please dress according to the weather conditions.

*Some of these links may be affiliated. Purchases through an affiliated link support my small business at no extra cost to you.

READ MORE: Best Winter Coats for Women in the Winter

Overall Top 3 Best Fleece-Lined Leggings

Hands down the top three leggings I love this 2024-2025 winter season are:

1. High Quality: Lululemon Fast and Free High Rise Fleece Tight
   Best for: 0°C/32F
   Soft, thin and the perfect amount of stretch to compression – these Lululemon tights aren’t cheap but I love them. Especially while being active. They’re great in shoulder season or simply wearing out on errands. And pockets – they have pockets. These are the thinnest lined leggings you’ll find out there!
   
   Buy them here.
   
2. Warmest: Kyodan Sherpa Fleece Lined Leggings
   Best for: -1 to -45°C/32F to -49F
   You won’t find thicker or warmer fleece-lined leggings anywhere else. These leggings aren’t just lined with standard fleece, they have a thick sherpa lining for maximum warmth. Kyodan is a go-to fitness brand of choice for me and these leggings are some of the best and warmest. They have come in three colours and fit true to size. But hurry as they sell out fast!
   
   Buy them here.
   
3. Budget Friendly: Baleaf Fleece-Lined Leggings
   Best for: -1 to -20°C/32 to -49F
   A soft legging goes a long way. The Baleaf fleece-lined legging provides a comfortable thickness-to-compression ratio and has pockets on both legs. This is a standard fleece-lined legging you can’t go wrong with. They also come in nearly a dozen different colours and patterns. They are a favourite of mine because they’re great multi-activity leggings. Plus they have nearly 20,000 reviews on Amazon.
   
   Buy them here.

Best Fleece-Lined Leggings for Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing & Walking

Columbia has nailed it with their high-rise warm winter pants. It’s a thicker material – almost like a soft shelf – with water repellency and UPF protection This means it’s a good buffer against the wind when cross-country skiing and snowshoeing and when out walking. But it’s also stretchy and fits close against the skin. There’s one zippered side pocket to slip your phone into which makes it easy to access while on the trails.

You can buy directly from their website or check out Amazon as some sizes are cheaper than full price.

Note: The fit of the fleece-lined pant on the model on Columbia’s website isn’t very flattering. It’s not how these pants fit in real life. They’re a tight fit with a narrow, straight leg at the ankle – they fit more like leggings as seen on me in the photo above (versus how it looks like pants in the product shot.)

Winter Tip: My favourite fitted ear warmer for cross-country skiing or winter running. This face cover has little holes around the nose and mouth which helps reduce fogging on glasses and goggles. It’s also more fitted than a standard neck tube.

Winter Tip: These are my favourite reusable warmers to keep in my gloves and boots when skiing, hiking, or snowshoeing. They’re compact and versatile. Plus, they last season after season, making them a perfect accessory for my winter wardrobe. I tuck them into my mitts, boots or even pockets if I want a thicker lining.

Warmest Fleece-Lined Leggings

Kyodan wins for the warmest fleece-lined leggings due to their Sherpa fleece lining. While leggings don’t replace properly insulated pants, these come close when keeping me warm in the cold weather. While the fleece is thicker, it isn’t bulky. These are exactly what I want when the temperature dips but I want to be warm and comfortable.

Buy them here.

Most Affordable Fleece-Lined Leggings

The Baleaf fleece-lined leggings are an Amazon find and are the most affordable at about $50 per pair. They have deep drop-in side pockets, a front waistband pocket and are a perfect multi-purpose legging.

The next (very closely) affordable leggings are one of my favourites mentioned above, the CRZ leggings, also on Amazon. Depending on the colour (there are a dozen colours available) the price is also about $50 a pair.

Warm Tip: For additional warmth, I like to pair my fleece-lined leggings with reusable hand, foot, and body warmers made of sheared beaver fur. The fur acts as an insulator, helping to retain the body heat I’m naturally generating. These warmers are a great addition to my mitts, shoes, and leggings (I just slip them in pretty much anywhere – gloves, boots and the back waistband of my leggings), keeping me comfortable and warm when I’m out in the cold.

READ MORE: 12 Outdoor Winter Activities to Try if You Live in Saskatchewan

Best Fleece-Lined Leggings for Winter Running

Lululemon leggings are sooo soft and buttery smooth. They also offer great compression in flattering cuts. These leggings have a thin brushed interior which are thinner than standard fleece-lined leggings but perfect for running (which they’re engineered for). They’re also great when heading out to run errands, or for autumn temperatures.

The Fast and Free Brushed tights have two pockets and come in several different colours. I wear these during the autumn months as well as throughout the winter when out running. They’re even great for colder summer days or hiking at altitude which makes them truly versatile.

Because they’re specifically engineered for running, lululemon tights are great investment pieces that will be in your closet for years.

Gear Tip: If you find the air is too cold air in your lungs when running, here’s an excellent fitted face mask that is breathable and won’t fall down. This has become my favourite face covering when outdoors – I own it in two different colours.

Buy them here.

Gear Tip: My favourite gloves for running let you flip the top back and cool your fingers when things heat up on the trail.

Buy them here.

Best Running Jacket in Cold Weather: If you’re an avid runner in cold weather, I want to shout out Lululemon’s down jackets. It’s another piece of gear I own in several colours. The jacket is fitted, comfortable and has numerous pockets. So you can stick your gloves or hat in if you get too warm when out running in the snow. I wear these for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing as well. They also layer well with a shell jacket.

Buy it here.

Best Fleece-Lined Leggings with Pockets

While most of the fleece leggings in this post have pockets (except the Kyodan sherpa-lined leggings), the Baleaf fleece-lined leggings have double pockets on both sides. They come in a dozen different colours and also have a waist pocket in the back to slip in keys or a card. So if having pockets is important, I recommend these ones.

Buy them here.

Best Fleece-Lined Leggings for Tall Women

While I’m 5’4 and usually go with a 25″ inseam, a 28″ also works. But I know many women are taller than me and looking for leggings that are longer. Eddie Bauer caters to tall women for leggings, pants and ski pants. The Cross-Over Winter Trail High Rise leggings are an excellent option. With a brushed fleece lining and moisture-wicking, odour control, they also have a side pocket with a zippered pocket on top. The tall option should be 3″ longer than regular for a 31″ inseam.

Buy them here.

Best Fleece-Lined Leggings for Plus-Size Women

lululemon has created tights for plus-sized women. The Fast and Free High Rise tights with side pockets did go up to a size 20 but this season looks like they only go up to size 14.

Buy them here.

Eddie Bauer offers plus sizes in 2X and 3X for their Cross-Over Winter Trail High Rise leggings which are moisture-wicking with a side pocket and zippered coin pocket.

Buy them here.

Best Fleece-Lined Pant

If you’re not totally in love with wearing leggings, I get it. Thankfully, there are a variety of fleece-lined pants out there too. One of my top choices comes from my favourite brand Kyodan. This pant has cuffs at the bottom and the exterior is made of a ulta soft ribbed fleece. They don’t fit as tight as leggings and are the ultimate in loungewear. This means you can still go out and ski, snowshoe, walk and hike in them and still be comfortable. You can also fit a pair of merino wool leggings under them nicely, too,

Buy the fleece lined pant here.

Fleece-Lined Pantyhose for Under a Dress – Yes, Really!

This is amazing. Not only can you buy fleece-lined leggings for all sorts of outdoor activities, but you can also buy fleece-lined leggings that go under your dress and make it look like you’re wearing pantyhose. They come in three different shades.

You can also buy them in different sheerness levels and most options are 220g. This sounds like the most Canadian thing ever – what a great way to stay warm but still look nice in the winter when dressed up. They’re also under $30.

But them here.

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