4. Shorts are fine unless it's cold. I have zip-off pants, so it works either way depending on temperatures.
There’s also sun exposure to consider. Particularly if you are fair-skinned and burn easily, wearing shorts means applying (and periodically reapplying) sunscreen to your legs. I don’t know about anyone else. But I don’t like using sunscreen if I don’t have to. Long pants and a long sleeve shirt just work better for me for this reason. But as another person said, zip-offs can be a good idea. Having both shorts and a pair of long pants also works well (and doesn’t really weigh more).
