Favorite upland pants
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:07 pm
What is your favorite pants for early season upland hunting? Same question for late season hunting?
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Can't speak for any but me....my main reasons are comfort and practacality.Hotchkiss wrote:Why do so many people go with suspenders and avoid belts?
Hotchkiss wrote:Why do so many people go with suspenders and avoid belts?
AtTheMurph wrote:I've been through plenty of hunting pants. Could never seem to find something that I liked, that stopped the thorns and gave me the flexibility I needed. What I have settled on are Carhart work plants with the nylon facing. They have a carpenters loop on them if that helps. They are roomy, not too warm, not cold if I wear a pair of PP long underwear. Have worn them for 5 seasons and can't tell them from when they were new.
I've had Filson's tin cloth that I sold (too stiff), LL Bean, pretty good but wore out, Cabela's, and a couple others. Some were pretty good but the briarproof stuff didn't come up high enough , some were too thin and tore, some too tight.
Well - kinda. Dinging around the pheasant fields I gave up on fancy pants, um er.. pants. A cheap pair of jeans works fine and I care less when I rip out the crotch on barbed wire. I have short legs, this happens a lot. When I am somewhere slogging up coulees, pushing through brush, and getting into burrs, the real upland pants are much nicer.cjhills wrote:Never could figure out why one needs special pants to go hunting. Everybody I know wears Jeans. I have been going more toward Carrhart Bibs as my belly gets a bit bigger. The legs need to be tailored a bit because the are huge. Comfort and light weight are most important. I don't like being locked into the same pants for years. If it is cold I wear long johns. If they wear out I throw them away and buy new ones. Generally start out over dressed so I need to be able to remove a layer or two. They work for me..........................Cj
This has been my question also. But I suspect the answer is that practically everyone has money in their pockets today. I grew up at the tail end of the depression when attitudes were so very different. I remember losing a shoe when I was four or five and having to look for it for the next couple of days because my folks had NO money to buy another pair. I also easily remember when raising my family of driving the old roads because I didn't have the money to pay the tolls on the good roads. And yet today, every time I offer a thought about dogs, clothes, guns, boats, or dog food being to high pieced and a waste of money or the fact that some young families may not have that to spend I get put down by so many. We have long discussions on this forum over guns, hunting vests, hunting boots, and dog foods that have large price differences and the advice from so many always is buy the expensive items because in the long run they are always cheaper. And if I say maybe they don't have the money the response is the purchase price is the cheapest part of owning the item or dog. Even when that is true, how do you compare the cost which is paid in one lump sum to the cost later to maintain or repair is spread out a little bit at a time over possibly years.cjhills wrote:Never could figure out why one needs special pants to go hunting. Everybody I know wears Jeans. I have been going more toward Carrhart Bibs as my belly gets a bit bigger. The legs need to be tailored a bit because the are huge. Comfort and light weight are most important. I don't like being locked into the same pants for years. If it is cold I wear long johns. If they wear out I throw them away and buy new ones. Generally start out over dressed so I need to be able to remove a layer or two. They work for me..........................Cj
For protection? Is all of your hunting done from a horse? If not, how do you keep dry and protected in just jeans? I've worn just jeans plenty of times and I normally get soaked and cut up...especially when chasing roosters and ruffies.cjhills wrote:Never could figure out why one needs special pants to go hunting. Everybody I know wears Jeans. I have been going more toward Carrhart Bibs as my belly gets a bit bigger. The legs need to be tailored a bit because the are huge. Comfort and light weight are most important. I don't like being locked into the same pants for years. If it is cold I wear long johns. If they wear out I throw them away and buy new ones. Generally start out over dressed so I need to be able to remove a layer or two. They work for me..........................Cj
I have found wet and scratched up cheaper than special hunting clothes and I am lucky I guess that I dry and heal very quickly. But to be honest I have found two things that keep me pretty dry and in possession of all my flesh and blood, a pair of Carhart jeans and a good dog. The dog came first and the Carhart's more recently. I can not remember ever hunting with anyone having special clothes till the last decade or so. As a farm boy and later a farmer I an all of my friends got scratched up way worse just putting up hay and straw. Those bales would ruin a pair of jeans pretty quickly but we never had special clothing for that either. Looking back sure wish I had my Carhart's back then.rkappes wrote:For protection? Is all of your hunting done from a horse? If not, how do you keep dry and protected in just jeans? I've worn just jeans plenty of times and I normally get soaked and cut up...especially when chasing roosters and ruffies.cjhills wrote:Never could figure out why one needs special pants to go hunting. Everybody I know wears Jeans. I have been going more toward Carrhart Bibs as my belly gets a bit bigger. The legs need to be tailored a bit because the are huge. Comfort and light weight are most important. I don't like being locked into the same pants for years. If it is cold I wear long johns. If they wear out I throw them away and buy new ones. Generally start out over dressed so I need to be able to remove a layer or two. They work for me..........................Cj
I never hunted ruffies or pheasants off a horse. I find light and comfortable much more important. Generally the northern plains are dry in bird season. If it is raining or wet snow, I either stay in camp or wear rain gear. Unless you mean another kind of dry and protected. I'm thinking not.rkappes wrote:For protection? Is all of your hunting done from a horse? If not, how do you keep dry and protected in just jeans? I've worn just jeans plenty of times and I normally get soaked and cut up...especially when chasing roosters and ruffies.cjhills wrote:Never could figure out why one needs special pants to go hunting. Everybody I know wears Jeans. I have been going more toward Carrhart Bibs as my belly gets a bit bigger. The legs need to be tailored a bit because the are huge. Comfort and light weight are most important. I don't like being locked into the same pants for years. If it is cold I wear long johns. If they wear out I throw them away and buy new ones. Generally start out over dressed so I need to be able to remove a layer or two. They work for me..........................Cj
No one needs upland pants to go hunting, but they sure are a lot nicer than jeans, even Carhartt pants when busting through prickly ash or raspberries and some of those darn seeds (i.e. sweet cicely) that can poke through typical jeans.cjhills wrote:Never could figure out why one needs special pants to go hunting. Everybody I know wears Jeans. I have been going more toward Carrhart Bibs as my belly gets a bit bigger. The legs need to be tailored a bit because the are huge. Comfort and light weight are most important. I don't like being locked into the same pants for years. If it is cold I wear long johns. If they wear out I throw them away and buy new ones. Generally start out over dressed so I need to be able to remove a layer or two. They work for me..........................Cj
I have used their Duluthflex Ultimate Firehose Cargo Pants for the last three years. My favorite upland pantsluvthemud wrote:planning on trying these at some point.
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/prod ... 20406.aspx
I liked the fit of the Duluth pants - plus they were pretty sturdy - unfortunately (and maybe because I'm of the female persuasion), the zipper kept coming down. Nothing like hunting with a new group of folks and having your girly pants showing from underneath. The zipper was a pain, but I doubt that would be an issue with a fella.luvthemud wrote:planning on trying these at some point.
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/prod ... 20406.aspx
I agree that there are better pants than blue jeans to hunt in under poor conditions. But I have to laugh when we hear how uncomfortable and restrictive they are when you have to move like walking while hunting. Makes me wonder what you all do for work. Hunting is much like a walk in the park compared to the activity involved in farming as well as many other labor intensive jobs that the majority of people perform everyday. Try roofing a house, working in a steel mill or a feed mill. a plumber, carpenter, or a miner, who all wear jeans because of their comfort, protection, and durability. And after trying those jobs for a day or two, think you will find hunting is way to relax and take it easy for a day.Wyobio wrote:Any pants with cotton (especially blue jeans) are terrible for hunting. They are hot and restrictive when you are on the move, hypothermia inducing when the weather turns wet. Cordura hiking pants (Columbia, Ex Officio, REI etc.) are perfect for early season. As it gets colder, I layer increasingly heavy long underwear underneath. They are not waterproof, but are very water resistant and do not absorb much water. They keep you warm if you do get wet, and dry very quickly. It is amazing how versatile this is, I hunt the mountains in September to December in North Dakota. If the briars and thorns get too thick, I will put on chaps, but I seldom need it.
I hunt with a guy that laughed at my "hiker outfit". After a day of hunting in wet snow near freezing temps, his jeans had soaked water up to his waist, even though the snow was only 6" deep. As he sweated he melted more snow and the cotton just wicked up his legs. I was slightly damp around the ankles, but otherwise warm and dry. He bought some "hiking pants."
Grouse hunting in the appalachians is not exactly like a walk in the park, on average....that generalization, makes me laugh.ezzy333 wrote:...I agree that there are better pants than blue jeans to hunt in under poor conditions. But I have to laugh when we hear how uncomfortable and restrictive they are when you have to move like walking while hunting. Makes me wonder what you all do for work. Hunting is much like a walk in the park compared to the activity involved in farming as well as many other labor intensive jobs that the majority of people perform everyday. Try roofing a house, working in a steel mill or a feed mill. a plumber, carpenter, or a miner, who all wear jeans because of their comfort, protection, and durability. And after trying those jobs for a day or two, think you will find hunting is way to relax and take it easy for a day.
Jeans do not offer the protection from briars we all like to have and they do get wet early on a dewy or frosty morning, but I can't think of anything more comfortable that a pair of bib overalls for the active hardworking person.
RoostersMom wrote:I liked the fit of the Duluth pants - plus they were pretty sturdy - unfortunately (and maybe because I'm of the female persuasion), the zipper kept coming down. Nothing like hunting with a new group of folks and having your girly pants showing from underneath. The zipper was a pain, but I doubt that would be an issue with a fella.luvthemud wrote:planning on trying these at some point.
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/prod ... 20406.aspx
I really like the Riggs pants sold at Orscheln's. The fabric is like that "fire hose" fabric from Duluth. Pretty sturdy pants, mostly briar-proof plus they have good pockets and the loops for the belt are good. They also have a good pocket for your knife on the side and a hammer loop (sometimes I hang my cap gun on there).
All of this from the guy that wears Insulated Carharts. The last time I priced Carharts they were about the same price as upland pants.ezzy333 wrote:This has been my question also. But I suspect the answer is that practically everyone has money in their pockets today. I grew up at the tail end of the depression when attitudes were so very different. I remember losing a shoe when I was four or five and having to look for it for the next couple of days because my folks had NO money to buy another pair. I also easily remember when raising my family of driving the old roads because I didn't have the money to pay the tolls on the good roads. And yet today, every time I offer a thought about dogs, clothes, guns, boats, or dog food being to high pieced and a waste of money or the fact that some young families may not have that to spend I get put down by so many. We have long discussions on this forum over guns, hunting vests, hunting boots, and dog foods that have large price differences and the advice from so many always is buy the expensive items because in the long run they are always cheaper. And if I say maybe they don't have the money the response is the purchase price is the cheapest part of owning the item or dog. Even when that is true, how do you compare the cost which is paid in one lump sum to the cost later to maintain or repair is spread out a little bit at a time over possibly years.cjhills wrote:Never could figure out why one needs special pants to go hunting. Everybody I know wears Jeans. I have been going more toward Carrhart Bibs as my belly gets a bit bigger. The legs need to be tailored a bit because the are huge. Comfort and light weight are most important. I don't like being locked into the same pants for years. If it is cold I wear long johns. If they wear out I throw them away and buy new ones. Generally start out over dressed so I need to be able to remove a layer or two. They work for me..........................Cj
Nice to have money, but many that claim thry do, often are using credit or forgetting that they have family and friends and even their older years that do or will need help and when those times come the well is dry and someone else ends up paying the bills. I still think 5 dollars is a lot of money when your pockets are empty and the kids are hungry. Just a sign I am behind the times.
I have no idea what they cost back when I bought them or what they cost today. But I bought them when I was working outside in -40 degrees weather in northern WI and found I needed more so they became my favorite hunting garb when it was cool enough. I just have never bought single purpose clothes items as I never felt years ago I could afford them and in later years I never felt I wanted them. Always something that was needed way more than hunting clothes, new shotguns, expensive fish rods, and a whole lot of sporting goods. I probably would have had a different mind set if some how they would make me enjoy myself more. I found my enjoyment working dogs, teaching kids, and helping people who really needed it. As long as guns shoot ammo, cameras shoot film, and kids need to be educated on some things that may be more important than what they learn from a book, I think I spent my money wisely. And I am happy.Deets wrote:All of this from the guy that wears Insulated Carharts. The last time I priced Carharts they were about the same price as upland pants.ezzy333 wrote:This has been my question also. But I suspect the answer is that practically everyone has money in their pockets today. I grew up at the tail end of the depression when attitudes were so very different. I remember losing a shoe when I was four or five and having to look for it for the next couple of days because my folks had NO money to buy another pair. I also easily remember when raising my family of driving the old roads because I didn't have the money to pay the tolls on the good roads. And yet today, every time I offer a thought about dogs, clothes, guns, boats, or dog food being to high pieced and a waste of money or the fact that some young families may not have that to spend I get put down by so many. We have long discussions on this forum over guns, hunting vests, hunting boots, and dog foods that have large price differences and the advice from so many always is buy the expensive items because in the long run they are always cheaper. And if I say maybe they don't have the money the response is the purchase price is the cheapest part of owning the item or dog. Even when that is true, how do you compare the cost which is paid in one lump sum to the cost later to maintain or repair is spread out a little bit at a time over possibly years.cjhills wrote:Never could figure out why one needs special pants to go hunting. Everybody I know wears Jeans. I have been going more toward Carrhart Bibs as my belly gets a bit bigger. The legs need to be tailored a bit because the are huge. Comfort and light weight are most important. I don't like being locked into the same pants for years. If it is cold I wear long johns. If they wear out I throw them away and buy new ones. Generally start out over dressed so I need to be able to remove a layer or two. They work for me..........................Cj
Nice to have money, but many that claim thry do, often are using credit or forgetting that they have family and friends and even their older years that do or will need help and when those times come the well is dry and someone else ends up paying the bills. I still think 5 dollars is a lot of money when your pockets are empty and the kids are hungry. Just a sign I am behind the times.
I tried the firehose pants, my only issue was they are really heavy. The crotch is not barbwire proof.AZ Brittany Guy wrote:Just old Wrangler jeans or their Ryder, ripstop work jeans. Chaps if I am in heavy cactus. I am tempted to try the Deluth Fire hose pants some day.
I carry a revolver with snake shot so I wear suspenders so my pants don't fall down.
Duluth make several different styles and thicknesses. The Brush pants are actually lighter than their Logger pants. Have both and they work great. Plus they will replace if you fray them. I`m trying but they do wear well. Deep pockets, large zipper tang, gusset crotch and comfortable. Love them.I tried the firehose pants, my only issue was they are really heavy. The crotch is not barbwire proof.
I am wondering what the dogs look like after the day. Sounds like some pretty rough stuff.Mountaineer wrote:"1/2 hour"?
It's a wonder the birds have any feathers left.
In a previous discussion on guns, you said you used a 20 gauge because of it weight, and comfort was a big concern for you. I wear water resistant hunting pants for those same types of reasons. Like twenty gauge shells, you do pay a premium for them, but the trade off is comfort. It is sure more enjoyable for me the be dry in the field, than wet. I grew up farming, picked a lot of bean fields soaking wet and miserable in blue jeans and tennis shoes, worked at a feed mill, and roofed quite a few houses also. A pair of jeans cost me about $35, and quility pair of hunting pant at the end of season runs me about $60. So 5 years out I have spent $5 extra a year staying dry and comfortable, seems reasonable considering people shoot 20 gauge shells because they don't understand the value of the dollar.ezzy333 wrote:This has been my question also. But I suspect the answer is that practically everyone has money in their pockets today. I grew up at the tail end of the depression when attitudes were so very different. I remember losing a shoe when I was four or five and having to look for it for the next couple of days because my folks had NO money to buy another pair. I also easily remember when raising my family of driving the old roads because I didn't have the money to pay the tolls on the good roads. And yet today, every time I offer a thought about dogs, clothes, guns, boats, or dog food being to high pieced and a waste of money or the fact that some young families may not have that to spend I get put down by so many. We have long discussions on this forum over guns, hunting vests, hunting boots, and dog foods that have large price differences and the advice from so many always is buy the expensive items because in the long run they are always cheaper. And if I say maybe they don't have the money the response is the purchase price is the cheapest part of owning the item or dog. Even when that is true, how do you compare the cost which is paid in one lump sum to the cost later to maintain or repair is spread out a little bit at a time over possibly years.cjhills wrote:Never could figure out why one needs special pants to go hunting. Everybody I know wears Jeans. I have been going more toward Carrhart Bibs as my belly gets a bit bigger. The legs need to be tailored a bit because the are huge. Comfort and light weight are most important. I don't like being locked into the same pants for years. If it is cold I wear long johns. If they wear out I throw them away and buy new ones. Generally start out over dressed so I need to be able to remove a layer or two. They work for me..........................Cj
Nice to have money, but many that claim thry do, often are using credit or forgetting that they have family and friends and even their older years that do or will need help and when those times come the well is dry and someone else ends up paying the bills. I still think 5 dollars is a lot of money when your pockets are empty and the kids are hungry. Just a sign I am behind the times.