Pants specifically. I've been looking around a fair bit for some 100% wool pants that I can hunt in, so far the best thing I found were the L.L. Bean Maine Guide Wool Pants for women (and those have 15% nylon...). They only come in solid gray too.
I'm really at a loss. Any women have any insight into non-camo 100% wool gear that is of good quality and reasonably priced (and fits!)?
(Doc Nock, if you're reading this, the tailor recommended I not get the pants Louise gave me tailored, but if I really can't find anything I'm going to take them back to her and insist that she try to make it work...)
Thanks!
Sarah
Top quality virgin wool is expensive, but most of us believe it is worth it considering all the years of service it can give.
Filson and Pendleton make first class garments.
I even check out my local Goodwill stores and have found quality wool at discount prices.
I mean specifically for women...I've checked both of those and got nothin'...their women's lines are not geared for the outdoors...
Anyone have an opinion about Johnson Woolen Mills women's pants?
Sarah,
Check with Gary at Day One. I'm sure he would be glad to make you a pair that are just right. A little pricey, but much cheape than SI or KOM and should last you forever.
Sara....
Check out Military surplus on the web....Some of the cold country's have women clothing also.
Sarah-I have had no luck finding any nice wool pants to fit me. I stand in at 5' even and proud. I am the tallest woman in the family! I hunt in WWII wool pants. They were a bit big so I dried them. I tend to normaly put a larger pair of camo pants over them unless the weather is wet. Good luck. Let me know if you find anything.
Katie
www.woolcamo.com (http://www.woolcamo.com) Watch the video. I think the sizing charts indicate wemons and mens. Good quality wool clothing will last you a long time as long as you dont "out grow" it.
Sarah,
Sleeping indian will make them to your measuremets but they are very expensive. Great camo but costly. I believe Day one will do the same for you if you contact them.
Good luck
Johnson Woolens will last long enough for your own daughter to hunt in them one day. I have yet to wear a pair out. Unfortunately I have outgrown some. lol
The sleeping indians are very expensive. If it got cold down here like it does up there I would have to do something, cause I get cold when its 30 outside. I see very few days a year even in the twentys so I kinda feel lucky. The down side is the deer dont put on the weight to stay warm that yalls do :( . I work outside all year long, for the past 18 years or so and can get by with the columbia brand wool stuff. I have been hearin more and more about the Day One stuff, all of it good.
I have "outgrown" a little of my hunting gear as well!! It sure is getting hard to reclaim it!! LOL
Ooooh.
My pet peeve!
I just bought some Lee jeans, same as always, because they fit (mostly) and have a decent sized watch pocket. I wear a pocket watch. Just went in, found the size I always buy and took 'em home.
They half-sized the two front pockets. No way in Helsinki that I can keep money in the front pocket like I always do...they are way too short for security. I bet they expect me to carry a purse, since I can't cart around a man to pay for everything for me.
I said all that to say this: women's clothes are made for cutesy, not practicality. Most everything I wear in the woods was made for a man. I guess the demand isn't there, but it can't develop because women won't want to learn to hunt if they can't get the clothes that will let them be comfortable in the field. The boots that I think would be perfect for me don't come in my size (Men's 7) and the women's are too narrow and flimsy, so I make do with something else. I have gotten used to wearing men's pants, and in protest to Lee, bought a pair of Wrangler carpenter's pants. Now, THOSE are pockets! :D And they use the GOOD denim!
Women's clothes, cut too close and using lighter materials for slimming, substituting cute fur ruffs for vibram soles, place the emphasis in entirely the wrong direction. I don't blame the manufacturers, they are responding to demand. I blame all those idiot women who place a premium on form over function.
Google up Women's Hunting Clothes and the pickings are slim.
Sorel made a light pac boot called the Broadway, for women. It was a lighter version of my oversized Stadiums, so I bought two pairs. Thank goodness, because they discontinued them within a year.
This is getting too long.
Women REALLY have to want to hunt, because staying warm and dry and silent is a real challenge when you can't find the right clothes. They will have to hunt for good clothes or have them tailor-made. When you find something that works, buy one or two more, quick. They will be discontinued! Check out the surplus stores and thrift stores, try stuff on from both men's and ladies' wear. It takes a lot of looking and persistence. Just like hunting.
Killdeer~ Can I vent now?
I feel yall girls pain. I took my daughter to the local BPS and was gonna buy her all new hunting clothes for this winter. She just turned 14 on the 12th (we share the birthday) and is growing and becoming more the women everytime I turn around. Being my oldest there are no hand me downs. I thought she would be stoked to get the ladies gear. Turns out she found it not very comfortable after trying it all on and went with the mens coveralls and a coat. The wierd thing was the ladies stuff was 20-60 dollars higher than the comparable mens stuff. Im proud she went with comfort over the pomp, even though I would have spoiled her anyway!
My California buddy Mike or 'MR O' as we called him; noted that it doesn't matter what color wool you wear UNDER your camo outer layer.
Where he got pink wool tops and bottoms- I really don't care to know.
Point is though; what you wear under your camo is an absolute unknown to most hunters - unless you walk into the tent without knocking....... :scared: :rolleyes: :help:
Filson used to make women's woolen clothing, including the whipcord pants and Mackinaw pants and jackets. I've seen several examples on the-auction-site-that-dares-not-speak-its-name. Woolrich made women's Mackinaw pants for a while; I don't know about other articles from them. Look also for alternative brands by using terms like "whipcord" or "Mackinaw" or combining "women's" with "woolen" or "woollen" and "hunting." I scored a pair of new men's whipcord pants from another NW manufacturer for $40 by searching for "whipcord." (Just beware that a notorious British filmmaker used the same word but with a different connotation . . . )
Gray Wolf will make it your way.
AMEN Killdeer!!! I have picked up several MENs wool sweaters at Goodwill stores but have found nothing for women. That's ok, I don't mind wearing mens clothes to hunt in.
Absolutely AMEN on the pocket issue! Love my pockets. Leg pockets, front pockets, hip pockets. Deep pockets! The more pockets the merrier!
I can't find anything but light wt wool dress pants. They are good for early season but NOT NOW! Low 30's today! 16 degrees tonight! And snow! I don't need camo because I am hunting in a Shaggie Suit.
This is the firt year I've hunted in wool and I LOVE it! I have never been warmer while hunting. I have Rivers West coat and pants and I've been wearing the pants with a set of wool under garments from 3RA. But, I had lost wt and can hardly keep them up! I've got to get a belt!
Oh ya. Let us know what you find out. The guys may have ladies that don't get on Tradgang that need wool pants also.
4 layers of wool shirts and sweaters on last nights hunt! My fingers and toes got a little cold. I carry warmers for hands and feet. Boots are big enough for one pair of socks only. I've been spraying scentless anti-perspirant on my feet before hunting. I think it is helping.
Way back when I was in the army, most of us were bean poles. I had a 27" waist and wore smaller clothes.
I noticed on the auction site any military wool marked small goes dirt cheap becaues there is little demand for it. You might check the site and search for "military wool".
I say amen to Killy and Bona. Go with the boys stuff-way more practical!
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=2110&nav=pp-bc&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1
Try Bemidji Woolen Mills they have a website.
I have some wool clothing from Bemidji Woolen Mills. It's good stuff and gets the job done.
Just saw some womens wool from Filson on that auction site pretty cheap. Might want to check it out.
Thanks everyone.
Hit up goodwill yesterday and found a couple pairs of 100% wool pants, but all seemed too thin to be worth it. You're right bona, just a bunch of dress pants. Also tried a local army/navy store, but everything was waaaayyy too big.
There is a woolrich factory store near me, so I'll try that later this week.
I don't mind the boys stuff at all, it's just getting it to fit me that's the trick...
I was in the LL Bean's outlet in queenstown MD Friday and was excited to see an entire rack of heavily discounted Loden green wool pants. Imagine my disappointment when I realized they were all women's sizes! They had sizes from 6 to 18 and were marked at $14.95 and the sign on the rack said "Take an additional 50% off". If that is off the lowest ticketed price, that would make them $7.50 a pair. Even at 15 they are a steal. They have cargo pockets on the thigh. A nice looking pant.
I went to the website and they had them at 79 bucks. If they are 15, I would drive out there tomorrow!
Killdeer :help:
They're open on Sundays! :goldtooth:
Have Killy will travel... :)
Thank you Steve!
I bought four pair of very itchy 6-pocket loden pants for $7.50 each. Two pair for normal days, and two pair for fat days. I will have to hem them. I was thinking, maybe I can selectively shrink the legs, which are a bit baggy. Whatever. At that price, I should have bought another pair just to cut for knee patches! I don't care that they are scratchy, as I wear long johns under them. These are lighter weight than my WW2 pants, which is just fine.
Um...there were some men's pants on that rack, too, Steve O Mighty Hunter. Lodens and camo wool and some gray plaid with thin red stripes.
The beauty of the outlet store is that the prices are cut (though not all to the same extent as with these pants) and you can try stuff on rather than ordering it "blind" from a catalog. My local Bean store is very yuppified. A sales clerk's nose rose proudly when she told me that they don't carry any camo or hunting gear there. Yeesh.
Thanks again for the tip! Looking at the Cabelas site, though, makes me wanna shout. The clothing items listed under Women's Hunting Clothes are barely one page. The Men's Hunting Clothes has a page of links to categories of hunting clothing. :banghead:
Killdeer~got my hemwork cut out for me!
Hey Kathy, Glad that tip helped! I saw the men's pants, but they were a bit large for me... or small! I've recently started weightwatchers and hope to return to a 34/36 inch waist one day. At which point my new 38 Day One's will probably fall off me! Let me know how that hemming goes. I need to hem my Day One's I've been rolling them up for now.
Well, there ya go, Killy.
I don't even want to know what are "fat days?"
I ain't old nuff' to larn about dat stuff!
Glad you got some britches..even if they itches!
Wow nice job on the pants, killy!
I took a trip to the Woolrich factory store and was extremely disappointed. Even the men's section was a little lacking in wool stuff. The entire women's section was a bunch of foofy cabin-wear. Honestly, like I'm going to tend the fire and make hot cocoa while the boys go out and have all the fun. Bah humbug!
About the most useful stuff they had was an entire women's Carhartt section (oh, and smartwool socks)...
Anyway, we'll see....still looking.
- Cautiously optimistic.
Sarah,
Bob's A&N had nothing? They constantly get new stock... might be picked over with gun season coming up and winter on us... they also go to H-burg Sportsman show..set up booth. STore is the best though..but requires time to rummage... in the truest sense.
Sorry if that lead didn't pan out! :(
I have to believe if you made contact and explained what you're looking for...and they got stuff that might fit, they'd shoot you a call or email if new stuff came in. AT least ole Bob was that CS minded..not sure if he's still active...
My favorite pants to wear when it is really cold as in 24 degrees with a 35 to 45 mph wind blowing is a pair of Drakes pants. They are not wool...they are fleece lined though and are soooo comfortable. Rain just beads up on them...we hunted several days in the rain and my legs never got wet or cold. If it is really cold I wear my women's Winter Silk long underwear (available in many different weights) under them but most of the time I don't even need to. I bought them at Big Daddy's in Alabama. I almost bought another pair this year and plan to buy some next year on my way up to Missouri for our 2 week hunt. These are men's pants with zippered pockets on the back and pockets on the front like in blue jeans. I love cargo pockets and these do not have them. I have considered adding some. The camo is a marsh grass since they are really made for duck and goose hunting. My next favorite item of clothing is...my Browning goose down jacket. I also got this at Big Daddy's Sporting Goods in S. Pittsburg, Alabama. This year I packed only one light weight archery jacket and my goose down jacket and it worked out perfectly. Dang...I wish I were back up there for the late archery season.
I have an array of hunting gloves that fit many needs. I have some very warm ones that make way too much noise (artic shield...can you say krinkle krinkle that's the sound they make real loud)...and seldom use them...but have other quiet ones that are almost as warm. I have a pair of Walmart hunting knitted insulated mittens that I love so long as it isn't raining and freezing.
I have tried several items for keeping my face warm...from Freddy Kruger looking masks to Balaclava's...the fleece Balaclava ROCK! Usually with a Balaclava I don't need a hat unless it is extremely cold and then use a skull cap.
My favorite socks for cold weather came from Bass Pro...I love em!
Oh I forgot to tell you the Drakes pants came with stirup elastic at the bottom...since the pants were too long I cut off the elastic and at the pant cuff is velcro...I let the pants hang over my boot laces to keep them from untying and velcro the leg closed over the boot...and stay nice and warm.
The first half of the first week it was warm and we hunted in t-shirts and camo pants then it started to get cold and interesting.
Check out the Sportsmans Guide on line.
Big Daddy's is in South Pittsburg Tennessee, just across the Alabama line. That area was my stomping ground about 25 years ago when I worked at TVA's Widows Creek power plant.
Hi Eric...thanks for the correction. Gee I love that store! I thought you drove outta S. Pittsburg, Tn and into Al I should have looked it up! We are always just glad to arrive there.
I bought the handiest bag to use when I don't want to haul a back pack...the had two versions one larger the the one I bought.... You know me...the other size is also on my list for next year. So Don if you read this ...please stick one of those bags in the back for me for next October. The bag strap hangs from your shoulder and I wear it crossing my chest. I tried it both riding on my hip and slightly under my arm. The thing has tons of pockets and it so cool. Mine has lots of room but I want the other one for when I want to carry several different grunt calls and a good size bleat can...a sandwich and a partridge in a pear tree. ;)
Ha...so glad no one asked me to model the Kruger mask!
QuoteOriginally posted by vermonster13:
Johnson Woolens will last long enough for your own daughter to hunt in them one day. I have yet to wear a pair out. Unfortunately I have outgrown some. lol
I may be a little late here but I'll agree with vermonster.Around here most folks swear by Johnson wool.I have a ton of jackets and pants,and they will for sure take a beatin'.I just wish they made some camo clothing.
Beaglewear is expensive but even better.Water repellent and availble in camo.