I'm looking for some hunting pants for weather ranging from teens on up to the 70's.
Where I hunt it seems that wind is my biggest enemy, making me feel cold the fastest. I usually hunt ground blinds or tree stands for deer, not a lot of heavy walking or hiking.
Kuiu looks good, but I've never seen it in person or felt the fabric. Quiet fabric is a must, and wind resistant. I've also checked out some windshear fleece from Cabela's. The pants would likely perform double duty in the spring for turkeys.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Wool. Light wool. Nonreflective, warm when wet, relatively windproof and quiet
Sports.....guide for european mil surplus. Cheap way to see if it works for you. I wear wool Sept to May
I just wear BDU pants. I got them a little big so I could layer underneath them. Inexpensive, comfortable, and a lot of variety to choose from.
Got some super thick Columbia wool that is very warm and as Roadkill said above... Nonreflective !
However, it is useless in a wind above 10MPH, feels like your are wearing a screen door. When the wind starts up I wear my Predator fleece pants that are windlined. Also have some Cabelas Legacy Fleece with the Dry Plus lining for windy, rainy days too. For the $$$ the Predator fleece with windliner is hard to beat and love how quiet it is, totally silent. JMHO... :campfire:
I currently wear a thick pair of Columbia wool pants, an Asbell zip-pullover, and a Cabelas wooltimate windproof vest over the Asbell. Never been so warm when hunting, yet not overheated when the sun comes out. I think a set of wooltimate windstopper bibs might be the ticket for you.
I also wear a pair of thin leafy pants over the wool pants, to keep the burrs out of the wool. Works great, and helps to shed water a bit, too.
I don't think there is a pant in existence that meets those criteria. You're going to need to layer or use different pants for that wide range of conditions. The Wooltimate Windstopper bibs are great, but they are too hot for me in 70 degree weather. Best to have a lighter pair of pants to change into when the weather gets warm. It also depends on what your activity level is. I love Kuiu clothing, but for tree stand hunting with temperatures in the teens and the wind blowing, you will freeze your tail off. Kuiu is made for higher exertion hunting or temperatures not too far below freezing. The Kuiu Guide Pants are fairly wind resistant, but not wind proof. I also like my whipcord worsted wool pants for moderately cold weather. Merino long underwear is always a good idea, whatever pants you choose, although synthetic long underwear works fine too.
For cold weather hunting in a tree stand or on the ground where the temperatures are in the teens and the wind is howling, I want some lofted insulation like PrimaLoft, Thinsulate or down. I have some Sitka Kelvin pants that I can wear under Sitka Celcius bibs or other outer pants, and I also have some Core4Element prototype bibs with PrimaLoft that are designed to be worn as an outer layer. Either will keep me warm in the teens with the right upper body insulated clothing.
Quiet pants are not a huge issue when sitting down because of lack of leg movement. Any of the pants I mentioned are plenty quiet in most situations, anyway, but there would be no problem using them in a tree stand or ground stand.
Two items I would recommend to supplement the pants in cold, windy weather are good Pac-style boots (I like my Schnee's with wool felt liners) and a hand muff with chemical heat warmers, so your feet and hands stay warm. Obviously, warm head wear is vital too.
Allan
I agree, one pair of pants for all will be tough.
Check out Day One Camo. Fleece for warmer, wool for cooler. Super quiet, lots of pockets and long lasting.
I'd forgotton about Day One. What's the bucksuede/saddlecloth like?
Military surplus wool pants. There are various styles, from light to heavy, but the price is right. My German cargo pants are the ticket when it is cold (cold is defined by me as below 20), but I have worn them when it is 50, and they are still comfy. At 70, they would be a bit much.
From the teens through the 70's.....I would go with whipcord wool, or moleskin. I bought a pair of moleskin pants from Schnees this fall. I wore them in Idaho when the temps were 30 to 70....they were perfect. Wearing them here in Michigan, they worked excellent when it got down to 25 or so, by adding a thin pair of long johns.
Whipcord wool would be similiar, with the advantage of wool if things were damp.
I didn't know that Cabelas made wooltimate bibs. I'd love to get a pair of them.
Mulie
I have a pair of Sleeping indian wool pants that are great. I hunted Ill last week and wore just silk underneath with temps up to 70.
I hunted Whitetails last night in the teens in MT on stand. I wore merino wool long underwear, with Ufonte thick long johns over that with the SI wool pants over that. No problem.
I hunted for years with Columbia Gallatin river wool, and have owned Cabelas wool. They all work. I think SI is the best I've owned, but its took years to justify the ridiculous cost.
MHO
Jeff
The best and quietest windstopper bottoms (and tops) I have is an original pair of the green Scent lok undies. I don't think the Scent lok works as advertised but the original undergarments are extremely quiet and windproof and you can dry them in your clothes dryer.
If you have $$$$$ buy commercial wool. I have a set of surplus German field pants in grey for 30 years that a just now falling apart. Looked on line and there are several styles and colors available for under $25. If you don' know if you will like it, why spend a hundred to find out
Military dress wools are lighter than field wools
My problem is most military surplus pants from Europe requires a 28" waist or some ridiculous number like that.
I wear light backpacking pants as a shell over heavy tight warmups. The backpacking pants are surprisingly tough. Then I can layer down later in the day.
BDann, I don't know what the Bucksuede/saddlecloth is like. I just have a pair of fleece about 20 years old, still going strong.
I like the cut and pocket space of the pant and know wool is good, so that's my next pant.