Pants

Duluth trading company firehose pants, cargos, carpenters even flex firehose. I have two pairs of the flex ones and I wear them often.
 
I use patagonia guide pants with a light base layer underneath. They're crazy tough and there's no better warranty. They breathe really well and have decent water repellency. That's what I wear winter camping and backcountry skiing in BC all winter.
 
Dickies.

If conditions are dry and you like them, stick with jeans or Carharts.

If the issue is dealing with wetter conditions, I find Dickies cotton polyester blend to be good in all but the worst conditions. The stuff wears like iron, gets softer over time. Most styles have a gussets crotch and they have cargo pant versions. For cold weather, layer them over poly long johns. They shed snow reasonably well. They were my standard pants when I used to live in the north country. Suitable for moderate hiking and bushwacking. They're like 65% polyester.

Another alternative if you want full polyester is to look at tactical type uniform pants. I have a few I got on cleance. Dickies look better around town but the tactical pants are full synthetics.

Another trick is to find wool slacks at Goodwill. Tip from Ckiff Jacobsen's book. If you want to find light wool.

For really cold conditions, heavy wool pants have thei place but for the cost and for the few times their needed, I'd rather use synthetic backpacking or skiing type pants.
 
The OP is from the PAC Northwet with 50+ inches of rain annually. It is high humidity and cooler temps. Wearing cotton is a potential disaster in the making. Even now it is 27 degrees and near 60% humidity. The Lewis and Clark expedition suffered significantly in that climate. People die at 45 degrees there.

A light cotton to heavy wool/poly blend yes. All cotton no way - even dickies, carhartts, or Duluth.
 
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My std setup for backpacking..

Base layer
-light or mid weight poly long handles(tights)

And 2 outer layers(technically speaking. but can/will be used as a mid and outer when worn together for versatility)
-Mtn Hardware syn zipoff-legged trail pants(these can be worn as a mid layer between a base and outer shell layer if needed)
-Waterproof breathable shell pants. Depends on the weather for what type. I have about 5 different styles/weights/features.

So with these 3 garments, I then have--shorts, trail pants, base layer tights, shell pants.

I have zero cotton technical wear.
 
I don't think Chris is looking for backpacking pants.

I think he's looking for what might be called general work pants, with an eye towards durability and outdoor work.

I agree that for backcountry travel, modern technical clothing really does a lot better. But, I don't think that's the goal here.

I just looked at my tactical pants and they were, as others have suggested, 5.11. I find them to be 1/2 way between Dickies work pants and true technical pants. I got them cheap, so they're my beater pants and they're cut roomier than Dickies. I use them for XC skiing quite often, but they're obnoxious looking enough that I won't just wear them around town like I would Dickies and they are no where as good for backcountry skiing as, say, my old Patagonia Guide pants which appear to be close to indestructible.

BTW Chris, you asked about wool... Heavy wool pants from Johnson Woolen (sort of Vermont's answer to Filsens and Woolrich) are something like standard issue among lifties, hunters and others who don't move a lot when out in the cold. They're super warm but the weight and lack of stretch makes them clumsy to hike/ski in, it's not the most abrasion resistant and they don't shed snow and end up getting wet if you're wallowing in it. I generally prefer Dickies over heavy thermals unless it's brutally cold (but then, I didn't work as a liftie).
 
Yep I'm in the pacific northwest. But on the east side of the cascades in the Columbia gorge. So we get a lot of the wet storms from the coast but over all its pretty dry. Right now its about 18 degrees and snowing lightly, first snow of the year. I wore my carhartt insulated bibs today. They're cotton, but still have the scotch guard type coating that carhartt uses.


While I appreciate the recommendations, I'm not exactly looking for recommendations. Just wondering what everybody else is wearing besides cotton. I may try some of these arborwear pants if I can find them on sale though. :)
 
I use quick drying nylon pants and shorts in the summer, recently Marmot's Cruz model for both. Marmot Scree unlined softshell pants the rest of the time, but I have to find something different for a replacement, since a change in the sizing and fit keeps the latest versions from working for me. May give Eddie Bauer's very similar Mountain Guide Lite pants a try next. Full zip rain pants from OR when necessary.
Lately, I get wet and muddy too much to want to mess around with wool or cotton, but I used winter weight poly/cotton blend BDUs for hiking and camping in cooler weather for many years with no complaints.
 
NeedItCheaper said:
5.11 TDU pants. They have done very well. Something like 65/35 poly cotton blend, with a the teflon coating(or whatever it is).
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+1, wear them all the time (work/play) and just throw some lightweight merino wool long johns under 'em...
Although with the current cold snap, may add heavy weight poly-pro.

Just downstream from you in Stevenson, WA. We usually meet Sundays, Noon at the EOC to hit the brush for some "Trees-N-Quiet" each week, should you care to join us...!

Cheers,
8
 
Carhart, usually. Cotton in the summer, cotton with poly insulation liner in the winter.

I work outside 8-10 hours a day through the winter.
 
I think BigFattyT may be referring to German Army Surplus wool pants. I picked up a pair at Goodwill for under $5 and another pair from EvilBay for a bit more. Excellent quality. Double fabric in the front of the leg. One pair has some sort of waterproof material between the two layers of fabric. Side cargo pockets. Hip pockets and front pockets have button flaps. I'm wearing a pair right now with Sorels because it's 5 degrees with about a 25 MPH wind and I'm about to haul in some firewood. The only thing that's a bit of a hassle is all the buttons including the fly and waist band. Bucking hay bales, these probably won't hold up as well as double front Carhartt's, which are my go-to pants when the weather is a bit milder. But if you can find them cheap, use them up. Let it be known that I am a wool and canvas guy, not much for synthetics except maybe as a base layer if I'm going to work up a sweat. If I was going to do much bale bucking in this weather, I'd get a pair of cheap chinks (knee length leather chaps) to protect the wool pants. These would function as the "skid plates" recommended above.
 
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pinnah said:
Chris, could you describe in more detail what your day entails?
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Chris Pierce said:
While I appreciate the recommendations, I'm not exactly looking for recommendations. Just wondering what everybody else is wearing besides cotton.
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:)

Lately I mostly stay home, go on short walks or take the kids to the park. I have a broken foot :( But generally when I'm healthy and whole I'm out helping my brother in his shop (especially in winter), fabrication, machine work, wrenching on my truck, fence building and general random projects. In the milder weather I like to spend time hiking, swimming, shooting etc.

Years ago I heard that 'cotton kills', and since then I've been meaning to look into non-cotton pants, now with a broken foot I have a lot of free time to look into things. But, I've sort of come to the realization that it don't matter much. We've all been getting along just fine with cotton pants. While I am driving around the middle of nowhere a lot, it's pretty unlikely that I'll be out driving in a rain storm and lose my truck, or drive into the river. I'd have bigger problems then cold legs at that point anyway.
 
I tend to like the tactical style pants as many of the ones you can find now days blend in fairly well and when your outdoors they look like they are what you should be wearing. I sure love them over the heavy and not as high quality Cargo pants and they have more pockets than jeans. That is just me and I try to look for a 65% to 70% synthetic to 35% or 30% cotton even though going with an 80% synthetic would be better for moisture.
 
Quirt said:
The OP is from the PAC Northwet with 50+ inches of rain annually. It is high humidity and cooler temps. Wearing cotton is a potential disaster in the making. Even now it is 27 degrees and near 60% humidity. The Lewis and Clark expedition suffered significantly in that climate. People die at 45 degrees there.
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Great point. Right now it's 8 degrees with 80% humidity! COLD and WET.
 
I wear Carhartt and duck cloth pants almost exclusively. I find Wrangler Riggs pants to be a little faster drying and longer lasting. Their "Ranger" pant provides cargo pockets and a double front. They are made of a ripstop nylon/cottlon blend. The rear pockets are cordura lined. They do tend to shrink a little in the waist if you wash them anything other than cold, or dry them warm. They're under $50. Cabelas carries them. Cabelas Roughneck pants are also a good hard use pant.
 
Chris Pierce said:
.
While I appreciate the recommendations, I'm not exactly looking for recommendations. Just wondering what everybody else is wearing besides cotton. I may try some of these arborwear pants if I can find them on sale though. :)
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I'm wearing 5.11 TDUs and Tru-Spec 24/7 series .. but they're only cause they're convenient and free. After issued new service clothing, i re-purpose my old ones.
 
For me I like the Duluth trading company flex firehose cargo pants and carhartt cargos. I don't wear denim jeans anymore.
 
lawp said:
I am way past my backpacking years, but I enjoyed it for decades in the Rocky Mountains.

Even in summer we had to be prepared for winter conditions so wool was our fiber of choice.
I would find a pair of US Air Force wool dress pants at a thrift store, less than $5, gabardine or a nice twill.
They were light and baggy, just right for backpacking.
In the winter we wore Woolrich knickers and knicker socks for snow country mountaineering, also wool sweaters, poly-blend parka, gaiters, etc.
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Ha!
A man after my own heart
Exactly what I wore
And Blacks canvas Anoraks

But now I use the modern lightweight nylon stuff
A fraction of the weight
 
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