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ryleymyers
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ryleymyers
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PostWed May 07, 2014 11:17 am 
hmmm.... in the market for some hiking pants. hink.gif What do you recommend? why do you like them, any downsides and pictures or links would be helpful. thank you!

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Hulksmash
Cleaning up.



Joined: 20 Apr 2008
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Hulksmash
Cleaning up.
PostWed May 07, 2014 11:25 am 
RailRiders If your hard on hiking pants theVersaTac-Mid Pant are more like a Carhartt. I've got two years worth of trail maintenance work and bushwhacking on one pair. Typically i get maybe one season out of pants under those conditions. I also have there light wight pants. They are high quality.

"Bears couldn't care less about us....we smell bad and don't taste too good. Bugs on the other hand see us as vending machines." - WetDog Albuterol! it's the 11th essential
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DIYSteve
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DIYSteve
seeking hygge
PostWed May 07, 2014 12:59 pm 
Fit is important. 2-way stretch is very nice too. My current favorite is the REI Endeavor pant, available in full pant and convertible shorts/pants. Fabric is same/similar to lightweight Schoeller cloth -- and has proven to be every bit as durable -- but at a lower price than labels with branded Schoeller. But if they don't fit. . . . I just got my first waxed-65/35 cloth Fjallraven piece, a jacket, considering whether to get a pair of waxed 65/35 Fjallraven pants.

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Randito
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PostWed May 07, 2014 1:32 pm 
Whatever is on deep discount on Sierra trading post. Purchase, try on at home, wear for a while, if it isn't great send 'em back and try something else. I got a pair of mountain hardwear Refugio trekking pants that way that are amazingly light and comfy, UPF 50 and fast drying enough that I can wash them in a hotel/hostel sink and have be dry the next morning.

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tigermn
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PostWed May 07, 2014 1:44 pm 
I've had good luck with the REI Sahara pants. Granted I am a trail hiker and not into beating brush/destroying clothing in that fashion so can't speak to that kind of wear and tear. The best part is they are cheap especially if you catch them on the clearance sales which is when I buy them. You can afford multiple pairs for the price of one of the more expensive offerings.

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Conifers
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PostWed May 07, 2014 4:07 pm 
It's too bad rail riders doesn't make convertable pants.

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Ranger Smith
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PostWed May 07, 2014 6:15 pm 
Wool knickers or REI Sahara convertible

I'm a man, I can change, if I have to, I guess.
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hiker1
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PostWed May 07, 2014 8:34 pm 
Depends on the season and what you are doing. On trails only? Bushwhacking? Climbing? Summertime in hot weather a thin but strong synthetic is what I wear, long pants too, if only to keep some bugs like ticks off me. Light color. In other seasons slightly heavier but still synthetic long pants. I have several of both types, pros and cons for all of them.

falling leaves / hide the path / so quietly ~John Bailey, "Autumn," a haiku year, 2001, as posted on oldgreypoet.com
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Ski
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PostWed May 07, 2014 9:33 pm 
> Depends on the season and what you are doing. from maiden voyage TR: "The fancy Fjallraven pants worked quite well on this fairly short little walk. Kept the mud off me, and didn't rip to shreds when I fell into a hole trying to get a better look at the big spruce. They're quiet, too- even wading through wet sword fern and vine maple." Filson Mackinaw Field Pants and Mountain Sewn Nylon Pants Eddie Bauer "Stormchek" pants. (edit 05/08: it appears from their website they've replaced these with other models.) Have a pair of "Ex Officio" nylon pants (not convertible) that I've worn for 20 years. Very lightweight. Comfortable. Not very windproof. Still my favorites, probably because they're quiet and dry in minutes. Got a pair of REI "Sahara" convertibles last year. Not really spendy ($65). Very lightweight. Not enough miles on them to really make an assessment. Probably would have gone with the Kuhl "Liberator" instead if they had them with a longer inseam that day. If the weather's decent, cotton shorts John Stockton style. and, as hiker1 said above: "pros and cons for all of them"

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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meck
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PostWed May 07, 2014 10:41 pm 
Here is my 2 cents. I've got two pair of REI saharas, non-convertible (the more seams, the more opportunity for failure...) pants, and used them for about a year now. Sahara pros: For on trail work they are great; they dry super-fast; provide good sun protection (I hate applying sunscreen to my legs..); and at least for me they run a little baggy (which I generally like, very comfy); lots of pockets too. Sahara cons: They provide absolutely no warmth at all (has not really been a problem for me until about 20 degrees, then my knees start to freeze); they run a little baggy (can get caught on lots of things, especially going through brush/over blowdown); the nylon material (as was expected) is not super durable (I've worn a hole on the leg cuff where it brushes the other leg as I walk, gonna have to sew on a patch). About 10-15% of the time I'm hiking these days it is off trail and I've been surprised that I haven't yet catastrophically destroyed the sahara trousers yet, but I have caused lots of little snags and have to be very careful. On trail they are great though. I also used a pair of desert camo military trousers (50/50 cotton/nylon blend) for a several years prior to using the REI saharas. The pros were: they were super-tough; protected my legs very well for off trail travel; ripstop really worked; they "looked cool" wink.gif. The cons were: they were heavier; and they took a while to dry out, and never really dried out in damp weather. I now have an OD green cotton/ripstop pair of trousers that are just fine during dry summer days, but I don't dare wear them if there has been any recent rain or the potential for it and I value my comfort (which I do...)

*Just say NO to Rent-Seeking, don't give up the concept of "ownership"*
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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
Faster than light
PostThu May 08, 2014 7:24 am 
I love my MH Ridgeline 3/4 pants, but good luck finding a pair. If you do find them let me know! I had a pair of convertible REI pants, I think it was Saharas. On the first night of a thru-hike the lower part of the leg caught on a branch and the zipper tore. I spent the next week in shorts.

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FJES6
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FJES6
Will Belay for Food
PostThu May 08, 2014 11:26 am 
I use thrift store polyester pants, cut off in the summer. Cheap, drys quickly. In the winter I prefer 100% wool.

Sincerely, Franklyn Joseph Esquire Sebille the 6th Http://www.summitpost.org/users/fjes6/68961 Alpinism is the art of suffering-Voytek Kurtyka
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Schenk
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PostThu May 08, 2014 11:41 am 
My vote is for softshell pants, in an appropriate weight. I won't get brand specific...it would be a pissing match, but there are many good brands and models to choose from. I used to just use straight non-stretch woven synthetic pants, some convertible, some not, but the extra stretch and ease of movement in softshell (stretch woven fabric) is great and I haven't looked back since buying my first pair (Patagonia Talus pants back in the late 1980s). I now own about 10 pair in different weights and with different features for various pursuits.

Nature exists with a stark indifference to humans' situation.
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DestinationUp
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PostThu May 08, 2014 1:20 pm 
REI Saharas, men's cut (I don't wear women's size twelve or under, but that's another thread). Because they're the uniform pants for our Venturing Crew, I have several pairs. Enough, in fact, that I wear them around town. I have never had any sort of failure in any pair, except for stitching coming loose after dozens upon dozens of washings, and except for scuff marks earned when sliding down boulders to beat a thunderstorm.

Geek, wife, mom, Venturing Crew Advisor, perennially waiting for meltout.
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Chief Joseph
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PostThu May 08, 2014 1:45 pm 
I have had good luck and pretty good prices on pants at Cabellas, my favorites are some ultra light convertible guide pants, I paid about 25 bucks. Even though they are very light and perfect for hot summer days they have held up extremely well, going on 4-5 years now.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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