Forum Index > Gear Talk > Wool Hiking Pants - Advice Needed
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keffertz
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 10:30 am 
I am looking for a pair of merino wool blend hiking pants that are durable and fit well. I know Icebreaker makes a couple options and Kuhl has the outback pant. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with the fit and durability of any of these. I have a pair of the kuhl ryder pants (34"x36") and they fit fairly well, they could be a touch longer. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

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wolffie
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 10:51 am 
Not light and I don't know if still available, but the army surplus winter combat pants took me 15 years to wear out. Lack of side zips was a downside.

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Cyclopath
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 10:54 am 
I remember being out on a long bike ride on one of those 35 to 40 F days out in the rain for hours, doing about a mile with a guy in Icebreaker pants, and he looked more comfortable than I was. Sometimes I wear merino long johns under my pants, and they breathe well but my legs are less affected by the cold and more prone to over heating than my core is.

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Randito
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 10:55 am 
When I was a teenager and college student I used surplus US Navy wool pants, the ones with all the crazy buttons. I also used a pair of german army wool pants -- but I found them too hot for winter in the cascades -- though they were great for a winter trip in Wyoming. http://go-armynavy.com/military-surplus/wool-pants.html -- those italian knickers look stylish. Since becoming employed -- I favor synthetic pants -- softshell in the winter and very light nylon/polyester pants in the summer. I'll add layers of long underwear underneath and wind pants over to adjust for temperature.

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DIYSteve
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 11:52 am 
L. L. Bean still makes wool whipcord pant (very tough) and a few other wool hunting/hiking pants. Seems that Filson ceased making whipcord pants. I used to make knickers from wool dress pants I purchased at Goodwill. But:
RandyHiker wrote:
I favor synthetic pants -- softshell in the winter and very light nylon/polyester pants in the summer.
me too

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spamfoote
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 2:38 pm 
Filson: Wool Pants Very durable to durable, depends what you buy. They have a lightweight wool pant and a heavy wool pant. Store Right here in downtown Seattle, right by Safeco field. Or filson.com. They will usually repair their own goods for NO COST. Had several jackets wear out on the elbows and both times they have repaired it along with the cuff for no cost to me. I would not hike in either of these wool pants or any other type of wool legging or "pants" in good weather, but then I would never hike in pants in good weather regardless. PS. Filson also makes HIGH quality leather goods(bags, packs). Another hard thing to find for outdoor gear: Fishing vests for those who go fishing and photography vests as well. All made in downtown Seattle. PPS. Many companies sell long wool underwear/leggings. Icebreaker, Ibex, Smartwool to name three obvious ones. But they are not wool pants. I believe Ibex does sell true wool pants. PPPS. I have gotten all of my wool pants from Value Villiage. Dress slacks wool pants. Not very durable, but who cares for $5? Are light enough to hike in as well. VERY COMFORTABLE So, if you want a wool hiking pant, dress slacks are probably your only TRUE option. If you want to purchase new, just go to any formal wear store and enjoy whatever color you want. Due notice, that you will generally have to pay to get them hemmed to length if you are not willing to do some very simple hand sewing yourself.

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spamfoote
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 2:45 pm 
BigSteve wrote:
L. L. Bean still makes wool whipcord pant (very tough) and a few other wool hunting/hiking pants. Seems that Filson ceased making whipcord pants. I used to make knicker from wool dress pants I purchased at Goodwill. But:
RandyHiker wrote:
I favor synthetic pants -- softshell in the winter and very light nylon/polyester pants in the summer.
me too
I was in Filson's Seattle Downtown store no more than 3 months ago, and I am positive they were selling whipcord wool pants. Then again, might be going senile, so... But yes, I prefer lightweight polyester fleece sleepwear "pants" over wool. Dries MUCH faster and can also be found uber cheap at value villiage or goodwill.

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DIYSteve
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 4:05 pm 
I'm on my second pair of Filson whipcords, although I rarely use them for hiking outside the city. Great around town winter pant. I surmised that Filson stopped making them because they are omitted from their current on-line catalog.

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glenoid
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 7:26 pm 
Have always loved wool pants The newer wool/polyester military pants are nice. Not too heavy yet very durable. I will wear these most of the winter for casual hiking/backing. Why? Mostly because they are so durable and comfortable. (Worn in tandem with gaiters to near the knees, they are close to ideal bushwhacking winter wear). Yes I know a lot of people say they are so warm, but to me that only applies when the wool material is next to your skin. The air trapping fuzzy's next to the skin are their advantage to me over other materials. The scratcher the better for me. (If I want this wet weather quality, and I am wearing synthetic pants then I wear wool long underwear or some kind of brushed synthetic. Agree with Big Steve. They made nice knickers. (I make them now though out of old wool blend ski pants for their snow shedding properties.) Lastly, I now take wool surplus pants or dress pants from thrift stores and turn them into convertible zip offs. Yes, maybe nerdy, but multitaskers...

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Ski
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PostWed Mar 11, 2015 7:50 pm 
just a note regarding the Filson wool pants: I own a pair of the wool Mackinaw pants. When I purchased them the salesman at the Filson store on 4th Avenue tried to talk me out of them and into the wool whipcord pants. I went ahead and bought the heavier Mackinaw pants in spite of his advice. He was right - they are too warm for most anything you're going to do around here, unless you're planning on sitting on your butt for an hour or so in the snow or standing out on the beach at Ozette in a rainstorm in November for a couple hours. I looked at Bean's web page, and it appears they make a model similar to that Filson Mackinaw pant if you're crazy enough to buy something that's too heavy and too warm for the local climate. My Filsons are in like-new condition, because they're just too goddam heavy and warm to wear. The Fjallravens, on the other hand, were a great choice, but they're not wool. more on pants: Hiking pants discussion thread 11/14 Hiking Pants discussion thread 05/14 Rain Pants discussion thread 09/13 Rain Pants discussion thread 09/11

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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Bronco
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PostThu Mar 12, 2015 9:51 am 
Have had a pair of these: http://www.fatiguesarmynavy.com/apparel/codet-wool-clothing/codet-8-pointers-6-pocket-wool-pants/ as a cheaper alternative to Filson for several years. They've held up well for late season hunting and cold weather work. The only drawback is lack of stretch so I don't wear them for climbing or skiing.

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Ski
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PostThu Mar 12, 2015 10:29 am 
re: Filson vs. Codet: the Filson Mackinaw Pants are 24-ounce wool. Same as the Codet. if the quality of their pants is anywhere close to that of their shirts, that's a hell of a price - less than half of what the Filsons are now. (still wearing an old Codet shirt now and then I picked up at a saw shop in Chehalis about 20 years ago.)

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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mike
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PostThu Mar 12, 2015 1:48 pm 
BigSteve wrote:
Filson whipcords
What happened to the whipcord cruiser jackets? When I was a kid in the Middle Ages all the grownups wore 'em.

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spamfoote
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PostThu Mar 12, 2015 4:21 pm 
mike wrote:
BigSteve wrote:
Filson whipcords
What happened to the whipcord cruiser jackets? When I was a kid in the Middle Ages all the grownups wore 'em.
The jacket does not go by that name. You can buy about 10 different varieties of "cruiser" at filson.com or better yet, walk into their beautiful showroom on 4th street in downtown Seattle. Everything from Tin cloth, to single or double wool cloth in a variety of colors.

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Joey
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PostSat Mar 14, 2015 7:59 pm 
Back in the day (way back) I bought a pair of army surplus wool pants and borrowed a sewing machine. I cut the legs off which, of course, resulted in wool shorts. I split the legs down the seam. Then I attached velcro. With all the velcro attached to its mate, I had a pair of wool pants that converted to wool shorts with 2 sharp tugs. I could do the transition on-the-fly without missing a step and tuck the leg pieces into my pack straps until the next break.

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