I'm in need of new general use pants. Hunting, shooting, hiking, etc.
I've been using Dickies duck carpenter pants for a few years and they generally hold up well. I'm interested in finding something a little better for hiking and inclement weather. I don't want to lose durability though.
What I've seen pop up so far are carhartt, mountain khakis, kuhl, and Duluth trading.
Any experience here? I hate cargo pants- the pockets always seem useless and snag on things.
If i'm not at work, 90% of the time i'm wearing Mountain Khakis or Vertx Cargo Pants.
Have you checked out 5.11 Pants? They have different fabric weights and pocket configurations. Very comfortable as well.
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I use Carhartt and I'm pleased with their durability. I don't find Kuhl to be worth the premium.
That's interesting that you'd say that. I admittedly only have one pair of each, but the Kuhl pants I have seem to be much better cut and for lack of a better term, feel better, than the stiff canvas-y Carhartt pants.Originally Posted by JV
LOL. The cut is my single biggest complaint about the Kuhls.
Which model of Carhartt?
I agree. For best price/quality, Carhartt for the win. I like the MKs as well and they seem to have fixed their early QC issue with no two pants of the same model and size fitting the same. But you can get 2-3 Carhartt for the price.
I'll pass on the Kuhl. The sample of 1 pair I bought came apart after 2 washes. The pocket rivit popped out and the leg cuff stitching came loose. The company was not intested in making it right when I complained.
I am a Kuhl fan. The cut fits me much better than anything else out there that I have used. And I like the different fabric weights for different climates. For hot and humid, I have not found anything better than their lightweight pants.
I wear Carhart's at work, and for the southern humidity, or jungle, or even desert type environments, I find them way too hot, and heavy. They also don't fit me nearly as well in the same sizes. But when it is getting chilly, as now, they are acceptable and I don't have a ton of complaints.
I like the Vertx, but their sizing has shown to be inconsistent over the years. I wear a 34/36 depending on brand. However, with Vertx, I wear anywhere up to a 40, depending on model...........when you have to buy specialty items like this via the net, it can be frustrating to order what should be the right size, only to send them back two more times because they don't have a standard tape measure. Even model to model, style to style, I have had issues with Vertx sizing.
I have some Woolrich cargo pants that are actually pretty decent. I have one pair each in lightweight, and heavyweight. Obviously, one works for certain environments better than the other. But the cut/fit is adequate, and they seem to last a while. My big complaint with the Woolrich is that they tag everything with the "Tactical Elite" banner. But the pockets are much more functional than other cargo pants in the same category.
I love the old Crye cargo pants, but I don't even know if they make them anymore. The cut was great, comfort was great, being able to add knee pads was great. The price tag was not so great. A little much for a pair of trousers. But I have only lost one pair due to wear and tear.
I have never liked 5.11 pants. They never seemed to fit right, and even the lightweight stuff was too heavy for hot and/or humid environments. I still have some, but they only get used when laundry is an elusive proposition.
Mountain Hardware, Solomon, and Patagonia all offer good cut pants, with useful pockets, that are very comfortable........but like Crye, they are expensive. And I have not had the best luck in them holding up over rough terrain.
Last edited by Odin Bravo One; 02-17-2013 at 11:51 AM. Reason: Spelling
I went to REI to try out some pants and left disappointed. Most of what they carried was super light weight nylon that looks and feels like briars would rip it to shreds and the smallest ember would burn a hole through.
The one pair pants that seemed interesting was the Kuhl Ryde which was a 98% cotton blend and seemed the most durable. They still felt light and soft compared to my Dickies, so I'm a little concerned about durability. I may pick some up though and dedicate them to warm weather range/hiking use.
I may also get a pair of Carhartt carpenter pants. I'm used to wearing the heavy duck fabric in Georgia summers already, so maybe it won't be that bad.
I'm staying away from vertex and anything else tacticool. And anything with useless baggy cargo pockets on the sides.
I mostly wear Carharts for beating around in the summer but I live in the mountains so I'm admittedly not dealing with excessive humidity and heat. Under circumstances when I still want to look relatively casual but want pants that'll cross over for more inclement weather, I've been wearing Railriders of late. Their company makes a bunch of different models. I've only tried their Versa-tac pants (both "lite" and "mids"). Both are EXTREMELY durable and work pretty well in a variety of roles. As an example, a couple of days ago I wore a pair of their mids on a prolonged back country ski tour and they worked very well in that environment. I've found they cross over from being a performance soft-shell to a relatively casual looking everyday pant really well.
The versa-tacs do have a BDU style appearance (I have a pair of black ones for LE work), but they have some other models without the overt pockets, etc... Just for further info, the waistbands in both the Versa-tac models have elastic built in so if that's a non-starter for you, look elsewhere. I'm not positive, but I suspect all their models have it. It doesn't bother me as long as I'm wearing them with a belt (which I do for carry virtually all the time anyway) and is actually pretty convenient for having room for "other stuff" down there. ;-) They also offer discounts through Promotive.com. Anyway, if you haven't seen them, check them out.
Their website:
http://www.railriders.com/
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