Generally, I've always worn jeans, but jeans are horrible when it comes to staying dry. They get wet and they stay wet until I get the chance to hang them near a fire. Even then they take forever to dry. The rest of my clothes are either wool, synthetic, or a blend...and they all dry fast and retain heat even when wet. I'm worried that one day SAR might find me out in the cold not wearing any pants.

With that said, short of old wool suit pants or military BDU's, what options are out there? What do you guys wear?

I've been thinking about this recently too. Right now I have a rather light pair of khakis stuffed into my bag with a set of pants from my golf rain gear. I thought I would be able to be dry with the rain gear on and warm between the two layers. There is also a set of long underwear for a third layer, if needed. I'd like something better than the khakis, but I have yet to figure out what.

BDU are cotton popular, cotton will burn and not stick to the person. Wool would be the best pants, or synthetic long johns with a windshell over top. Layerin is best.
cheers

Without a doubt, when I ride my bike in cool to cold weather, when I hike or ski (cross country or downhill) or snowshoe, or when I do arctic and sub-arctic field work (I work with the Geological Survey of Canada), trousers made with Schoeller Dryskin material are the best. It has a tough and hard wearing exterior, it's relatively wind and water resistant, it stretches, and it wicks. The only drawback is the price.

Here's a relatively cheap example, still $145

I have microfleece pants and waterproof-breathable rain/windwear I can put over that.

That being said, I've never used either of those on a hike. Even when it's chilly my legs stay warm in synthetic shorts if I'm moving, maybe with the legs zipped on in windy conditions. I don't go hiking when it's bitter cold. I never wear cotton (jeans or shirts) when hiking, even in the warm. Only synthetics. Weather can change too fast.

Hi,

I agree with atoz, I wear Cotton/Poleyester BDU type pants in warm weather and wool pants of different thickness in the cold seasons. I find that as heavy wool pants wear they get thinner so I use those on days when it is not too cold. I also usually travel with Goretex overpants so if it is raining or the snow is sticking to my pants I put the Goretex shell on.

Something I use often when it is cold and windy is a Goretex Windstopper layer between my wool pants and poly long johns, it really turns the cold wind.

If I am snowmobiling or ice fishing I wear a insulated "Ice Rider" floatation 2 piece snowmobile suit.

Mike

I have a few pairs of Columbia Sportwear cargo pants for hot weather climates. They are synthetic, light but tough. They were what I predominantly wore while in Baghdad.

For cold weather climates, I have a couple pairs of synthetic waterproof breathable rainsuits (coat and pants) from Walls for the wet times, and for the really nasty stuff I have some composite over pants that are waterproof, breathable, but well insulated. I also have a pair of waterproof fleece pants from Rivers West, which I've worn in the coldest environments in comfort.

I try to avoid cotton in survival clothing because I've found it to be inferior for both hot and cold environments. It is great for casual wear, but useless when wet, whether hot or cold, unless it is treated so as to make it waterproof.

Woolies aren't bad for hiking. I like the old swedish army wool pants, except my wife hasn't figured out yet that wool has to be washed in cold water and dried without excessive heat.

I wear wool pants with army poly underwear. The pants are washed in cold water and hang to dry without using the drying machine at all.

I am currently experimenting with pants. I have tested MEC's River pants. They are made of Supplex nylon, they are really quick drying. Apparently bugs can't bite through them. They do break the wind, they are really tightly woven. But they are not warm at all and below freezing, I wore them with a pair of wicking long johns. When they lay flat on my skin, I feel the cold conducting and chilling my legs. So you need to layer a decent pair of insulating pants underneath it. There are also nylon athletic wind pants that have a polyester lining like the Nike brand that I would like to try out.

Now I'm looking for wool pants. I checked out dress pants on the market but they don't make medium weight serge wool pants anymore. It's all super 100, super 130 extra thin italian tropical pants. For colder wheather they recommend flannel pants but they don't shed the snow well and are not that thick.

So I'm looking at Filson and Cabela's whipcord pants, they are midweight and have a twill weave (diagonal ribs) which help shed snow. Ideally I would wear them with suspenders so that the warm air produced by the upper legs can flow freely to the upper body. One advantage of wool is that they are fire retardant, which is a benefit when you work with fire. On the other hand, you can't launder them the same way you do with other fabrics. Cabela's whipcord have a SW100 finish so that you can machine wash them. I'm not sure what it stands for, maybe steel wool 100g? I may ask them for more information about their miracle finish.

I'm also looking at moleskin pants, which are made of heavy cotton fabric, woven and then sheared to create a short soft pile on one side. Apparently they are very warm but I would wear them in dry cold conditions since they are cotton. The military pants like the BDU always have cotton fibers in them because they need to be quiet.

The lower body requires less insulation than the upper body generally. Just look at the scottish people wearing kilts and skirts. In fact Mountain Hardwear makes a technical kilt. It seems like a good idea, given how easy it is to put on and remove:



Choosing the right clothing is such a complex topic and I find myself asking questions about this most of the time on this forum. ¾ of your survival relies on the clothing you wear.

Frankie

After many a shrunken piece of clothing, I've learned that it's best to do my own laundry.

Hi Paul810

For Summer Weather - Nosquito Convertibles
http://www.craghoppers.com/CraghoppersSite/product/Mens/CHJ183R.htm

For Wet Weather - German Army Goretex Overtrousers.
http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/ishop/877/shopscr1533.html

For Really cold weather - British Army MOD Issue Softie Thermal Reversable Trousers Desert/Olive.
http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/ishop/877/shopscr2573.html

For Dry Cold Weather - West Winds Single Layer Ventile Trousers
http://west-winds.net/single_trousers.htm

Just as long as the hem line is below the knee and you're not wearing high heels, you should be fine.

I've never been in a survival situation but I have worked and played outdoors for many years , in all types of weather .
I've always worn jeans , cotton duck or cotton canvas pants .
Wool , for me , when or if I wear it , is only worn as the last layer in a layering system because I can't stand wool , even as a second layer , against my skin .
Synthetic material , for me , is not as rugged , doesn't hold up to abuse as well and isn't as comfortable as jeans or cotton duck or canvas .
My solution is to wear some type of moisture wicking underwear . In cold weather I wear microfleece long underwear . I always have an extra pair of pants in my truck in case I get wet , wich has happened many times . In fact , I always carry a complete change of clothes and extra cold weather clothes in my truck .
I think that whatever you wear - wool , synthetic or cotton - It's more important to have a base layer that will wick moisture / persperation away from your skin and always have extra clothes /socks and boots .

I have an assortment of options. For wet winter wear I have a number of surplus wool pants in various thicknesses. I just found a pair of 1950 Australian pants in brand new condition for $25 at a local surplus store. These still had the paper size tag on the waistband and are in a nice medium thickness hard finished wool that should be quite comfortable to wear.

I find surplus wool pants to generally be a good value and depending on their origin good quality wool too.

I have German, NATO, Austrian, Hungarian, Australian, and US wool pants that I know of, and Italian, German and Austrian knickers. I have found that most of these are more comfortable with a thin Smartwool long john under them. The Eastern Bloc surplus wool seems to be particularily agressive and a thin longjohn sometimes cannot blunt the bobwire wool they are woven from.

The hard finishedlight to medium thickness US 1951 pants are some of my favorites as they are not too thick and the wool quality is very high and not too itchy.

I also have Filson mackinaw pants for real cold and Filson whipcord wool for town wear in the wet winter. The Filson whipcords are very nice and do not require a baselayer for comfort.

I also wear 5.11 cotton pants, but not when I know I am going to get wet.

I use Filson oiled cover cloth rain pants too when I know I am going to be in the rain for quite some time.

If you live or hike where it's dry, most of the synthetics will drive you nuts from their static clinginess. I wear cotton jeans or shorts full well knowing the risk if they were to get wet and temperatures drop. I carry some Gortex pull over shell pants in my pack though. For survival though, I suppose no matter what you wear, there you are.

I do the same thing, if it's wintertime, I'll have my Artic gear with me in case of need.

"Just as long as the hem line is below the knee and you're not wearing high heels, you should be fine."

Damn, that's going to crimp my style. I thought I looked good in a survival mini and spike heels. And now they tell me it isn't a practical outfit. LOL.

For survival clothing wool has often been promoted as the best material. Perhaps that is so up north. Wool down here in the wet, moist, bug infested south I have seen even high quality wool deteriorate to uselessness in a matter of months. A pair of wool gloves I had didn't make the one year mark before the bugs had eaten holes in it.

Cotton gets wet and stays wet. Effectively becoming less than useless as insulation. That said cotton resists abrasion, feels good on the skin (As long as it isn't cold and wet), cools the body when it is hot and it is fairly fire friendly.

For a warm climate cotton isn't necessarily such a bad choice. Wet jeans in the hot summer sun dry quickly and help keep you cool. When things get cooler you can make jeans more acceptable by wearing thin polypro long-john bottoms or panty hose under them. This maintains a thin layer of air between you and the cold, wet, abrasive jeans. Much more comfortable. The good news is that a pair of panty hose compact down to nothing and easily disappear into a pocket.

I can also testify that because our gay brothers have broken trail for us the number and intensity of glaring looks and rude comments a guy gets buying panty hose are way down from what they were a decade or two ago. Unless you wear your survival miniskirt and spike heels that is. If you do, good on ya. It's all good. Another decade of that sort of thing and the old finger wagging battle axe in the woman's wear department won't even bat an eye when I buy pantyhose.

Polypropylene fleece has been a major benefit. Light, tough, doesn't hold water and it is warm but breaths well when fluffed and loosened. Dunked in water it is wearable after being wrung and shook. Used to be poly was a high end item. I bought a North Face jacket on sale for $250 perhaps fifteen years ago. I still have it and it is still kicking. Funny thing is that I see good quality poly fleece jackets going for $20 and even the discount store ones going for $10 are pretty good. I have seen them on sale for $7.

Discount store poly fleece is a great bargain for long-term preparation. Cheap and effective it doesn't rot or feed critters. Bag it to keep it clean and it should remain ready to go for many, many years.

One of my latest finds was in Wally World. Sold as 'sleeping pants' for $10 they are light-weigh poly pants entirely suitable for moderate cold. Stuff these, or the heavier models, $22, that are suitable for anything short of a summit attempt, under a pair of pants made of a suitably wind-stopping fabric like the nylon trail pants and you have good, and adaptable, setup for the lower body.

Of course all that plastic is indeed subject to melting if exposed to fire. I don't see this as a major issue in most situations. If it is a major problem, like it might be if you flying and wish to prepare for the possibility of a crash or if you see a mass conflagration in your future, the ideal solution IMHO would be to substitute Nomex or PBI outerwear but these materials can be pricey. Of course the less expensive wool would work well and even jeans would lend some resistance to melting when exposed to heat.

Wasn't the Roman Centurian dressed in essentially an oversized tunic that hung like a dress beneath his girding belt? I don't think those were knee length either. Then there's the buckskin breeches that injun braves wore with no seat in them. Last Pow Wow I went to, the Council leader was wearing a pair and I had to shush my daughters from giggling every time he turned around. Then there's the old butt-flap version that some southwestern tribes favored for the "breathability".

Anytime I've worn my synthetics it's been so hot, even in drier climates, that the sweat I generate keeps the static down. On those occasions where it isn't, I found a little fabric softener applied to the soles of my shoes to just about rid me of static cling.

These these guys come pretty highly recommended. Haven't tried any personally yet, but intend to after tax season.

http://www.railriders.com/index.php

Crowe,

Those are some tough looking pants. Too bad they are sized for midgets. Good grief, 32" inch inseams?! That's 5-6 inches too short for me.

Isn't there anyone who makes outdoorsy pants with a 38" inseam?

-Blast

See, there are some advantages to being a short sob!!!!! like myself! I can find pants that fit me!!!

Go with Filson.

What about layering with some Under Armour? I'm just learning the benefits of UA.

Most days I wear Riggs work pants...Wrangler maybe? Don't want to pull them down at work here to check!

They are Cordura IIRC and seem to shed water fairly well...and they're tough too. Reasonably priced on sale from King Size...of course they don't have them any more. I'm looking into some BDU's or TDU's...5.11 or Propper most likely. I just know from experience with the UA shirt I started wearing underneath my martial arts uniform that it dries quickly and wicks of course...for me, I'm looking more and more for shirts and socks and boots that wick...I can thank my mother for a slightly low body temp that raises easily...in other words...I sweat a lot! I'm looking for those things in business casual clothes as well...on the few occasions my life requires I dress that way...again, UA, 5.11 etc...

So my thought is a combination of UA layers underneath Cordura or a similar material might be good...won't keep you bone dry, but should dry fairly quickly.

You know Blast, I think I could really look up to you...me and my 32" inseam

Sometimes King Size has outdoorsy pants in tall sizes...

Sometimes I dream of being a mere mortal like everyone else...


I made the mistake of buying their stuff once. It was poorly made crap.

Cablela's stores carry unhemmed pants that have 38" inseams. They'll hem them for free, but that uses up too much material. I fold the bottom 1/2 inch over and sew it down.

Someday maybe Railriders, Duluth Trading Company, or REI might realize they are missing a big market (sorry, couldn't resist the pun )


-Blast