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