I'm going to try a pair of fleece pants for cold weather hiking. Since I'm not convinced they're necessary for what I'll be doing, I don't want to break the bank until I make a decision on future use. These two caught my eye Cabelas and Campmor Anyone have any experience with either?

I have a pair from REI in my truck as part of my winter kit. Other than trying them out I never wear them, they're very warm. However, if things get bad enough that I need to use that kit, then maybe something that's normally too warm will be just right.

I won't be of much help with those particular pants, but will say that in general polarplus/fleece/synchilla/etc make GREAT durable garments. The biggest problem is that they can often be too warm. It will depend a lot on your metabolism and how you'll use them. I tend to favor cold and when doing strenuous activity will shed layers. I have a umber of tops, bottoms, jackets, etc in fleece and the ONLY downside I see is that fleece can be bulky. It performs well even wet...just shake or spin the wet garment around and use centrifugal force to push water out of the garment.

BTW, you might try Sierra Trading Post and even ebay for markdowns or cheaper offerings if the cost is of concern.

don't leave home without them..
i do northern forest canoeing and i have a complete set
of mid-weight fleece--"poly fluff"..that i take spring-summer-
fall..in the winter i wear them under my light weight gore-tex
rain suit...if you live anyplace where hypothermia is even
a remote possibility i would pack enought fluff and gore-tex
to cover youself from head to foot..

I've never tried those particular brands, but I never go camping without my fleece layer. Mine happen to be REI, but they all seem pretty similar. You definitely want some with pockets. Zippers on the pockets are a big plus. Unless you're climbing Mt. Everest, the Polartec 300 will be too warm. Stick to 200. Add polypro long johns as a base layer and a goretex wind/rain shell and you're good for virtually anything Ma Nature can throw at you. That's what I wear snow camping.

Kevin B.

Thanks for the replies. Last year I managed through a 4 day weekend training in the White Mountains with Patagonia long johns, sweat pants and ski pants, and was quite comfortable. I'm concerned about the (cotton) sweat pants getting wet, that's why I'm looking into the fleece pants. This year, we were also issued ECWCS pants to go with the parkas, but I'm thinking that the Gortex pants might be more than necessary. At least I'll have a few combination options.

Good idea. As they say, cotton kills.

Kevin B.

I used to use wool army surplus pants (till I got too porky for milsurp) and they were wonderful. Appropriately warm and low cost. I think the last pair I had were German milsurp.

I have a pair of fleece pants that are so old and durable I just wish they would fall apart! I love them and like all fleece the only choice for wet and cold (unless you can afford the really best grade of wool, which is rare these days - Filson is all that I trust). I especially love mine for pulling on by themselves to sleep in - the best in a sleeping bag, IMO, to extend temperature rating.

I have some 200 weight fleece pants from Campmor. They make a pretty reasonable quality item for a great price, at least compared to things from North Face, EMS, REI, etc. They use Malden Mills Polarfleece, so it's not some cheap imitation, just a less expansive brand name! I find that I wear them under shell pants in wet/snowy weather. They are light, provide great insulation, and let perspiration flow through.

The positives have already been mentioned. I think the only real negative is if you're wearing them around a fire... They don't handle embers very well. You may end up with a few ventilation holes if you're not cautious around the fire. If you wear some kind of more durable shell over them, they are fine.