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PDU
travel kid vs.amerika


Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 10,675
Loc: beautiful BC
Last seen: 9 years, 4 months
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Hiking pants?
#12237298 - 03/20/10 02:45 PM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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So i am in the market for some light weight backpacking pants for travel and multiday hikes.
Not cargo pants, but looking for DWR coating and wind resistant with a built in belt...
Any favorites or ideas?
-------------------- GO OUTSIDE.
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PDU
travel kid vs.amerika


Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 10,675
Loc: beautiful BC
Last seen: 9 years, 4 months
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: PDU]
#12240153 - 03/21/10 03:00 AM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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Soft shell/hardshell/nylon with DWR?
Convertible or not?
I got a great pair of tabu (tatu?) nylon hiking pants in South America. Normally i hate synthetic nylon/plastic pants, but these were great, light weight, fast drying, comfortable, stylish and durable. Unfortunately i sent them to the thrift store recently because the waist was VERY tight...
I am hiking the west coast trail in late June and am likely faced with rain and ocean mist, perhaps some river crossings..
I need some nice pants ... but am having a hardtime justifying $80-100 on a pair of Nylon "articulated" hiking pants ... By the same token, a pair of lightweight pants for future adventures does seem appealing.
Although i've been to the outfitters and have yet to find something appealing, except the mountain hardware mesa pants, not fairing any better online.
Maybe i should consider a soft shell?
I am considering saving my $ and wearing winter cycling tights with gaiters and a pair of lightweight shorts... although this combo will not work well for river crossings :O
What do you wear?
-------------------- GO OUTSIDE.
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Kada
Asha'man


Registered: 02/15/05
Posts: 12,395
Loc: Buckeye
Last seen: 9 months, 24 days
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: PDU]
#12253621 - 03/23/10 06:48 AM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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Damn those are expensive. I need to go into the Nylon pants business. I keep looking for you, but I can't seem to fins anything myself. I bet you might find something that will work and is a lot more inexpensive if you try a army surplus store. Here are a few links I found. Personally I would find something cheap that works at Army Joe's here in town, but here are a few links I found with some options. I would go for a pair of military pants myself. I wore them for along time in the military and they always treated me well.
http://www.amazon.com/Tri-Mountain-Nylon-Pants-Flannel-Lining/dp/B0037KU99C
http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?r=view&i=419034&aID=501A3A&cID=FROOGLE_419034
http://www.vtarmynavy.com/propper-bdu-cargo-pants.htm
http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&oq=&gs_rfai=&q=military+Nylon+pants&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=YbeoS93kOY3gNeKYjMAB&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB0QrQQwAA
If you have a gander mountain where you live I recommend you go in there and find a helpful hunter that can give you some better advice.
-------------------- ~The Cultivators Motherload~
"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them.
I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do." -Robert A. Heinlein
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies.
My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness."-Dalai Lama
Live long and prosper.
Edited by Kada (03/23/10 06:56 AM)
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PDU
travel kid vs.amerika


Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 10,675
Loc: beautiful BC
Last seen: 9 years, 4 months
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: Kada]
#12255505 - 03/23/10 02:02 PM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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Thanks for looking around for me,
My persistant search to find something other than overpriced flimsy nylon american-namebrand-asian-made pants, has finally turned up something actually.
Check these out: http://arborwear.com/details.cfm/prodid/10
They are made for Arborists. Meant to combine the best features of carharts with the best of lightweight climbing pants. They look and feel like cotton, but are actually heavy weight fast drying and water resistant nylon. More my style too.
From what i've seen - they are highly prized by active people, hunters and people who work outdoors alike. Very good ratings.
The Price - i don't mind paying for high quality clothing, if it will last what i put i through, for years and years.
I am going to order a pair since i need some new clothing anyways - and ill let you know what i think when they come in.
(btw - went hiking in my bicycle tights, and they work excellent at managing moisture and temperature!)
-------------------- GO OUTSIDE.
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Kada
Asha'man


Registered: 02/15/05
Posts: 12,395
Loc: Buckeye
Last seen: 9 months, 24 days
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: PDU]
#12255656 - 03/23/10 02:24 PM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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Those pants look really bad ass. My wife would have my balls if I paid that much for a pair tho. 
I'm going to go over to Army Joe's soon and look for a few things. I know they have some decent stuff over there that the military uses and they don't charge a arm and a leg.
I really wish I didn't have to drive 3-4 hours to find decent hills to hike and climb around on. Northern Indiana is nothing but flat land as far as the eye can see. There is only 1 place that has a few decent hilly woodlands around here and it's a hour away. We go to Pokagan State Park whenever we want to hike and play in the lake for a weekend when we don't want to travel to far. When we do go farther we usually hit up Mammoth Caves in Kentucky, Turkey Run State Park in Southern Indiana, Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in North Eastern Ohio or Hocking Hills in Ohio.
-------------------- ~The Cultivators Motherload~
"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them.
I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do." -Robert A. Heinlein
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies.
My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness."-Dalai Lama
Live long and prosper.
Edited by Kada (03/23/10 02:32 PM)
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dxharms
Confidential Informant



Registered: 05/09/09
Posts: 713
Loc: Low Places
Last seen: 29 days, 4 hours
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: Kada]
#12256928 - 03/23/10 05:20 PM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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wow those arbor pants are bad ass. im gonna be on the prowl for those.
-------------------- <----obeys all laws and never questions authority.
  
mystery mush n ?
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,931
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: dxharms]
#12275266 - 03/26/10 08:38 AM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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Interesting, I'm currently facing the same challenge: find something durable, lightweight, waterproof(able) for hiking. I discussed the subject with an acquaintance who's done her fair share of hiking over the past decades, and she gave me the following advice: anything really waterproof but breathable (i.e. goretex) will still be sweaty as hell. Go for a less waterproof fabric that breaths better, and wax proof it when and where needed. Wax proofing washes away after a few laundry cycles, returning the fabric to its fully breathing state. The woman I talked to was a fervent fan of Fjällräven's G1000 fabric. Actually, it's the only stuff she'll buy these days, after having tried several (cheaper and equally priced) alternatives. The major drawback is the price; these pants go for about twice the price of the Arborwear pants quoted above. The upshot is that these Fjällräven ones appear to be practically indestructible. I'm going to check them out tomorrow, if I don't fall ill with noro...
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PDU
travel kid vs.amerika


Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 10,675
Loc: beautiful BC
Last seen: 9 years, 4 months
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: koraks]
#12281139 - 03/27/10 03:04 AM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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Interesting - they do look like really nice pants, and the g1000 material sounds really good. Alot better than the offerings locally available from the likes of marmot, north face, mountain hardware, arc teryx, etc.
It'd cost me $215cdn + $30-50 shipping for a pair of pants from fjall raven though!
Maybe oneday, if i am ever in the market for something really high end!
Thanks for the post anyways - nice to see whats out there.
From their website:
Quote:
G-1000® is highly resistant to wear. More than twice as hardwearing as denim. Combined with its low weight, this makes G-1000® garments ideal for traveling and outdoor life.
i wonder if it's heavy?
Edited by PDU (03/27/10 04:17 AM)
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,931
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: PDU]
#12281330 - 03/27/10 05:33 AM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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I'm going to see if I can find any this afternoon and compare it to other stuff, e.g. north face. With a little bit of luck, I'll be able to post back later this weekend and let you guys know what I learned.
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,931
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: koraks]
#12283533 - 03/27/10 03:01 PM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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Right, I got me one of those Fjällräven G1000 pants: http://www.fjallraven.com/Products/trousers/karl-zip-off-trousers Just picked them up today, might post pics in a few days if I get around to it. First impression is that the fabric feels quite sturdy, almost like thin jeans, but of a much finer texture. It's not as heavy as a jeans, but much weightier and thicker than thin, lightweight material like goretex. I haven't tested the water repelling behavior yet, but I was advised in the shop to wax coat the pants to get it really water tight. Apparently, if this stuff gets wet, it will stay wet for a long time. Then again, if waxed properly, it should be at least as watertight as goretex, but I guess probably even more so. They're zip-off, so they're suitable for just about any non-winter weather type.
At about $160 (€ 120), these were quite expensive though. But they feel like they are built to last a long, long time, so I expect rather good value for the money.
Also got myself a pair of lightweight zip-off pants, a short-sleeved lightweight, breathing shirt and a snug-fit mammut fleece jacket Cost me some money, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be able to put these to good use.
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PDU
travel kid vs.amerika


Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 10,675
Loc: beautiful BC
Last seen: 9 years, 4 months
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Re: Hiking pants? [Re: koraks]
#12283827 - 03/27/10 04:06 PM (14 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
koraks said: Also got myself a pair of lightweight zip-off pants, a short-sleeved lightweight, breathing shirt and a snug-fit mammut fleece jacket Cost me some money, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be able to put these to good use.
You should definitely report back with a report of those pants, describing what kind of conditions you use them in.
I reckon that american style pants are very different than european hiking gear because over here in north america we are more in the dry woods and deserts and maybe lush forests, compared with in Europe, most of the hiking is more mountainous/alpine. Do you think this is correct?
Good class on the mammut - i work for the canadian wholesaler of Mammut and just received these:
Heron Pro backpack: http://www.mammut.ch/en/productDetail/251002090_v_0055_Short6815/Heron+Pro.html
MT peak LTH hiking boots: http://www.mammut.ch/en/productDetail/302002390_v_7007_14/Mt.+Peak+LTH+Men.html
Jasper zip pull soft shell: http://www.mammut.ch/en/productDetail/101006240_v_5243_XL/Jasper+Zip+Pull+Men.html
Everything is absolute top quality and the pack is full of ingenious features and is built with absolute functionality in mind. It is directly comparable to Arcteryx Bora 80, which is a $500 pack here, known to be the "cadillac of packs" - I cant wait to get out on some weekend trips soon, load'er up and see if how these products perform in the field
The soft shell - i thought was fleece lined, wasnt. It is not my style at all, very "sport cut" . After trying it on - i reckon it will be great for backpacking in inclement/drizzly/windy weather with just a base layer underneath. Interesting, because i would have never bought myself a softshell... who knows, maybe it'll be great - super light weight, packable anyways...
-------------------- GO OUTSIDE.
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