Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Pants for Cold Weather Elk Hunting

What type of pants would you suggest for elk hunting in cold and snow? I was thinking about sometype of softshell pant and gators. Don't think I would want wool pants and have been told waterproof/hardshell pants get hot/sweaty.
What do you say?

I just bought a pair of wool pants from Cabela's.. Had a good friend, now gone, but he said he dressed in good down clothing for outdoor stuff. On one trip he and his pals got soaked to the skin.. They had wool and soon were warm, his remained cold, wet and miserable.. After the trip, he bought wool...

Why no wool? Wool will keep you dry and warm, but not overly warm. . I have a pair of waterproof, wind proof synthetic pants. Wind proof is good, but too warm to move ar any pace faster than a crawl.

YMMV

Wool is the only thing I bring on my cold weather elk hunts. There is nothing better!
King of the Mountain and Sleeping Indian (closed down) are some of the best.
There is always someone selling one of these two brands out there. Both are expensive but you get what you generally pay for. My stuff is over 25 years old and still going strong.

I bought a couple pair of LL Bean heavy wool slacks that work very well; around $100.00 or so a pair. I've used them in sub-zero temps with a thin layer underneath.

http://go-armynavy.com/military-surplus/collectibles/australian/australian-military-wool-pants.html

These are the best hunting pants I have ever used. In my opinion, they are the perfect weight. Change up the type of long underwear you use and they will take you from the 50s or even 60s down to below zero. Warm when wet, absolutely silent and that button gaiter on the the hem really works well; no gaiter necessary. They have a double seat for durability and seem to wear very well; I've had mine for over 20 years, though my hunting has tapered off recently. They are getting hard to find in all the sizes so if you find a pair that fits, just buy them (buy them a little long). At fifty bucks they are a steal...

Wool is the only thing worth a sch......!!!!!
49 yrs of experience say so!

Merino wool long handles and wool mil surplus pants.

I have three wool pants purchased form a surplus store. A Canadian pair is lighter weight and not scratchy, the others are heavier. In any case, poly long johns take care of any scratchiness. In warmer weather (15F or more) I wear the Canadian pants, colder weather gets the heavier ones.

Wool will keep you warm even when wet.

Although I wear jeans a lot in decent weather, there is a lot of truth in the saying that "cotton kills".

I wore wool for years. Then I bought a set of soft noise free bibs that Dick's had on sale for 1/2 price. When it is warmer,I wear poly long johns, blue jeans and a rain pant. Colder,I wear then bibs and poly long johns.I was never as warm in the wool as I am in the bibs.

We use wool (mostly military surplus,much cheaper). However, it doesn't stop the wind that effectively and can get a little heavy when wet. But, IMHO it's still the best thing going! Billions of sheep can't all be wrong. memtb

These are wool army surplus (German I think) six-pocket trousers. I've used them for years. They are warm and durable but kind of heavy. They are too warm for mild weather.


These are cotton U.S. Army surplus six-pocket pants. You don't want to use them if it's going to be cold and wet.


I'm the guy on the left wearing Sitka Gear trousers. The are a pretty good compromise between too warm/heavy and cotton. But they cost $190.

KC

I've been very happy with my kuiu attack pants. Unless I was sitting in the cold all day....they just work well, layer up underneath as needed, nice and lightweight with no extra bulk.
I like wool for sitting in the deer stand in Mn. but otherwise it's the attacks for me.

Depends what you call cold. This calf was killed by my lady friend on a fairly chilly -35°C dawn. I was wearing heavyweight German army wool cargo pants, and heavyweight synthetic Polypro underwear. We were walking fast for three or four KM before the shot. I had on polypro top, wool shirt, down vest, down parka with hood, outer polyester orange shell parka, and balaclava. My clothing was barely adequate. Hers was inadequate. My Bro. in Law ( with rifle) also nearly froze up. We had to light a fire before we could attempt the field dressing.

Surplus wool when it's cold, Levi's when it's not.

I love the OTTE Gear patrol trousers for snowy weather. They have loops inside the cuff that let you run a cord under your boot to keep the legs down as you walk. I've found that to be about 90% as good as a pair of gaiters if you have tall boots. I also have some FL wool pants that are good, but they absorb moisture much more quickly.

Various kinds of wool pants from surplus for lighter weight to L.L. Beans and Cabela's camo, to Malone wool. If really cold, merino base layer or even two layers. If I expect cold and wet, virtually all my clothing is wool. There is no doubt that even when wet wool insulates better than any synthetic. And down is great if you can keep it dry, but if you can't: wool. If you need lighter wear, surplus wool with a silk base layer is a great combination.

For cold and snow there are two choices - wool and the inferior stuff. High priced or milsurp wool pants work about the same: long lasting and warm when wet. At least 10 years ago I bought a couple pairs of milsurp from Cabelas for under $10 each and they're still in very good shape. The only problem was that they had button flies that were very hard to get buttoned. I installed zippers. They're ugly but I'm out there to get elk, not girls (I have a perfectly good one at home).

Gaiters and wool. I use fleece gaiters.

Wool in various weights most of mine are eBay, surplus store, cabelas purchases. I spray camp dry on the knees and seat. Gaiters in the snow and light waterproof pants in the pack to put on over the top if it is pouring rain or in high cold winds. For warm days light wool, for sub zero heavy wool with heavy polypro base layer.

+1 for wool. Add the appropriate long handled underwear for varying temps.

Wool. Got some real ones at the thrift store. Found some more Sunday go to meetings, one lighter, one really heavy and thick, and they cost little. I always look at the dress pants, and go through lthe shirts. Note that most of this stuff will not wash without shrinking. So I start looking at shirts at XXXL and work my way down, sometimes the reason they were donated is shrinkage

Wool is the best IMO, but since the OP specifically said he didn't want it I guess trying some of the high dollar ski pants may be worth looking into, but don't know how quite or tough they'll be.

I have been less than impressed with sitka and kuiu. They work just fine till you poke a hole in them, which I did on the first outing with several pairs of synthetics. I'd just assume wear jeans and a good set of gaiters than a pair of "high tech" synthetics.

You can minimize shrinking though. Cloth shrinks when the fibers are crammed together and the microscopic barbs on the fiber hook together. When that happens, they never come apart again. It's worse when they're wet. Agitation makes it much worse. Heat causes minimal problems.
Wash wool in cold on the gentlest cycle your machine has. Then hang it dry. Tumbling will cram the fibers together no matter how warm or cold it is.

woolrich bibs + long underwear= warm and dry

Combo been working for me a long time

The reason I wasn't sold on wool is because I've heard a lot of people (who perhaps have never even used wool) criticize it in favor of modern pants. The main gripe being that it gets heavy when wet. But I have to admitt, listening to the wealth of first hand experience here I realize I did wool an injustice by figuring it has been left in the dust by modern developments. But I'm still looking at other options.
I've heard a lot of good stuff about Cabelas Micro Tex (especially considering the price), not a cold weather pant exactly, but I figure I want to layer my legs as well as my torso; so an uninsulated pant with something I can remove insulating in between them and my base layer seems to make sense?
I am also not sold on waterproofing (whuch of course most wool, as well as the previously mentioned Micro Tex, isn't) everything, in some places maybe, but where I am I think focusing on good gators and gear that will help me not sweat (like I said above, I hear waterproof pants get sweaty, but if anybody wants to stear me right on this go ahead) is more important.

I try to get at least two of each clothing item and some system to dry things out without burning em up. Army surplus pants aren't very expensive, usually. The fleece gaiters are not either. I focus on quite in stead of water proof. Obviously you can't dry out a rifle so three, four, five ,six of them are essential. Same with mules.

I hunted deer a few times in the snow wearing fleece and the snow stuck to it. I looked like a snow man after about a half mile into the woods. I never had any wool , does the snow stick to it ?

I have both KOM & Sleeping Indian wool gear(great stuff). How would Sitka Gear Incinerator/Blizzard gear stack up to the premium wool??

My milsurp wool pants are good from 70 down to about 25. If I add lightweight polypro underwear, the range is about 50 to 0. Heavier underwear will go down farther but I seldom need it here as it usually doesn't get that cold during elk season.
The pants aren't the heavy weight cargo type. They're between those and dress pants.

It will accumulate on you in a heavy storm, and will stick a while if you knock it off branches, but you can dust it off. Normally it does not melt on if you just shake or dust it off. Pant leg bottoms, depending on the depth and how long you are out, and the wetness of the snow, may freeze the pant leg up to your mid shin. You might want either wool or fleece gaiters if that will bug you. They usually thaw and dry out overnight (in wall tent with stove). It is the part that covers the boot - at least for me - that does this, so it is not cold. It just clanks a little when you walk by the end of the day if it is cold enough. Snow does not stick to wool the same way it does to fleece.

If you have a lot on you when you get back to the truck or tent, just use a snow brush or broom to brush it off before you go into warmth, and you stay dry.

Have Sitka Fanatic jacket and pants and it is warm if you are moving off and on, to around the low teens. I would think the Incinerator would be excessively warm if moving around in all but the coldest of temps. Seems the Incinerator is marketed to those who sit a lot.

Have yet to find any wool that blocks the wind as well as Sitka Fanatic.

I used wool for years climbing, hunting and working on 5 continents. I converted to synthetics and have never looked back. Hard shell pants and jackets are a vital component of my layering system and are designed to ventilate well w/ full side zip pants and pit zips on jackets.

If you are in a wet environment w/ the ability to have a fire daily wool is king because drying synthetics over a fire is problematic.

If you can live w/out camo look to the climbing/ mountaineering world for the state of the art in outdoor hard use gear.

mike r

I look most for quite. As in not noisy when brushed against sagebrush. I find gaiters essential to lessen the need for warmer boots. And protects the pant leg boot junction from letting in moisture,letting heat escape, and balling up laces with ice. The extra insulation of the gaiter keeps less body heat from escaping that melts the snow on your pants. Less boot weight eases the exertion this ol fat boy has to endure.

Jeans laced into packs if its above zero. Wool if it goes below.

I have a whole closet full of synthetic pants, some Gore-tex lined some not. They work fine in cooler weather but, I now use all wool. FirstLite Kanabs for cool weather and either Cabela's 4 pocket or Big Bill's (Codet) 6 pocket wool pants when it gets really cold. They are warm when sitting and glassing and help to regulate your body temps when you are stalking and climbing.

Limited experience hunting in extremely cold weather but I like wool. Hunted in wool pants over a layer of med. weight under-armor in Montana two years ago with temps down to -20 F. Stayed reasonably comfortable all week.

I have synthetics but generally switch to wool if it's below freezing and add gaiters if there's more than a couple inches of snow on the ground. If it is precipitating or there's snow stuck to the brush or it's windy I add lightweight soft shell rain pants over wool to prevent snow from sticking to wool & saturating/freezing on lower legs.

It really depends on if you're active. I hunted 35 years ago in jeans, even when cold - bad. I then had every known of wool pant/bibs known to man, for when it was cold. Not bad, if you're sitting in a treestand or something, but BAD if you're active all day. I used microtex a ton, for years, even when cold, with a good base layer under it. Not too bad - but not the best. I switched to an OR softshell pant a few years back and really liked that for cold weather hunting. Last year I picked up some Sitka Timberline pants. BAD ASS for cold weather active elk hunting!

GH, have you found the timberline pants durable?

Durable? I suppose. I haven't broken them. They're pants.

Synthetic and layers for me, if I can afford them.

Yes, I live in Arizona. But I have also lived -- and camped and backpacked in winter -- in central Idaho and northern Vermont. I have packed a few miles in cold and heavy wool pants. They do work.

A 50-50 ish synthetic wool blend might be interesting. But pure wool is too heavy for me. I'm talking about active wear, not sitting wear.

Reason I ask is I had a pair of Sitka Mountain pants that started to come apart within only a week of hard use.

I've used the Cabela's swede pants, with fleece underneath, for a while now. Does a good job but a little noisy for still hunting that do especially walking through briars.
Pluses- wind proof, water proof, light,durable.

Next year will try the Berber Fleece(very quite) with wind shear.
For still hunting wool is too heavy for me, itches and most aren't wind proof.

Cold weather elk hunting begins and ends with wool. With some sort of silk or poly pro under layer, you have the finest combo. Been out there down to -30*, it wasn't super comfortable but the elk fed later and one met a .270Win. with a 150gr. Partition.

I wear the flannel and fleece lined Carharts from about mid October to May here in Montana. Have about six pairs. Regret not buying the Sherpa lined version. Only at -20 and 40 mile per hour wind did I question my attire.

Right in the crotch I'll bet, seems to be a Sitka problem.
I prefer Kuiu.

I live in my first like Kanabs for hunting and work from october through spring, they are first rate, especially in cold weather with firstlite merino wool heavy weight long johns.

200 dollar + pants with that problem. GTFO . The seams are not properly reinforced, the fabric is substandard for sewing or the Chinese seamstresses are incompetent.

Well let me toss this to ya. I am a wool lover as well. Nothing better except, Wool with a dry plus liner, Cabelas. The wool works as it does, the liner prevents any moisture getting in. Even though Wool is suppose to keep you dry, wet is wet. My firm suggestion is, no pants, get bibs. So much more comfortable, keeps clothing tucked in and comfortable, much warmer than pants and no waist restrictions at all. Love them. Also, instead of a huge bulky parka, all you need is a jacket or light coat. The warmth of bibs is great and the heat rises right in to your jacket, chest and so on.

Elk hunting is so veried that this question is hard to answer. If horses are involved and not much walking I wear a pair of Schnees pac boots and a pair of West german mil surp wool pants with heavy weight merino long Johns underneath. If I am walking I use a pair of danner Canadian boots and Filson whipcord pants. With light weight merino long johns.

I think I've got 40+ days into each pair of Sitka pants I own, the Ascent and timberline. I've got no problems at all with them. Did you call the company with the problem you say? As of yet, they are the best I've used.

I did and they replaced them, just haven't had a chance to use them yet