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.