Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Best hunting wool pants/jacket

Been looking at wool pants and maybe a light to medium weight jacket for big game hunting (early season out west, and may be all I need most days here in Ga. during gun season). I've always liked Filson stuff but it is pricey. How do other wool makers stack up, particularly from LLBean and Cabelas? Any input appreciated.

I can't like wool,in this day and age.

That being said...for the loot the Columbia Gallatin Range is very good stuff IMHO....................

I have the Filson double cruiser and 6 pocket pants and also a couple of odds and ends of other stuff. The Filson stuff has been used as an antidote to the Wisconsin winter wind more than for hunting, but it has been used for that and is top drawer.

I really like the Woolrich pants with the elastic cuff on the bottoms. There things are tough and pretty toasty. I'd recommend them and the matching top both. It is about half the price of Filson and lasts well. Plus you get the cool 1940's retro plaid look for free. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I also have used the Gander Mountain pants, but cannot remember what they call theirs... has a red maple leaf on the tag. They were good and lasted well but a bit too heavy for my taste.

Have never tried the others though

Wool is fine for some limited applications. I would certainly not choose wool where any amount of walking or climbing is required. Glassing canyons with vehicle access to the area it's great. Stand hunting, it's great, Maybe some slow archery still hunting too. However for walking any distance or where elevation gain starts to get significant, wool is out of the question for me.

I have a very good parka and pants Made of wool and it's great stuff in the really cold windy conditions. But it's a heavyweight nightmare when wet. If wool is what you want you should look at the Cabelas brand in Outfitter Camo, or the woolrich/columbia brands they sell. Filson is good stuff that will outlast you. Unfortunately it's also so heavy even when dry that I would not use it ever when wet, or with any potential of getting wet. It's typically dry clean only and usually a bloody mess after the first pack out. My pants stink like rot from the blood, the dry cleaners would not even take then in! My newer Cabelas Wool says it's washable. I've not taken that risk yet!

They "say" Wool is warm even when wet..........Yeah because it weighs a ton when wet and requires maximum calorie burn off to remain in motion!

dawgvet, I like Filson, Codet, Pendleton, LLBean..Woolrich,all quality wool.
For economy, most of what I use for hunting is east German milsurp wool or Swedish...literally pennies on the dollar compared to new.

The surplus stores and places like Sportsman's Guide sell truckloads of it.
For lighter(cheap) woolen trousers and coats, the Goodwill and secondhand stores are a great place to shop also.
A couple pairs of lighterweight wool quality dress pants work fine and can be layered well.I often find 70.00 Pendleton wool shirts and jckets for 7.00 at the local Goodwill stores..

I have a Filson double Mac but it's seldom cold enough to wear it if youre hunting actively..Might be good for late seaspn stand hunting or very high elevations..jim

Some of that Swede wool stuff is good. 30 years ago, I bought a pair of wool pants, silk lined, that were of fine wool. Hunted in them for years.

Check out some of the fine men's clothing stores that have been around for 50 years. They often have stuff in the back that is out of style. I bought an Abercrombie & Fitch light wool shirt with a suede shooting patch for $2.00. It had been back there since A&F had the store in Manhattan. I was buying a pair of dress shoes and just asked. Presto!

I sure would like to know what you have found to work any better than wool. Admittedly, I'm primarily elk hunting in heavy timber and insist on items that are "quiet". Fleece is fine if the wind doesn't blow and it doesn't rain. Everything I've found that's somewhat waterproof sounds like I'm wearing a plastic grocery bag. Two years ago, I made an attempt to update my clothing to more modern materials and ended up sending it all back and buying Cabela's washable wool. Most wool clothing is simply to heavy for walking in anything other than subzero weather. The trick is to find lighter weight wool clothing.

I hunt northern minnesota, montana, and sasketchewan every year. Buy filson and don't look back.

For hunting pants nothing beats Filson Whipcord IMO. For the torso, I typically wear nothing but synthetics. For pants whipcord rules. Tough as hell, light enough for in between weather but can add mid or expedition weight Capilene underneath for real cold.

Cabela's has it's own whipcord pants for roughly half the price if that has any appeal to you.

Revolution fleece.

Wind/waterproof,more supple than wool,so it's more comfy and quieter......................

Sleeping Indian....pricey but worth it, much better than KOM.
tighter knit, a bunch more windproof.

Take it from someone who has had a jacket in both.

I sold the KOM and bought the Sleeping Indian if that tells you anything.

I also agree on the Filson and Cabela's stuff. My brother bought the Cabela's wool stuff last year, the ones with the Dry Plus lining......real nice outfit and absolutely windproof.

Tony

Johnson wool, made in Vermont is very good and not too expensive. I have a pair of their pants, they're built really well.

If its wool. www.autumnwoodoutfitters.com Expensive but then when did a few bucks ever stand in the way of quality huntiing gear. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have a pair of LL Bean wool pants that work great when stand hunting, particularly in the wind.

For everything else, choices in fleece or Microtex work better, for me at least.

For colder and wet weather, I like layers of fleece or wool with a waterproof/windproof outer shell.

I went with Swanni wool, from New Zealand. Lighter than most of the American stuff and of tighter weave. Even with shipping prices are about the same.

Long

I am very happy with my set of Sleeping Indian. Someone left King of the Mountain and started SI. Pricey yes, but it is top notch with great camo patterns. If you take care of it, it will last a lifetime.

I always liked the wool German military field pants. They had a matching jacket with the German flag on the shoulsders. I didn't care for the jacket much, but the pants were awesome and cheap.
Seems they've all been surplused out because I haven't found any in the surplus stores for a few years now.

Not sure where I'd start looking for commercial products........probably Woolrich or Cabela's for starters.

Can you say Polar Fleece? That's what I wear, and then the new style water proof/wind proof synthetics, (Goretex or similiar) over the top. Lighter, warmer.

Breathes better, repels wind, keeps water out, heat in, it's quiet, drys faster when wet, keeps you warm when wet. What more could you want?

And that's the facts.

I have to agree with Brad. I have the Filson Whipcord and the heavier Filson Greens for when it gets really cold. they will keep you warm long after you forget how much you paid for them.

Stevelyn, I've used the same German military pants you describe for years. Filson Whipcord remains my favorite but for real cold the Deutsch field pants are fantasitc. Finally blew mine out this year and am looking for another pair.

What a lot of guys that use synthetics haven't discovered yet is they're not as durable as quality wool. They need a windproof barrier to come close to wool's wind-bucking ability and if you make a fire for a quick warm-up you'll find all manner of holes in your pants.

For pants only nothing beats wool for the hunt. I've used pile and fleece pants since the 1970's... still have my original Chouinard pile pants. Wool, however, still remains my choice.