Need to get my wife a new pair of hunting pants. It will be for some cold and wet conditions. Late Oct and November hunting in North Idaho. Needs to be water proof, warm, and QUIET.

I see there are not that many manufacturers of women specific clothing. What are your women wearing? And how do they like it, and how is it holding up?

My daughters wear wool over poly.

The only time it was cold and wet the wife wore my outfit from HYCREEK. She wasn't out long and was perfectly comfortable.

get her a snowmobile suit, bib's, or over all's,and all colors and they make them for ladies, they are warm and water proof,i guide 2 ladies every year that are in their 70's, when its cold and wet thats what they wear. and they get along better than i do.rio7

I'd second the snowmobile suit. Just works.

The problem with snowmobile suits is that they are very noisy. As well, they are either on or off, and a person can very quickly become too hot or too cold.

My lovely wife of 47 years wears wool layers over either fleece or merino wool underwear, and is warm all day when hunting bison at -30C.

Ted

I can't even imagine that cold

I was kinda thinking wool with some good base layers. Has anybody had experience with the brand PROIS? Looks like good stuff but spendy.

Also, who make woolies cut for women?

My wife wears the same type of clothing I wear in cold/wet conditions. First layer (or 2) merino wool or poly, second layer SportHill xc ski tops and bottoms (3SP fabric), with more layers of fleece/wool over the top as needed. I like to have wool as the outside layer and vary the layers under it to match the conditions. My wife has been able to wear the same type of wool pants that I wear- 6 pocket woolies by Codet or Big Bill which I have found at fleet and farm type stores. I actually have several sizes for each of us to fit over varying numbers of layers.

I have young daughters that have needed to have similar outfits to tag along on hunts. XC skiing is a big part of our life, so we have the SportHill tops and bottoms as well as good longies and fleece for the kids. I found military surplus (German) wool pants for the kids at a local surplus store at a reasonable price.

The SportHill material is breathable, but quite windproof and warm. Combined with fleece and wool, this has proven to be a great system for me and my family.

Thanks for all the replies. Birdhog I will have to check out some of that Sporthill stuff.

My wife says her Patagonia alpine climbing pants are her all time favorites. Layer as necessary and add Goretex for rain/wet snow. Patagonia has an entire women's line and most of it is high quality. A warm and dry wife is a happy wife.

mike r

Is it Quiet?

bigswede358, the pants are, her not so much. She can move quietly but gets excited when she spots a critter. The upside is that she is amazing at spotting stuff and never notices when I put stuff in her pack.

mike r

Bigswede- The SportHill stuff is not cheap. But, with wool pants over the top, she will be warm and quiet in the woods. Even if she gets wet, this combo is warm and quiet.

Mine wears the same as I do, army surplus. Not really waterproof though, we carry good light weight raingear to cover if it gets wet. memtb

Damn -if I was 40 years younger/less married, I'd ask if she had a sister.....

My wife is hell on Helly Hanson- or any other rain gear. She is convinced the only way down a steep, wet slope is on her butt.. She's been expensive in mountain terrain.

Must be a woman thing. My wife and daughter are always on there rear ends going down hill.

Like me, my wife is a true believer in merino wool base layers. Comfortable, warm, and unlike synthetics, wearable for several days without becoming too smelly. Icebreaker is one good brand. Put over that a soft but tough polyester knit pant and she'll be ready for active hunting in all but very wet conditions.

my wife is a fair weather hunter, if it is cold I bring along a wool blanket for her to wrap up in when we get on stand. she has regular cold weather gear for winter, no sense in buying extra stuff just for hunting.

women going down hill on their fannies must be compensation for being top heavy.
Big don't forget good waterproof foot ware. the rest of me can be wet but if my feet get cold I'm finished. best boots I've had in years are Danners with 400 gram thinsolate.

deerstalker,

I learned that lesson years ago. If they don't have Goretex or something similiar i won't buy em.

So if I buy the britches it will bring the Hell I,am all over that... grin

yup

My current girlfriend prefers She Apparel when traversing the back country for the purpose of lethal and non-lethal hunting of wildlife, as do a large percentage of my female clients. It's cut right and it's functional and it's versatile. In fact, I have a female client who's coming to Alaska this coming August in order to archery hunt Dall sheep and she's entirely outfitting herself with She Apparel, based on recommendations from other female clients that are among my client reference list. But, from my perspective as a North American extreme adventure wilderness guide, I'd highly recommend the clothing line.

You cannot beat military surplus wool pants for warm and quiet.
I learned from archery to wear rain gear underneath wool to keep quiet. If they are warm and dry that trumps being fashionable and cut to fit a woman.
You will need to dress in layers and remove as the day heats up
and adding as the evening cools down.

No mater what you get her here is a message from my hunting wife

"Make sure she can pee"

She told me us guys forget about that

Point and shoot fits into our basic mental level For women not so much.... they like to aim...:)

Ever seen one of the "Pee Funnels" for women. My wife won't go in the woods without it. Ingenious device. She especially likes it when it is cold/snowy so she doesn't have to strip down and get cold.

My wife loves her older Sitka Gear and Danner Pronghorn boots (thanks broomd). She's also going to be getting a pair of the knee high LaCrosse Alpha Burly style boots for hunting during the rainy season.