I am trying to buy some upland hunting pants, but cant quite decide on which ones to get. I know Filson is regarded as one of the best, but dropping $120+ on pants is a little hard. I dont want really warm ones, since I will also use them on warm weather and can always use liners underneath them if it gets cold.
I have heard wonders of the cabelas goretex ones, but also good things about brownings and columbia gear.
Any recommendations? should I pull the trigger on the Filson's and be happy for the rest of my life, or could I get the same quality with less price tag?
I know some folks who've bought the Filson brand clothing and those things don't seem wear out. Do understand here, that what I'm taling about was that briar turning stuff. they may call it IronCloth or something like that? For warmer days, I bought some Browning pants that are faced up the calf and all the way to the pockets in front with a waxed cloth. It turns briars pretty well but your screwed if ya back into a briar patch because there's no lining in the back from the knees up.
Another thing to consider may be a set of chaps. Easily on and off, light to heavyweight material and not too hot.
The best thing I ever bought was a set of waxed cloth bibs from Cabelas. I've worn these for about 5 years now. Just reapply some wax every year to keep the water proofing up.
I, like you just can't seem to pull the trigger and buy the Filsons. Some friends have them and love them, my father has a pair of filson chaps and of course loves them. A good friend has the goretex cabelas brand of pants and likes them, but they are not cheap either. I have worn two different brands for the last six years and seems to me the columbia pants are wearing out faster than the cabelas stonewall upland pants, especially around the bottoms. Just my experiences with upland pants, my dad just came over to see me and read this and just shook his head and walked out of the office , I guess that means he would say go ahead and buy the filsons and be done with it....... :lol: :lol:
Sorry guys... But I cannot see why anyone would pay over $50 for a pair of upland pants when you can get a high quality pair of cargo pants for Under $30...
Don't get it ?? I think it's more fashion than anything...
I have yet to find a pair of upland pants that can compete with Filson tin cloth chaps. Most of the upland pants are nylon faced. In my experience, the nylon faced pants or chaps do not have the moisture resistance, abrasion resistance, or burr "proof-ness" of the waxed Filson material.
I've hunted Iowa pheasants with tin cloth chaps for 5+ seasons now and finally think I've found the best solution.
just look at bass pro or cabelas. Yes you need some brush pants but 120 bucks !? that is alot of gas and shotgun shells. I think I spent 45 or 50 bucks on mine they work fine. I do agree don't get real warm ones just get something with enough room to put layers under them.
What I use now are some beat up thick Dockers pants that my wife sewed some thick plastified fabric on top. They are holding very well, not totally wateproof and very stiff, but good protection nevertheless.
I know that if you fork out the money for high quality stuff that is what you will get, although the next question is - do you really need that kind of durability and brand name stuff, and is it THAT MUCH better than lets says Gander mountain upland pants for 30$ or so...
Seems that even though it would last a lifetime, maybe now is not the time for Filson right??
Yep it would be nice to look awesome when hunting, and even though I do have the money to pay for the expensive stuff, I also want to get the most bang for my buck... and the most birds for my bags
thanks!
Brian, the hunting thing in Peru is kind of gray... there is not a setup hunting calendar, so people either say that you would be able to hunt year round, or not at all. You can hunt whitewings and mourning doves year round of you know were, we have Coues deer, wild pigs, quail, jackrabbits, jaguars, red deer (called tarukas) and tons of other species, some of them are truly protected, most are not.
I have had incredible dove hunting sessions just 50miles away from lima
Right now I am living in Denver, CO... but partridge season in Peru is our late spring (Sept-Dec) and weather can be a little warm, although dry. I dont expect to hunt partridge and quail there in the short term, but I will be going in February for a full month. How did you end up there?
I spent 2 weeks touring the sacred valley, Cusco, and Maccuu Picchuu (spelling). My wife is fluent in spanish and I speak fairly well also. My wife really wants to move there. But I am kind of hesitant to do something like that.
We stayed one night in Lima... To me, it's just another over-crowded Latin American city... Been there done that...
you really didnt miss much. The old part of Lima is awesome and very pretty though, probably you didnt get the chance to tour that, and see the nice parts of it :wink: , in general many parts of it are overcrowded and chaotic... you get used to it though.
Cusco is incredible and Macchu Picchu (which means old mountain - from where you stand and see the fortress) is amazing. If you only had two weeks in Peru they were best spent there. Next time visit the rainforest, the northern part of the coast, and the Andes....
I have a pair of jeans that I scotch guard regularly. combine with a pair of gaiters, and good high leather boots.
I also have a camo pair of pants for field game and dove.
Friends this is just my opinon but i believe that the filsons are the way to go! Why? Well if you were only going to where the pants once the cheaper ones would be better,but as a coast/per use item the filson are a better deal over the long haul.Not to mention filson has wonderful customer service as well!
What I use now are some beat up thick Dockers pants that my wife sewed some thick plastified fabric on top. They are holding very well, not totally wateproof and very stiff, but good protection nevertheless.
That's my kind of style! Here's what you do. :idea: Get an old pair of jeans and another that're totally blown out in the front. Cut the blown-out ones up along the seams. Sew the backs on the the front of the good jeans and the lower-front legs on the back of the good jeans. Then get a couple of boxes of paraffin (the kind for canning) and melt them in a pan your wife won't shoot you for using (or in an old tin can in a water bath). Put your oven on at the lowest setting (mine's 170) and pop the jeans in. Use an old paint brush to paint the melted wax onto the hot jeans and let it soak in. Reheat in the oven as needed. Use plenty of old newspaper on the floor for drips.
OK, I haven't tried this full-scale yet, but I did it on the cuffs of some jeans and it worked. I used a heat-gun instead of the oven. I was surprised how much wax the pants soaked up. For $10 in wax, some old jeans and elbow grease it's worth a shot, right?
Went through a few different hunting pants and found out 1st and foremost that waterproof is important, GORETEX or cabelas brand which I bought 3 years ago for a 100.00 and they hemmed them right there I would recomend. Just the fist pass through the brush in the morning wettness soaks you these pants leave you dry as a bone which makes your day alot nicer. I only got them because a friend turned me on to them on a day I was drenched and he was dry and it wasnt 7:30 yet. TRUST me it is worth the extra 50 or 60 to get waterproof and they are not heavier either they have a nice silky lining inside which feel good too
The Filson tin cloth chaps are the way to go IMO. I really don't have a bad thing to say about them. For the quality - I really don't think the price was out of line .... from what I remember paying.
I am not a fan of the Filson pants or chaps; they tend to be heavy, hot, and kind of stiff in my experience. I wear several different styles depending on the conditions. Early season when temps are still rather warm I wear a light pair of cargo pants if chasing prairie grouse, Grey Partridge, or pheasants in grassy cover. If I am hunting ruffed grouse or pheasants in thick and thorny cover I might wear a light pair of nylon chaps over these though often times I do not. As these pants are often found for well under $20, I consider them expendable though they seem to last a couple of years with minimal care. I am not too concerned with water resistance with these as they dry quickly from body heat and, if wet from rain rather than dew, the air temps are typically still mild.
When the temperatures become much more moderate and I am hunting heavy cover for ruffed grouse or pheasants, I switch to a pair of nylon faced brush pants. If one watches for after season clearance sales these pants can be found in the $20 range. I rotate my pants and I have gotten several years of use out of them so far.
If it is wet out, either through rain, snow, or late season dew, I have a couple pairs of nylon faced Gore-Tex or other water repellent material pants I wear. It is not often I wear them as wearing full body water repellent gear often gets one just as wet from sweat as from precipitation. I most frequently wear them for pheasant hunting when wearing my Gore-Tex leather boots as they do not seem to dry out very well if water runs down the leg and into the boot. My nylon and leather boots do not seem to have this problem. These pants run around the $60 mark on clearance the last time I bought any, its been 3-4 years so far. I use these the most for waterfowl hunting where I use them as an interior layer and wear a less water resistant camo covering over them. Once the ducks and geese stop flying, I strip off the outer clothing and take the dogs for a spin around the field to see what upland game we can add to the bag before picking up decoys.
I usually just use the el cheapo wranglers with the heavy nylon on the front and legs usually bought on clearance for under 20 bucks. If it is wet I put on a pair of rain pants or just gaiters. I always have extra clothes and if I get wet I can change. But I really don't see a lot of briars and stickers so I can see where more protection may be needed.
You should see me when there is a lot of condensation on the ground and on the weeds. I dig out my Hip Waders and hunt in them. I never go anywhere without extra pants, shoes & socks or boots.
just bought a pair of upland jean's out of sport'sman guide got them for i think $30.00 to the door,columbia is the brand stone washed with a nylon on the front and the calf.seem's like they will do the job.
A lot of factors to consider: weather/climate, how much walking and so forth.
I have Filson chaps and pants but as mentioned they are heavy and can be hot. That said they bust thru the toughest brush around.
I also have some light, water resisitant, quail pants for hotter weather from Redland. But I have gone thru a couple of pairs of these fighting thru briars in Idaho.
The most versatile hunting pants I have - thus use the most are from Beretta. I use them in a variety of climates for different kind of hunting from Qual in FL, to upland hunts in Idaho, Oregon and South Dakota. I have had these for several years and from looking at the current Beretta catalog I think the nearest thing to them, and it may be them, is the Upland Cordura field pant.
I have purchased a couple different pairs from Cabelas, and they are Cabelas brand. All of mine have the brush guard material on the front and back lower leg.
The nice thing about Cabelas is they come in different fabric weights, some better suited for warm/ hot weather and others better suited for cold weather.
So far mine have performed well. Some of my buddies use chaps from Cabelas, and they seem to have good luck with theirs too.
I have not paid more than $40 for any of them, and I know that one pair I got on sale for $18.
McAlister has a sale on their waxed pants at $60.00 right now. I have gone through several brands and am happy with Cabelas Stonewall with their stonewall chaps added for star thistle. My current pair has lasted 4 seasons, and looks to last another 4 more.
Only just noticed this thread; you guys don't know how lucky you are for clothes prices.
Brians link to Dickies just blew me over ... at that price if you get just a couple of seasons out of the pants it's still a great deal.
I could just do with something like that for the warmer dry days scrambling through the briars on the hills; cold and wet I'm well catered for in UK(!) Pity they don't ship outside the US.
I love my filson chaps. I have had the same pair for about 10 years and I should get at least one more season out of them. They are starting to wear out at the bottom. I hunt pheasants and quail in kansas around 40 days a year and also wear them for NAVHDA. I think this is about the best investment I have ever made for hunting.
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