Wool Pants

[JumpInTheLake]

Last year I did a hike in the Smoky Mountains while the high temps were in the teens. I wore my North Face convertible pants and I was very cold. I am thinking about some wool pants for hiking.

Any advice on yes or no, brands etc. The Filsons look great.

[mister krabs]

yes, filson anything is top of the line, but that might be a good thrift store item too.

[Wags]

a base layer pant may be a more flexible option

[njordan2]

Google the phrase "Swedish wool pants" and you find the wool pants I wear deer hunting and hiking in the cold. I have had my pair for about 10 years and they are fantastic. They cost about $10 then, although now I see them going for upwards of $30 or $40. The pants are military surplus and generally have never been worn. The pair I have has the date on the inside of the waist band as 1939. Yes, 70 years old!

They have 4 pockets: two slash pockets in the front and two cargo pockets on the side. In standard European fashion there are no back pockets. The ankles have leather straps to sinch them down and clips to hold gators or something. I removed the clips. They have suspendor buttons on the waist and I recommend suspenders with them. That is my only complaint; the crotch of the pants is very long, like the waist is supposed to be on your belly, like the way old people wear pants. Other than that they are great, are very sturdy, warm and cheap. Also, I wear thin polypro or silk long johns with them, as I do any wool pants.

[George]

more important than the high temp, is the day time low (at night you are in the sleeping bag) so if you say 0 for a morning start, I would use heavy base layer, nylon shorts, insulated pants and rain pants/wind shell. For a cold morning start I would have all of it on, if it was 20F sunny, calm and hiking hard, I would be down to the base layer + shorts. For the weight the wool pants are easy to beat with other layers.

[Blissful]

I'd try silk underwear or the like underneath the convertible pants. Wool is too heavy and cumbersome, IMO, and if it gets wet - HEAVY

[dreamsoftrails]

i would wear a light wool baselayer or maybe a a mid or heavier if it were even colder, along with some shell pants, like sierra designs microlight or something.

[Mags]

I use wool pants (military surplus) when I ski tour. Wind resistant, very breathable and repels the mainly fluffy snow I see in Colorado. Love 'em.

[Marta]

Wool is terrific stuff, especially in below-freezing temps. I haven't gone for actual wool pants, but in winter I wear a wool base layer, with fleece pants over that. If that leaves me cold (below 15 degrees, with wind), then add rain pants.

In the pre-synthetic era, wool was the gold standard for hiking clothing. (How's that for a mixed metaphor?) Colin Fletcher, for example, was a devotee of wool clothing, though in the arid western US, he wore cotton courderoy shorts.

[bigcranky]

Basic nylon hiking pants are pretty cold when the temps drop below 20-F. I find I do better with various layers than with a heavier pair of pants. I have a pair of Powerstretch tights that I carry in winter, mostly as a camp/sleeping layer, but they are great for hiking in very cold temps. When the wind picks up, I can layer wind pants or even rain pants over them.

For high-teens hiking, though, I would be wearing my wool long johns and shorts (I'm always amazed at how versatile that combo is), then put on the wind pants or rain pants if the wind picks up.

[Newb]

Google the phrase "Swedish wool pants" and you find the wool pants I wear deer hunting a...The pair I have has the date on the inside of the waist band as 1939. Yes, 70 years old!

.

I have a Swedish wool surplus overcoat from 1939. It's just heavy, thick wool with pockets everywhere. Looks like a Wermacht coat of the same era, but with Swedish crowns instead of german markings.

Anyways, it's really really warm, and is great in snow/wet conditions. It's very bulky, though.

[brooklynkayak]

Yes, a couple of light layers will be more useful than a thick heavy pair of wool pants. I find light merino wool underwear under hiking pants to be comfortable well below freezing, especially on the move. If I stop for lunch in sub freezing weather, I throw on my rain pants as well or tuck part way into my sleeping bag.

Basic nylon hiking pants are pretty cold when the temps drop below 20-F. I find I do better with various layers than with a heavier pair of pants. I have a pair of Powerstretch tights that I carry in winter, mostly as a camp/sleeping layer, but they are great for hiking in very cold temps. When the wind picks up, I can layer wind pants or even rain pants over them.

For high-teens hiking, though, I would be wearing my wool long johns and shorts (I'm always amazed at how versatile that combo is), then put on the wind pants or rain pants if the wind picks up.

[Seeker]

"I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass."
-- David Lee Roth

that's funny... i knew i liked him for a reason!

[Mags]

I should note the wool pants I use for ski touring are NOT the heavy Swiss army mountaineering pants. They are surplus wool uniform pants. Pretty light compared to the Swiss ones mentioned.

Why do I like them for ski touring? They breathe well, very wind resistant, repel the snow quite well and are warm when damp. I picked up on this idea from local mountaineering legend Gary Neptune. This guy has the pick of some of the best gear in the country and he skis in wool pants and sweaters.

For hiking? Dorky shorts and long underwear combo rules.


On the BMT in the Smokeys. Perhaps mid 20sF ?

[Snowleopard]

The best pants for cross country skiing I've had were military surplus wool pants that were medium weight, smooth surface, fairly windproof and breathable. Snow didn't stick to them. I can't find them anymore. It's easy now to find thick green fuzzy wool pants that are very warm (often too warm); snow sticks to them more.

[mudhead]

I should note the wool pants I use for ski touring are NOT the heavy Swiss army mountaineering pants. They are surplus wool uniform pants. Pretty light compared to the Swiss ones mentioned.

Why do I like them for ski touring? They breathe well, very wind resistant, repel the snow quite well and are warm when damp. I picked up on this idea from local mountaineering legend Gary Neptune. This guy has the pick of some of the best gear in the country and he skis in wool pants and sweaters.

For hiking? Dorky shorts and long underwear combo rules.


On the BMT in the Smokeys. Perhaps mid 20sF ?

I'm not sure I would be smilin' if I looked like the Green Knight.

[Mags]

I'm not sure I would be smilin' if I looked like the Green Knight.

Hey..I was hiking. What's not to like.

i also say 'NI'!

[Mags]

The best pants for cross country skiing I've had were military surplus wool pants that were medium weight, smooth surface, fairly windproof and breathable. Snow didn't stick to them. I can't find them anymore. It's easy now to find thick green fuzzy wool pants that are very warm (often too warm); snow sticks to them more.

I use these pants. Sounds like the pants you described.

[mudhead]

Those are especially useful in reverse.

Sometimes I amuse myself. I swear Fluff is the stuff.

[garlic08]

I stopped using wool when I skied for a few years in the Cascades. They do eventually wet out in the Cascade concrete snow and when they do, they're miserable. My apologies to all the wool devotees, but that's my experience.

I had similar conditions in the Smokies last year (add blowing snow), and I did fine with light nylon hiking trousers under a cheap breathable rain pant. It would have been better with a polypro layer, but I started hiking in April and didn't think I'd need that.