Splitting Your Pants

[Graywolf]

I did not know rather to put this in humor or here. But as it could work into your planning thoughts I found it good to put here. Move it to Humor if you wish.

Went for a hike today and was thinking of the many post I see here on WB. Especially the ones on how many shirts, or pants to take. I remember several post from folks claiming they take only one pair of shorts and a shirt and then I had some strange thoughts come into my mind.

Has any of you been out, several days away from resupply, and somewhere you stumble over a rock or a root, and when you managed to get up you noticed it was a little more breezy between your legs than normal. You check it out just to find you ripped your pants.. "Opps!! I only have one pair of pants. I guess Hiking Naked Day comes early"...

:-? Hmmmm.. So what would you do in this situation?

[johnnyblisters]

I was doing some trail crew leader training in the Whites last year displaying how to properly move heavy rocks. I got real low and lifted with my knees to show how not to kill your back while making a staircase. I stood up afterwords and felt a breeze just above my knees. Looking back, I was happy to be wearing underwear at the time.

[Lugnut]

Skids is a master at splitting his pants! :rolleyes:

[Mags]

Happened to a pair of shorts on the PCT. Duct tape! :)

[Roland]

One hole over another dark hole, and no one will see a thing.

[Miner]

When I hiked the PCT, my pants split out in the seat 2 days from the Washington Border. Fortunately for me, the next town had my bounce box which had some pants that I wanted to switch into for Washington anyway. But I was glad I had underwear on.

I know other hikers who have developed holes in places that were not appropriate to bare, but duct tape goes along way. One girl started sewing those badge like patches you can buy at parks and stuff to the seat of her pants to avoid buying new clothes.

[Pommes]

I wear compression shorts for this reason.

[swjohnsey]

No problemo. Ain't a problem 'til you get to town. Safety pin will fix it. Most folks have another pair of pants like a rain suit. You are gonna need something to wear while washing clothes anyway.

[Tuckahoe]

Hmmmm I carry a small sewing kit.

[Graywolf]

No problemo. Ain't a problem 'til you get to town. Safety pin will fix it. Most folks have another pair of pants like a rain suit. You are gonna need something to wear while washing clothes anyway.


Safty pin?? Ouch!! Hope its closed before you sit down..;)

This just comes to show, duct tape has many many uses...

[mweinstone]

very refreashing thread.............

[TheChop]

Mine split when I was washing off my hands in a creek. I wore them for the next four or five days with parachute cord sewing them up.

[swjohnsey]

Safty pin?? Ouch!! Hope its closed before you sit down..;)

This just comes to show, duct tape has many many uses...


Duct tape won't hold for long, I speak from experience.

[catingeorgia]

sewing needle, thread, and a little knowledge go a long way. a lot lighter than extra clothing. my opinion...everyone is unique in what they pack, but better safe than sorry.

[Luddite]

Safety pin will fix it.

I've done that once and the safety pin opened up and stabbed me...:eek:

Use duct tape.

[swjohnsey]

Duct tape doesn't stick good to damp surfaces.

[leaftye]

I've had this happen on a couple REI Sahara pants. I like the pants, but if I buy them again, I'm just going to add a line or two of stitches when I bring them home instead of waiting for the inevitable.

[Graywolf]

I've done that once and the safety pin opened up and stabbed me...:eek:

Use duct tape.

My thoughts exactly...OUCH!!

[LoneRidgeRunner]

Actually so far (knock on wood) OUCH... (my own head isn't wood)...I've never split my pants while hiking but I'm sure there's a first time for everything. But I carry a small sewing kit, which is much lighter and takes much less room in a pack than extra pants. As far as extra clothes go, I only carry the pants and shirt I'm wearing, an extra wicking tee shirt, an extra pair of drawers and 2 extra pairs of socks. I'll wear my rain gear at the laundry unless I decide to just do laundry in a hotel shower and hang out stark naked in my room till something dries...Guess would just have to wear the rain pants on the trail to sew the pants up...I have duct tape wrapped around my hiking pole handle but I can't imagine duct tape holding split pants together for long...

[mcskinney]

fat people are funny

[mweinstone]

catostropic sat seam failure front to back can only be handled in the feild with one drastic action.

remove underware and lay over rip.pull pants up to hold undys.put on other undys if you have them.

[LoneRidgeRunner]

fat people are funny

Hey now..I'm a "fat people"...lol..

[Tinker]

I split the backside out of a pair of shorts while on the "Parade of Fools" Ma. hike in 2008. Luckily, I was wearing my no-see-um pants over them when this happened. I didn't realize it until we reached the car when I changed into my long nylon pants.

[bigcranky]

My sewing kit weighs maybe 1/2 ounce. Used it several times, works great.

[VTK8]

Dental floss is even BETTER (stronger) than thread, and it doubles as...well...floss. Add a needle and you're all set for any backcountry wardrobe malfunction.

[LIhikers]

Mine split when I was washing off my hands in a creek. I wore them for the next four or five days with parachute cord sewing them up.

I've made repairs with dental floss, but not to pants.

[Tinker]

Just for yucks: http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/1/3/7/5/0/dscf1440_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=25280&c=searchresults&searchid=35297)

:)

[Mags]

Duct tape doesn't stick good to damp surfaces.
'

In an emergency, it is good enough. And having a split crotch on the shorts was an emergency of sorts. And it worked. :)
(1000+ miles of cheap shorts..what can I say. :D)

[hobbs]

I have duck tap and I keep a needle and Dental floss for such an occassion if it should happen

[Graywolf]

So basically if you only haveone pair of pants, you sit naked on a rock while you sew up your pants? Thats what your telling me?:eek:

Ok, I will be taking an extra pare, JJJJUUUUUSSSSSTTTTTT IIIINNNNN Case!!

[Bronk]

You have to be able to improvise...lets pretend it wasn't a pair of shorts/pants...lets say one of the shoulder straps rips off your pack...what then? It happened to me...luckily I was only a few miles from town and was able to carry the pack on one shoulder until I could track down a sewing machine.

[TheChop]

Bam! My hiking pants!

[Old Hiker]

Duct tape doesn't stick good to damp surfaces.

I'd suggest using DRY toilet paper first.

[Rick500]

Kilt.

678910

[Skidsteer]

Skids is a master at splitting his pants! :rolleyes:

Practice makes perfect.

[lava]

My trail name - Thimble - is a direct result of someone splitting his pants.

On a recent backpacking trip, one of the guys in my group split his pants on the first day of a 3-day trip. I sewed them back together so well, that he decided not to replace them!

[Tipi Walter]

Dental floss is even BETTER (stronger) than thread, and it doubles as...well...floss. Add a needle and you're all set for any backcountry wardrobe malfunction.

I always carry two "loaded" needles in my repair kit strung with dental floss, so in a mishap I don't have to fuss with threading and knotting. Why two? Cuz you can break the tip off a needle pretty quick. On a winter trip about three years ago I squatted in my old North Face goretex pants and the butt blew out, so I pulled out the floss needle and fixed it pronto. It lasted for several years until I caught the pants leg on a root and ripped it about 20 inches across. Had I used duct tape most of the flesh of my perineum would've been torn off upon removal.

[mweinstone]

velcro crotches. they open for air. close for privacy. good idea?

[Sickmont]

velcro crotches. they open for air. close for privacy. good idea?

Makes "evacuating" much less cumbersome as well.

[kanga]

Practice makes perfect.
still working on it, huh?