Hi: Looking for a new pair of trail pants. My current pants are a very old pair of Wintergreen in khaki, which have been wonderful.

I'd like a pair that dry quickly, are lightweight, have belt loops and a modest number of pockets, no zip offs, the more durable they are the better, double knees and seat are a plus.

Thank you for your ideas.

Sincerely,

WC

Piragis nylon wet leg canoe pant have worked for me as have Kuhl pants. The Piragis pants are far more durable than the version of Kuhl pants I have.

I suggest you take a strong look at the REI Sahara zip-off pants. Between my son and me, we own about six pairs and have had them for around 15 years. They are tough, lightweight and wear like iron. We've never even had to repair them.

The one's we own are the ones with the built-in belt. The new ones have belt loops. If the ones I have ever wear out, I'll be buying another pair or two.

Hard to top Wintergreen!!!

Piragis pants in the nylon non zip off. They have a more durable version and a quick. Dry nylon version.

Duluth Trading. company. They have a version that are zip off and a non zip off version. I pretty much put my family of four in these this year for our trips.

Ryan

I really like my Wintergreen pants. Do you have a reason to not go back to them?

Link below...Best wilderness pants I’ve ever owned, by far. Not super light, but they are built like a tank, have lots of pockets, double fabric knee, and button down cinch straps at the ankle. When wet footing sometimes I like to pull the cuff up over my knee and button cinch it there to save my pants from getting super wet. These pants are expensive, but so worth the money. I now have three pairs. I wear them casually as well. I’ll probably never wear anything but these into the BW ever again. I used to do the zip off pant leg stuff, but that got old and tedious, now I wear these whether it’s 40 degrees or 90 degrees. They are amazing. These are not the cheap, poorly sewn “tactical” pants you see on the internet, the quality is noticeable immediately.

Fjallraven Vidda Pro Trouser

Tony

REI makes a non zip-off version of the Sahara pants too, if that's your preference:

REI Sahara rollup cargo pants

I use them as a wind/snow shell in the winter when there's no need for shorts!

I'm really starting to like the Duluth Trading line of pants. I wore the Flexpedition pants on my October trip and found them to be great! I also have their dry on the fly pants that are exactly that. They must've taken my advice as the only thing I didn't like about them was the integrated webbing belt. I prefer to wear my own. The new Dry on the Fly pants now run normal belt loops. :)

Look into military surplus BDU pants. I particularly like the tropical weight pants which are 50/50 fabric. Tough, dry quickly, double fabric seat/knees, often have ties at the bottom of pants legs and are inexpensive. I have paid as little as $10/pr and once $24.00 for a new pair.

deerfoot: "Look into military surplus BDU pants. I particularly like the tropical weight pants which are 50/50 fabric. Tough, dry quickly, double fabric seat/knees, often have ties at the bottom of pants legs and are inexpensive. I have paid as little as $10/pr and once $24.00 for a new pair. "

These are great if you can find the genuine military surplus items. I have worn a pair for the last 15 years of canoe tripping and deer hunting.

I'm in the market for a new pair too. My tripping partner was wearing these and I got a good look at the pockets and features. He gave a big recommendation so this is what I'm getting.

Railriders

GopherAdventure: "

Link below...Best wilderness pants I’ve ever owned, by far. Not super light, but they are built like a tank, have lots of pockets, double fabric knee, and button down cinch straps at the ankle. When wet footing sometimes I like to pull the cuff up over my knee and button cinch it there to save my pants from getting super wet. These pants are expensive, but so worth the money. I now have three pairs. I wear them casually as well. I’ll probably never wear anything but these into the BW ever again. I used to do the zip off pant leg stuff, but that got old and tedious, now I wear these whether it’s 40 degrees or 90 degrees. They are amazing. These are not the cheap, poorly sewn “tactical” pants you see on the internet, the quality is noticeable immediately.


Fjallraven Vidda Pro Trouser

Tony"

+1 for Fjallraven. Had to mortgage the house and sizing is the funny European sizing....But man they are tough. Buy once, cry once kind of pants.

LL Bean Cresta hiking pants. I have two pair and they make each trip. I like them because the cargo pockets are low profile.

Thank you so much for all the great ideas, I will check them all out.

AndyM: My current Wintergreen pants have tons of human powered travel on them, biking, hiking, canoeing, winter camping, etc. I did look at the new pants but the fabric seems different and my friend bought a pair a few years pack that feel kind of wimpy. That makes me nervous, they are expensive, and I'm wary that they will not be comparable to my old pair. Also, I wish the waistband was a bit more substantial for carrying my folding knife sheath. I may indeed go this route, but I did want to explore new options.

This is a good thread (pardon the pun!). Funny thing, I was trying to get some more of my favorite pant and they don't make it: Columbia Titanium. I found a used (almost new) pair on ebay that arrived today. I will look at some of these suggestions maybe take a chance and order one to test.

I've been using these RailRiders for years and have been quite satisfied. They dry very quickly.

I suggest pants with a bit of spandex- the traditional rail riders don't have enough give for some of the tough portage moves. Prana makes a nice pant with integrated belt, the Zion which wears well and offers a bit of give when you need it.

Count me as another Prana Zion (and Brion) user. I've been using both for a number of years now and don't plan on changing. Still, it is hard to recommend something like this for others, since fit is such a personal thing.

Prana Zion, here too!

Thanks for the clarification, WhiteCedar. My Wintergreen pants are probably from 2016 and seem great. I have another pair of seconds from 2018 that were down in the clearance basement for some reason. They that seem a little lighter but are still tough. I mostly got those to preserve my first pair from sailing where I am often wading in salt water. I have a feeling that the black second layer material seems tougher than the ones in the same color as the pants.

But it is always good to shop around.

I bought a couple of pairs of Dry on the Fly from Duluth Trading, on sale. I really like the fit and the stretch allows for a deep knee bend without the butt crack show. More durable than other quick dry pants I've had in the past, would recommend.

Kuiu Attack Pant. Stu recommended these in a recent BWJ article. Fabric is water repellent and quick drying. And stretchy so as to accommodate movement. $139 plus shipping. Limited range of sizes. Thinking of ordering a pair, has anyone else tried these?

RunningFox: "Kuiu Attack Pant. Stu recommended these in a recent BWJ article. Fabric is water repellent and quick drying. And stretchy so as to accommodate movement. $139 plus shipping. Limited range of sizes. Thinking of ordering a pair, has anyone else tried these?"

I use the Kuiu Tiburon pants for canoe trips. Lighter weight material than the Attack, but the pockets and cut should all be the same. Waist runs a hair bigger than expected (I am 32-33 inches - these were the first 34" that I have ever worn but they fit well)... they are also a hair on the low-rise, high-crotch side. Not much extra room there, but they do stretch pretty well. Probably not as big an issue as I am making it sound like.
Dry faster than you'd think possible. Very comfortable and I think they are perfect for my travel-light, go-far solos.
Love all the pockets; wish the cargo pockets were gusseted to hold bigger items, but overall I think they are well made and a great option. I may buy another pair.

Another user of Duluth dry on the fly pants. I even have a pair of fleece line dry on the fly pants for the colder seasons. I really like them. They go on sale quite often.

Tony

I recently moved from the Dry on the Fly pants to the Zions. The dry on the fly for me were way to baggy of a fit (I felt like MC Hammer) even though the waist size was appropriate. I haven't used the Zions yet for a canoe trip, but the fabric is super comfortable and stretchy. Been wearing them to do chores and underneath my fishing bibs. I've tried numerous pairs of nylon pants (mostly zip-offs) throughout the year and for me the Zions seem like the ideal tripping pants. Can't wait to put them through the ringer next canoe season.

I will say this though, I am super interested in the Kuiu gear in general but the $s and the lack of being able to try them on or feel them has always stopped me from making that leap.

Interesting!

They're (Fjallraven) actually less expensive than the wintergreen...but there's something about supporting a Minnesota company. Do they actually make the wintergreens in Ely?

GopherAdventure: "

Link below...Best wilderness pants I’ve ever owned, by far. Not super light, but they are built like a tank, have lots of pockets, double fabric knee, and button down cinch straps at the ankle. When wet footing sometimes I like to pull the cuff up over my knee and button cinch it there to save my pants from getting super wet. These pants are expensive, but so worth the money. I now have three pairs. I wear them casually as well. I’ll probably never wear anything but these into the BW ever again. I used to do the zip off pant leg stuff, but that got old and tedious, now I wear these whether it’s 40 degrees or 90 degrees. They are amazing. These are not the cheap, poorly sewn “tactical” pants you see on the internet, the quality is noticeable immediately.


Fjallraven Vidda Pro Trouser

Tony"

I took your advice and ordered a pair of these...except I did get the vented. Thanks for the tip. Buy once. Cry once.

Duluth Trading fire hose pants. Very well made.

There's a sale on those (Duluth Trading) right now too. $40!!

https://www.duluthtrading.com/mens-fire-hose-relaxed-fit-cargo-work-pants-92204.html

Gotta give those a try!!

johnnyg08: "Interesting!


They're (Fjallraven) actually less expensive than the wintergreen...but there's something about supporting a Minnesota company. Do they actually make the wintergreens in Ely?


"

Yes, Wintergreen gear is made in Ely. Kondos and Steger gear is as well.

Excellent! Thank you!

I've been very pleased tripping the last few years wearing Railriders Bushwacker pants.
They are available with or without permethrin. They're pretty lightweight and reinforced in all the right places. My normal pant length is 32, but I find a 30 is perfect for tripping as I don't end up with the cuffs dragging.

Yes, on Wintergreen being made in Ely. When I got my custom pair of pants, the seamstress who was going to make them came out to do the measurements.

I got a pair of these at work and they are my go-to pants. They dry quickly and are thicker and tougher than the thinner zip-offs I used to wear...more durable when the brush gets thick!
TRU-SPEC 24-7 Series Ascent Tactical Pants

Joe

Several years ago I bought three different models of BDU's from a company who was a military supplier . I did some crude testing on how quickly they dried and immediately eliminated one model. The remaining two both dried well , but were very different in weight. Still using both, but with some modifications. All velcro is removed. I find it noisy and harder to open than the large buttons on the BDU's. After a few days in the woods it is generally full of dirt and debris.
I also got over worrying about how I look, so all of my pants get hammer-on suspender buttons, and a good quality pair of Welch suspenders. Nothing ever gets in a pinch or bind and all the weight hangs off the shoulders where it belongs.

MB