I'd like to find a decent pair of wool pants. I've seen the LLBean Maine Guide pants and the Big Bill brand, but they both max out at a 33" inseam. I need a 34 or 36. I'm a bit confused why they don't make anything longer...

Any recommendations? Thanks!

First Lite makes and awesome but pricey pair

Here is just one of your options.

Johnson Woolen Mills






I’ve also had good luck with eBay purchases of woolen clothing, including a new pair of USFS heavy pants from Filson at a price that would make you wail. ;-)

I bought some 10-11 years ago from Bemidji Woolen Mills, For a trip where I expected cold weather. They were nice. Of course later I ruined them by washing them and shrinking them substantially.
Bemidji Woolen Mills - pants

Wow, sticker shock!

Eh...maybe some ebay shopping is in my future.

Military surplus?

Have you tried a thrift shop? I've found a few good pairs of wool pants before. Look for the old time tweed slacks. They won't be as heavy as what you're looking at now, but they're still quite warm. Thrift store pickings are getting slim though with the shift to more casual clothes fast fashion.

When it comes to wool you can have cheap and scratchy, or expensive and soft. I know which one I’m picking.

Savage Voyageur: "When it comes to wool you can have cheap and scratchy, or expensive and soft. I know which one I’m picking. "

One thing about the scratchy stuff. So far my experience has been that the scratchy stuff seems to be significantly more water repellent. Not sure if that's because the scales make for a tighter weave or maybe the scales themselves repel water? I also feel like the itchy stuff might be a bit tougher.

I don't have any scientific evidence to support this, just real world use. My old Big Bill and Woolrich pants/coat sure are itchy, but they don't soak up water nearly as fast as some of my expensive superwash merino wool from smartwool, ibex, etc. I actually look for that "scratchy stuff" for my outer layers and the "soft stuff" for my inner layers now...

I suspect some of the wool pants sold may be shorter because they are expected to be tucked inside boots. I have 3 different versions of the Big Bill wool pants (I like the merino wool the best). I ordered them long then hemmed them about 1-2 inches shorter than I typically wear pants so they can fit better inside my muckluks, rubber boots, or in the top of my hunting boots. If I wear them outside my hunting boots they are a bit short - like above my ankle - but I don’t care. They get less mud or slush on the bottoms.

I second Deerfoot’s idea about military surplus. I have had some good luck in the past, but you have to hunt. Different countries have different types of wool and designs. The French have top quality wool, and I currently have some German ones with cargo pockets that are pretty good. A lot of them will be longer, but many have narrow waists so it takes some hunting. It might help to know your size in both inches and metric.

deerfoot: "Military surplus?"

I have a pair of the West German surplus wool pants that are pretty commonly available, and I love them. They come in fairly large sizes too.

Military surplus. I have a pair of West German that would fall into the "Scratchy Stuff" category but they do a pretty good job of shedding water. Had to do some hemming but the price was amazing.