Merino vs Synthetics worth it?

[5MilesBack]

Instead of saying “skinny jeans” let’s say what it really is- athletic fit. That means that the clothing is cut to be as form fitting as possible, while not restricting movement. As long as the pants aren’t restricting movement, I want them to have the least amount of bulk and loose fabric as possible, a high gusseted crotch, no big cargo pockets, and nothing to snag on.

You're describing women's yoga pants.

Those are NOT what I look for in a hunting pant.

 

[Formidilosus]

ist is then way too big. One of the biggest problems I've seen in most all the modern recent pants is a rise that's 3" shorter than every other pant I've ever worn in the past, so they are literally right up against the crotch along with a low waistband. That's messed up in any description.......athletic or skinny.

Well, actually not. The high crotch/low waist came into the fold a large part because of the work Crye Precision did with the development of their Combat Pants. While different than what most guys were/are used to, a high crotch/low waist combined with a gusseted crotch greatly reduces blown out crotches and seams, results in less hip fatigue when constantly going over obstacles, and the slimmer cut (not true skinny) results in less tears because of snags.

A google of “army acu crotch blowouts” will provide lots of reading into what a high waist, low crotch, baggier fit does when used. A straight swap to the Crye Combat pants designed as above dropped the pants failures to nearly zero. Not taking metro sexual here, just fitted correctly.

I get that it may not be your cup of tea- it dang sure wasn’t mine until I used them heavily and saw the results, but there is a reason for designing pants like that.

 

[5MilesBack]

I get that it may not be your cup of tea- it dang sure wasn’t mine until I used them heavily and saw the results, but there is a reason for designing pants like that.

Do they issue cups with those pants? Because they would need them every time they raised a leg......or even putting them on.

I guess I've never had any crotch blowing out problems with any pants, especially my hunting pants.....and I'm stepping or climbing over waist high blowdowns all the time while hunting. I do love the freedom of movement with a little more material, but can't stand Hammer pants. But there is a good compromise in the middle somewhere IMO, but it's certainly not the skinny jeans or "athletic" fit. IMO that's the opposite of "athletic" fit. I couldn't move freely if I had to in those. On the flip side, I could play basketball in my current hunting pants and not miss a beat as far as athleticism goes.

Whatever floats one's boat. But it's pretty frustrating struggling to find decent hunting pants that fit right these days. From my perspective it really does feel like they are targeting the 5'6" 140lb crowd.

 

[Owenst7]

Do they issue cups with those pants? Because they would need them every time they raised a leg......or even putting them on.

I guess I've never had any crotch blowing out problems with any pants, especially my hunting pants.....and I'm stepping or climbing over waist high blowdowns all the time while hunting. I do love the freedom of movement with a little more material, but can't stand Hammer pants. But there is a good compromise in the middle somewhere IMO, but it's certainly not the skinny jeans or "athletic" fit. IMO that's the opposite of "athletic" fit. I couldn't move freely if I had to in those. On the flip side, I could play basketball in my current hunting pants and not miss a beat as far as athleticism goes.

Whatever floats one's boat. But it's pretty frustrating struggling to find decent hunting pants that fit right these days. From my perspective it really does feel like they are targeting the 5'6" 140lb crowd.

More like the 5'8"-6' 160-190 lbs crowd, which is average. All the pants discussed fit great in a 32x32.

Maybe you should get to know a tailor. I used to have one do my dress shirts for CCW. Now I just do it myself.

 

[garbs]

More like the 5'8"-6' 160-190 lbs crowd, which is average. All the pants discussed fit great in a 32x32.

Yep. I’m 5’10 and 175ish and have a pair of 32x32 guide pros that fit great. I don’t wear skinny jeans and the guide pros certainly don’t feel like them or there’s no way I could stand them.

I think the cut of the guide pros is perfect - loose enough to not be constricting but not a ton of extra fabric to catch on things. That said, I have two recent pairs that have some ripped stitching on the pocket corner near my knees. Not sure if this has affected anyone else but I wish they’d shift the pocket over a bit to be more like cargo pants.

 

[5MilesBack]

Maybe you should get to know a tailor. I used to have one do my dress shirts for CCW. Now I just do it myself.

Ya, about 20 years ago I had a dozen custom dress shirts made at $90 a pop. A year later the dry cleaners somehow lost every one of them, and I got $15 each for them....yay.

If I could find the right material these days, I'd have several pairs of pants made. The old Cabela's Microtex Lite material is perfect for early season hunting, but can't find anything like it.

 

[byz250f]

So I got my 2018 First lite obsidian pants in the mail in Fusion color....They fit like described above. Tall wasted with suspenders like a pair of 10 year old cabelas overalls and very loose in but and legs and tight around ankles. Overall I cant believe that First lite chargers $180 plus shipping for these. I feel like they should be sold at walmart for $29.99. All the guys I hunt with have the FL obsidians or the Kanabs and swear by them for archery elk hunting....I really want to return as I think they are a joke for the money. Torn on what to do.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I have last year's model of Obsidian pants. I probably wore them more than any other pair. For me, they are very comfortable in temps from August till around late October when I switch to a heavy pair of pants like the timberline. I have a short inseam, 30ish inches, a big butt, and legs. Pants are rarely baggie on me.
I have several tears in them but will wear them again this year. They seem to dry incredibly fast and breath really well but keep you warm on those frosty mornings.

 

[byz250f]

I have last year's model of Obsidian pants. I probably wore them more than any other pair. For me, they are very comfortable in temps from August till around late October when I switch to a heavy pair of pants like the timberline. I have a short inseam, 30ish inches, a big butt, and legs. Pants are rarely baggie on me.
I have several tears in them but will wear them again this year. They seem to dry incredibly fast and breath really well but keep you warm on those frosty mornings.

A good buddy of mine has the 17 model obsidian pants and loves them also. From what I have read First lite changed the fit of the 2018 model. Feels just like described...hammer pants, huge in butt, legs and tight around ankles.

 

[Justin_the_EDG]

So I got my 2018 First lite obsidian pants in the mail in Fusion color....They fit like described above. Tall wasted with suspenders like a pair of 10 year old cabelas overalls and very loose in but and legs and tight around ankles. Overall I cant believe that First lite chargers $180 plus shipping for these. I feel like they should be sold at walmart for $29.99. All the guys I hunt with have the FL obsidians or the Kanabs and swear by them for archery elk hunting....I really want to return as I think they are a joke for the money. Torn on what to do.

I mean... If you literally hate them that much, why in the world would you keep them? Doesn't matter if everyone else loves them, they can be great for everyone else in the world, but if you won't even wear them because you think they're stupid, then it's kinda pointless to keep them. Trade em in for Corrugates or something that you'll actually use.

 

[byz250f]

I mean... If you literally hate them that much, why in the world would you keep them? Doesn't matter if everyone else loves them, they can be great for everyone else in the world, but if you won't even wear them because you think they're stupid, then it's kinda pointless to keep them. Trade em in for Corrugates or something that you'll actually use.

fair point. Im returning them!

 

[Jayhawkhunter]

I'm a huge fan of the obsidians, I used them last year in Southern Colorado in some gnarly stuff and they held up well. Incredibly warm and light and they dry amazingly fast. I also wore them throughout deer season in Kansas. I like a little bit of a baggy fit so maybe that's part of why I like their fit. For reference I'm 6'3' about 220 and the XL is perfect (2017 model)

 

[Ryan Avery]

I’m going to have to order some 2018 to see if there’s much of a difference.

The best part about the obsidian’s is the broad temp range. I wore them hiking last week in 90+ degrees.


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[Kevin Dill]

I like merino but I don't see it being a part of my outerwear ever. Base layers absolutely. I had a pair of the '17 Obsidian pants and thought they had the weirdest fit of any hunting pant I ever tried. When my wife saw them and laughed.....I knew they had to go.

 

[optimusprime]

Dude, they are HUGE. I don't know how the 2017 versions were (I heard they fit well) but these new 2018 ones are ridiculously baggy. I could honestly probably fit another pair of my legs in mine, and I have rather large legs.

 

[TradLife406]

I'd shy away from the Obsidians. Mine lasted a week before they developed a hole in the knee. First Lite said I was SOL and they wouldn't help me. There was a huge thread on Facebook a month later on one of the hunting groups with multiple people having the same issue. For $190 they'd better last a few couple seasons. Then my Kanab 2.0's blew the crotch out after a few days. I ended up switching brands after that. And that's after a few years of using FL. But after five items failed I was done.

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