SKRE Hardscrabble Pants Review

[Drenalin]

First, a big thanks to @skregear for their recent $100 gift card giveaway. Sponsors don’t need to do this type of thing, but it’s very appreciated when they do. In accordance with the contest rules, I’ll be providing an initial thoughts review here, and will follow up later in the year with a more complete review once I’ve hunted in them. I’m also motivated to get as much info out there as I can on these guys, good or bad, because there just isn’t enough yet.

Another thanks to @realunlucky for coordinating this giveaway. If this is in the wrong place, please let me know where to repost.

After I won the giveaway, Josh with SKRE reached out to me by text to get my info. I knew I was going to order the Hardscrabble pants, and I figured since we were already texting I’d ask him about sizing. Josh was extremely helpful and seemed genuinely interested in helping me get the right fit. He also informed me that if they didn’t work, I could return them with the included prepaid shipping label, which is apparently standard operating procedure for these guys. I know it’s a small sample size, but I was very very happy with the customer service I received, and I’ve seen nothing negative in that regard in any other information I’ve been able to find on SKRE.

I ordered the pants on August 31st and received them today, September 6th. Considering there’s a weekend and a holiday in there, that’s very quick shipping.

When I ordered the pants, I got an email with a small amount of store credit as a thank you. When I opened the box today, there was a card inside for 20% off my next order. The little things add up, and as far as treating customers well, SKRE seems to be doing them.

Getting the pants out of the box, the first thing I noticed is that they’re heavy. That’s not necessarily a knock, these are polyester softshell pants - I wasn’t expecting them to be lightweight; but it was noticeable. These probably aren’t the pants you want for September elk hunting, but I think they’re going to be great for November and December.

I ordered the same waist size I wear in jeans, and the fit is spot on. Good fit at the waist, not tight at all, not extra roomy. The sticky waist band made them kind of “grab” and stay in the right spot - I’m interested to see if this holds true over the course of several days of continuous use in the field. I’m a thick legged guy, and there’s good room through the seat, thigh, and calf. These are not tapered skinny jeans (!!!) which is great news for me. My only gripe on the fit, and I knew this when I ordered them, is the inseam length which is 34” standard. I know taller guys are rejoicing, but I’ll need to get them hemmed before I can wear them around much.

Pocket layout is good. None of them stood out as being misplaced, shallow, or overly deep. In other words, they didn’t reinvent the wheel on pockets, they did what works and has worked for years and years. The cargo pockets and back pockets zip closed, which I like for the cargo pockets, but don’t really care about on the back pockets. Zipper pulls are substantial, but not overly large, and appear to have a reflective tracer (I didn’t check this in the dark yet).

I like the placement of the hip vents, and I’m probably going to really appreciate that feature on these pants. They have a mesh inside, so you’re not wide open to bugs when you vent them. Mesh may not be exactly the right word, it’s like a perforated fabric. Anyway, I’ll report back on real world breathability later.

As for color, I ordered the ash brown. Off the top of my head, the color most closely resembles the earth color of the latest iteration of Walmart Wranglers, maybe a shade or two darker than they appeared (to me) on the website.

I’ll get some photos up soon.

 

[Indeepship]

As someone looking to get a set thank you!!! The Pants do not have a lining correct? Do you own a Kuiu attack pant? Im wondering how they stack up. Im assuming the Kuiu is more of a warm weather pant.

 

[Totoro]

I own numerous pieces of SKRE.

One that I don't is the HS pants; for that money I would rather have a shorter inseam option without having to get them hemmed to my inseam.

@Josh with SKRE, come on man at least 32 inseams please!

 

[Drenalin]

As someone looking to get a set thank you!!! The Pants do not have a lining correct? Do you own a Kuiu attack pant? Im wondering how they stack up. Im assuming the Kuiu is more of a warm weather pant.

No lining. I don’t own Attacks, but based on specs and features listed online, I’d expect the Hardscrabbles to be similar. I think both are kind of an all around pant. The Attacks are listed at 18.5 ounces, Hardscrabbles at 20 ounces, with very similar features. They’re both polyester, so I doubt much difference in warmth. Neither would be an ideal warm weather pant…doable, sure, just not ideal. Fit would probably be the biggest difference.

 

[Ho5tile1]

I have them both the attack is much better in the hot weather but nether is ideal for hot weather. The hard scrabble seem more stiff then the attack pants and a tad bit louder. The attack pants have a more athletic fit as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Josh]

I own numerous pieces of SKRE.

One that I don't is the HS pants; for that money I would rather have a shorter inseam option without having to get them hemmed to my inseam.

@Josh with SKRE, come on man at least 32 inseams please!

Wrong Josh but Ill see what i can do. Lol.

 

[Drenalin]

After checking around locally, the quickest I could get these professionally hemmed would have been about two weeks out. I kicked around the idea of getting on YouTube and learning to sew, then decided to spend $3 on a roll of hem tape instead. Took about 10 minutes of my time, and the results are fine. Probably not the most durable way to go about a hem, but an additional $3 of cost on a $138 pair of pants is an easier pill to swallow than what local tailors are charging.

Been wearing them around a little, and had a few follow up notes to my initial thoughts:

First, while unlined, the interior has a very soft feel, almost like an extremely low pile fleece.

The fabric has a bit of shine to it, like a lot of polyesters - not terrible, but it's there.

The crotch is cut pretty high, almost too high. From there down, the pants get really loose, and I'm not a small-legged guy. I can appreciate this fit, but there's enough excess fabric near the bottom that I get some swishing when I walk.

Pants are stiff and make some noise, but they're not terribly loud. I would think I can wash a lot of this out, and I'll probably run them through the laundry a handful of times this week to tone it down.

The hip pockets are cut a little high for my liking, and a little of a nuisance to get my hands in and out of. I don't keep much in those pockets anyway, but I don't think there's any danger of a key falling out, for example.

Cargo pockets are ok. Hip zips are good, and the fabric used there does let in a good amount of air when they're opened up.

At this point, I'd say these are a decent budget option as they seem to be on sale for around $105 pretty frequently. Obviously field use may sway that impression one way or the other. They're good enough that I don't currently have any reservations about wearing them through my hunting seasons here, for bear in October and deer November through December.

 

[Drenalin]

I've now worn these on several hikes, a couple of hunts, and some general use around the house and around the office. I have probably 20 days of wear on these and about that many washes.

First, the fabric:

• It's polyester, and not unlike any other polyester "outdoor" pants you've ever seen. They remind me a lot of some Under Armour pants I used to wear from their tactical line.
• It's stiff and noisy. It didn't stand out as bad until I started hunting in them, but now I'm very very aware of how noisy they are. After several uses and washes, it's still very much there.
• It doesn't move moisture very well. The inside gets a clammy feeling when I work up a sweat.
• It builds up stink pretty quickly.
• Overall, I am not a fan of the fabric.

Second, the fit:

• The fit is pretty good. Waist is true to size and there's plenty of leg room. Maybe a hair too much leg room in the lower leg, but you lose some of that when you hem them.
• I absolutely hate the fact that these pants were only offered with a 34" hem. I've got a few inches on the average height American man and that 34" inseam is still two inches too many.
• I'd like to have had a little bit wider of a leg opening so the pant went over boot tops a little better.

Third, pockets and zippers:

• The hip pockets are a little high for my liking, but okay. I don't care for zippers on the back pockets, but I'm likely a minority on that point. Overall, these four pockets are fine for me.
• The cargo pockets are big. I mean, really really big - like lose stuff in them big. But they also open generously and allow great access. If you're the kind of person to stuff gloves, beanie, neck gaiter, or even a full box of ammo in your pants pockets, you'll love these.
• The zippers on the hip vents have a tendency to work their way down as you move, so you get some ventilation whether you want it or not. I'm confident you could clamp those two zippers down a little tighter with a pair of pliers, which I would do if I were going to continue using these pants.

Construction of the pants is good. They are well built, maybe even beefy. I have no durability concerns with them and haven't damaged them through normal use at all.

Overall, these are not the pants for me. I wanted to love them, I just don't.

I appreciate what I know of SKRE as a company. Their communication/customer service was excellent. They seem to be making a real effort to take care of customers, and that goes a long way. I would not hesitate to try other SKRE products - they seem like the kind of company you'd want to see succeed.

I also have to say, they have some nuts to do giveaways on this site and ask the winners to provide reviews of their products. There's no guarantee those reviews go well. To me, that shows they are (1) confident in their products and (2) genuinely want to see the good and the bad so they can improve what they offer.

 

[cal30_sniper]

I’ve been rocking mostly SKRE gear so far as the prices and sales were really good, and they had a great clearance run on off-color wool stuff when I needed to get into some under layers for colder hunts. I’ve worn the hardscrabble pants for four Oct/Nov hunts in New Mexico and SW Colorado now, and my review is a bit more positive than yours so far. That may be because I moved into them from old BDUs and well washed Carhartts (which are notably noisier, less breathable, and chafe more). I’ve never tried any premium brands, so that may weigh into my viewpoint.

I’m 5’8” and less than 150lbs. No complaint on fit or inseam length for me. They bunch up around the top of my Salomon boots when I wear them, and hang pretty natural when I wear my go-fasters on warmer hunts. I normally wear a 29x32 jean, and have not found the 34” inseam length to be a problem with the hardscrabble pant. I have found it a bit of an issue with the Kaibab 300 underlayer, which likes to bunch up and ride down my hips under heavy work.

I also haven’t found noise to be an issue, they’re much quieter than any other outdoor-durable pant I’ve ever worn, particularly when rubbing against brush. I haven’t torn or damaged one yet, which is also a high mark. I used to tear up a pair of Carhartts every hunt.

Wont argue with you on the scent. I usually wear the wool underlayer, and let everything hang out to dry overnight. I’m not a bowhunter, so don’t worry about it too much.

I was surprised about your unlined comment. I would have called them fleece lined. Not sure whether they actually are lined or not, but that’s what I had assumed by the feel.

I haven’t been bothered in them on warmer hunts in the sunny high 40s/low 50s. I generally wear a 300 base layer underneath when it’s below freezing, and a 150 layer when above freezing but less than 40 or so. I frequently find myself stripping the underlayer in the 40s or if I’m working hard (like a pack out). The hardscrabbles will get damp in the butt after a hard day of packing, but by that point I’ve rarely cared. I’d rather have the warmth when stationary on a cold morning in the shade.

Just my $.02. I’ve ordered much, much more from them since my first Hardscrabble order. Highly pleased ‘amateur’ user here.

 

[Drenalin]

@cal30_sniper Thanks for posting your experience here; I think it's great for anyone who's looking at this gear to see multiple viewpoints so they can make their own informed decisions, versus just looking at one dude's opinion and going off that.