GetWestern
WKR
Thought I would post a short review on the Stone Glacier De Havilland pant for anyone who wants to know more about it. Before I continue take my opinion for what its worth, I am no guide or professional hunter and only get out 15-25 days a year so take this for what it is. Earlier this year I picked up Stone Glaciers De Havilland pant on GoHunts gear shop. I've been a long time user of the Sitka timberlines but wanted to try something with some better ventilation and have late season capabilities in the pant as well. I used these from early spring shed season into a cold October deer hunt.
My favorite feature is the ventilation side zips that completely open from you upper calf all the way to your lower hip. One thing with a lot of pants I have noticed is the small ventilation holes or lack thereof. I'm primarily a backpack hunter and being able to adjust the zippers mid hike depending on the temperature is a huge plus to cooling down quickly and regulating your temperature. The fit of the pant makes it unique in its own way to where you don't have to wear a belt even with a loaded down pack. It has a Velcro adjuster that can attach to the zipper allowing you to adjust the tightness or looseness to your liking
Durability is impressive as well the first trip out I sent the tip of a trekking pole into the bottom pant leg poking a hole in it. It seems once a small hole is made the fabric falls apart around the hole and it unravels over time and use. So far this is not the case the fabric has held up well and the hole has not got any larger even throughout the season of hiking with no gators on through thick brush. The DWR treatment to help repel water does well too, I would by no means call these a rain pant but I spent a entire day hiking in light rain and walking through wet brush and stayed dry, the pant was really wet by the end of the day but it had kept me dry.
The few complaints I have is that they are somewhat loud, you can definitely hear the fabric as you walk. I would not be very confident in making a very close stalk in dead silence with these on. A very small criticism I would also add is they are very hard to keep clean, they pick up any type of stain from mud, dirt, snow and black suit from burned trees (stain remover has become my best friend). This may not be a big deal to some folks but I like to keep my gear somewhat nice and clean.
Overall I have around 23 hard days into these pants in all different temperatures and conditions and have so far held up exceptionally well and plan on running them into next season. If I had to pick one piece of gear that helped make a difference this season I would choose these. In closing I only highlighted some of my favorite features about them, If you get on Stone Glaciers website they talk about other great aspects and can give you more detail, for anyone wanting a short review on the De Havillands hope this helped.
