The quest for the right mid weight pants

[ID_Matt]

I’ve had the same experience with the catalyst foundry (which I’m assuming is just a fleeced lined version of the corrugates?) and absolutely love them. Only complaint is the full length side zips constantly getting stuck. Also, both my dad and I found the sizing to be way off for some reason. We both had to go up two waist sizes. Not sure how FL missed the boat on that.

What do the side zips get stuck on? I have never noticed it on mine. As for sizing, i thought it was pretty close but i did round up, as i was in between sizes. Suspenders take care of that!

 

[jhoff04]

I bought the Sitka mountain pants and have been very underwhelmed. They’re not bad, just not worth the money for what you get. I really don’t get the hype behind them…. I honestly would rather wear my $60 scheels PF field pants over these.

I also own a fair amount of Sitka gear and had some pretty bad experiences with their stuff lately. A pair of $120 gloves ripped in less than a year of use and a pair of back forty pants blew out stitching twice in less than a year and I don’t even wear them in the field. Can’t say I’m going to continue spending money on their “premium” products that are less durable than gear that is a fraction of the price.

 

[jhoff04]

What do the side zips get stuck on? I have never noticed it on mine. As for sizing, i thought it was pretty close but i did round up, as i was in between sizes. Suspenders take care of that!

They get stuck on the seam/ flap that is on the inside. The zipper is durable just catches on material. The catalyst pants are the full length zippers and not just hip vents so maybe that’s why? Once they are zipped they’re great though! Just gotta let out a few “stupid f’in zipper” rants and deal with it ha.

Maybe FL has tweaked this in the past two years. I would certainly order again despite this.

 

[ID_Matt]

They get stuck on the seam/ flap that is on the inside. The zipper is durable just catches on material. The catalyst pants are the full length zippers and not just hip vents so maybe that’s why? Once they are zipped they’re great though! Just gotta let out a few “stupid f’in zipper” rants and deal with it ha.

Maybe FL has tweaked this in the past two years. I would certainly order again despite this.

I just went and looked at mine. There is no flap on the inside. The zipper doesn't catch at all. It's the 3/4 zipper though, not full length on the corrugate foundry

 

[Erussell01]

I was looking for something in between the Ascent I use early season and the Timberline I was using late season and tried the Traverse’s. I wore them a lot last season and was pretty happy with them.

Someone had brought up they were wider cut at the ankle vs the Ascent, which they are, but if I’m wearing the Traverse I’m also wearing gaiters so not an issue for me.

I have a pair of traverse pants that I enjoy, but they are wider in the leg for sure. I'd buy more of them at the price I got my subalpine pair for no doubt. I really should give them more credit for their versatility. They're kind of just a Jack of all trades pant.

 

[Swamppirate]

For a good price, try the Black Ovis Granite Peak pants. They are put together well and have held up fine. Camofire has them on sale pretty often.

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[ljalberta]

I like SG Dehaviland Lite Pants for a mid weight.

 

[Erussell01]

For a good price, try the Black Ovis Granite Peak pants. They are put together well and have held up fine. Camofire has them on sale pretty often.

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How's the fit on black ovis stuff these days?

 

[Maverick1]

OK boys Here's the deal

I have my early season pants dialed. I love sitka ascent pants after 2 seasons of hard hard use on them they're doing great. Fit seems spot on, plenty durable and they have been awesome in warm weather.

I have traverse pants that I really enjoy for the money. They're not quite perfect for midweight work but I go them for 60$ and for that they are insanely good.

I have Duluth trading pants that are close, but when I wear them the zippers work down and my junk hangs out. Sounds funny, not so good when I'm walking around Walmart...

I tried kuhls, and I like the pants, but they're light weight and I hate hate hate hate the pocket on the side and the freaking velcro on the pockets.

I love my dakota pants for later season whitetail and field hunting for geese. They're just a bout perfect for me for late season.

I used to love kuiu attacks, but I've been training hard to build my squat back to where it used to be and now my legs don't fit in attacks anymore.

I have a ton of the wrangler outdoor pants, and I wear them daily. They're a bit too light for what I'm looking for in this specific pair of pants. I'm looking for a mid weight pant that isn't going to break the bank, that I can wear grouse hunting and deer hunting and that's heavy enough for a mid to later season western hunt.

Currently I'm looking at these

Sitka mountain pants- on sale everywhere. Not sure how they stack up in weight compared to traverse or dakota and not sure I like the zippered hand pockets.

Skre hardscrabble pants. On sale, no experience with Skre. Anybody used them?

Asio midweight. Again no experience with them

Xkg preacher pants- anybody use these before?

Kryptek Alios- not sure these are midweight and have never seen them in person.


All of the pants above are on sale for less than 90$ that ive seen. Does anybody have any other recommendations and or feedback on the above?

I have thunder thighs. They do me good when I'm packing out a heavy load, but they do me dirty when I try to fit in pants

Which Duluth pants do you have, and how many pairs? I have 5 pairs of the Flexpedition relaxed fit cargo pants and never had any issue with the zippers moving at all. These are my every day pants now, and I went through a bunch of them this year to get to this point. (Wrangler, Orvis, kuhl, Scheels, first lite, Eddie Bauer, etc). Duluths were the only ones that worked with my thighs.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

Did you size up in the sitka Acsent pants? I have big thighs as well and the ascents fit me tight in the thighs.

 

[Swamppirate]

How's the fit on black ovis stuff these days?

I am 6’, 185 lbs and the 36 x 32 fit fine. I dont have big thighs so they have a little looseness in the leg area. Waist seems right on.

 

[Bearwhisky]

I have the sitka mountain pants and the kryptek alaios and use them both quite a bit. They are both excellent pants and you would be happy with either. I like the fit of the mountain pants a bit better, and the pockets are better. The hip pockets on the alaios are very shallow thats my biggest gripe. It drives me crazy but love them otherwise. The waterproof knees are a nice touch but they do get warm sometimes so thats a wash. I would say the main fabric of the alaios is a slightly lighter weight fabric than the mountain pants, but the laminate in the knees kind of levels the field there. I have the older alaios without a hip vent. If mine had a hip vent I would probably prefer them over the mountain pants.


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[Erussell01]

Which Duluth pants do you have, and how many pairs? I have 5 pairs of the Flexpedition relaxed fit cargo pants and never had any issue with the zippers moving at all. These are my every day pants now, and I went through a bunch of them this year to get to this point. (Wrangler, Orvis, kuhl, Scheels, first lite, Eddie Bauer, etc). Duluths were the only ones that worked with my thighs.

They're the older model flexpedition before they changed the fabric. They're relaxed fit and they are stretchy enough to work on my quads but for some reason both pairs the zippers work down and my junk ends up saying hello to the world... I really like the material of them and the build. I wore one pair for 8 days straight on a back country fishing trip and it was fantastic for that

 

[Erussell01]

I have the sitka mountain pants and the kryptek alaios and use them both quite a bit. They are both excellent pants and you would be happy with either. I like the fit of the mountain pants a bit better, and the pockets are better. The hip pockets on the alaios are very shallow thats my biggest gripe. It drives me crazy but love them otherwise. The waterproof knees are a nice touch but they do get warm sometimes so thats a wash. I would say the main fabric of the alaios is a slightly lighter weight fabric than the mountain pants, but the laminate in the knees kind of levels the field there. I have the older alaios without a hip vent. If mine had a hip vent I would probably prefer them over the mountain pants.


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Thank you for the comparison! I appreciate that. The hip vents do seem to be a great idea and the waterproof knees might just be the ticket for saddle hunting for deer early and turkey on damp mornings

 

[Bearwhisky]

Thank you for the comparison! I appreciate that. The hip vents do seem to be a great idea and the waterproof knees might just be the ticket for saddle hunting for deer early and turkey on damp mornings

The alaios dry extremely fast too. I sat in a rainstorm for 3 hours while elk hunting in KY. Had on a goretex top and alaios bottoms. They were BONE dry after 1 mile hike out.

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[Erussell01]

The alaios dry extremely fast too. I sat in a rainstorm for 3 hours while elk hunting in KY. Had on a goretex top and alaios bottoms. They were BONE dry after 1 mile hike out.

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That's an under rated attribute for turkey season no doubt

 

[Erussell01]

Haha. I used to have strong legs. Never big legs though. Born skinny.

I use three pair but mostly wear my KUIU Peloton 97. I can get by with those and the Kutana pants down to the mid to low 30’s in the stand. They seem to have a high warmth to weight ratio. Mid weight I use Pro Merino 200 and heavy weight the First Lite Furnace. All zip off. I doubt I ever use anything but zip offs again.

I wish I'd have gotten into a pair of the zip of 97s before the sold out!

 

[Erussell01]

For a good price, try the Black Ovis Granite Peak pants. They are put together well and have held up fine. Camofire has them on sale pretty often.

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I can't believe I've never seen them! I just spent a couple minutes looking at them and they seem pretty dang good!

 

[Erussell01]

Xkg preacher pants- how is the fit? I see them on Kings website on sale and I'm intrigued by the side zips on them. Anybody have them to speak to the thigh fit?

 

[sndmn11]

pants-

I'm very much sold on the Beyond Clothing USA made pants.

A5 - Rig Light Backcountry Pant

Technical Features Wind-Resistant Water-Resistant Breathable 4-Way Stretch Design Details Zippered front closure Durable Bar Button 4-Point Internal suspender loops Hand pockets with mesh ventilation Zippered back pockets Zippered thigh pockets Internal kneepad pocket Articulated knees Ankle...

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This one is my favorite.

A5 - Rig Softshell Pant - Outlet

Technical Features Wind-Resistant Water-Resistant Breathable 4-Way Stretch Design Details Bar-button closure Hand pockets with mesh ventilation Back pockets with top-flap closure Zippered thigh pockets Articulated knees Inner Fleece Laminate YKK Zippers 4-Point Internal Suspender loops Lighter...

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