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Post by catonsvillebill on May 20, 2019 14:40:21 GMT -8
I wear them in the winter mostly. Day hikes, no stream crossings where I could get soaked.I once went to REI to check out a pair of nylon pants. ( I normally take a 36/ 37 in jeans), but the only REI pants I fit into were labeled "XL" There is no way I am going to wear any pants with a label of XL if my waste is 37ish. Pity. I did like the nylon pants too.
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Deborah
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Post by Deborah on May 20, 2019 18:25:45 GMT -8
I wear them in the winter mostly. Day hikes, no stream crossings where I could get soaked.I once went to REI to check out a pair of nylon pants. ( I normally take a 36/ 37 in jeans), but the only REI pants I fit into were labeled "XL" There is no way I am going to wear any pants with a label of XL if my waste is 37ish. Pity. I did like the nylon pants too. LOL You let your ego get in the way of having practical, comfortable hiking pants.
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Post by johntpenca on May 21, 2019 3:58:40 GMT -8
There is no way I am going to wear any pants with a label of XL if my waste is 37ish. HaHaHa! If you have a 37" waist, you are XL. I'm 60 years old and think I'm middle age. Funny how we can fool ourselves.
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toejam
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Post by toejam on May 21, 2019 4:44:56 GMT -8
A recent picture of myself: I wear cotton denim pants on trail work and bushwhacking hikes in the California coastal ranges. I've never been caught in a significant rain in 11 seasons of such trips. Usually Wrangler cargo pants - not Levis. A friend wears Dickies because he says less thorny brush gets to his skin. The cotton pants breathe better and feel cooler to me than heavy-enough nylon or blend. I wear running shorts when I can get away with it.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on May 21, 2019 7:56:14 GMT -8
I wear them in the winter mostly. Day hikes, no stream crossings where I could get soaked.I once went to REI to check out a pair of nylon pants. ( I normally take a 36/ 37 in jeans), but the only REI pants I fit into were labeled "XL" There is no way I am going to wear any pants with a label of XL if my waste is 37ish. Pity. I did like the nylon pants too. LOL You let your ego get in the way of having practical, comfortable hiking pants. Yup. Although... I don’t know about the men’s clothes, but REI brand women’s clothes have always run small. I usually have to buy a large. I know I’m not petite, but that doesn’t leave a lot of options for a lot of women...
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on May 21, 2019 8:55:25 GMT -8
Dang, there are two of us. Toejam, I did experiment buying cheaper non-Levi brands but found they tended to wear out faster so went back to 505's that are essentially 501's but with a zipper fly instead of buttons. I agree with the rest of you that denim jeans are a poor backpacking choice primarily because they are heavy, stiff, and bind up against knees when hiking. But then they do have some positives especially regarding leg protection I'll summarize below.
Jeans like 501's are terrific when bushwhacking as they stand up to branch and thorn poking and prodding. They also keep out much of the dirt, dust, and pollen as California chaparral species tend to be oily that causes some of that wind blown stuff to stick to the plants while being easily dislodged when barging through. Many trails by mid summer can be disgustingly dusty that jeans help keep off my legs, especially equestrian trails with horse apple dust. In camp I may remove jeans and whack out dust from lower legs against a smooth boulder. Additionally as with any heavier fabric pants, jeans keep skin damaging ultraviolet sunlight out, rattlesnakes cannot easily bite through, and more importantly are too dense for mosquito probosci to poke through. There is much abrasive sandpaper-like granite in the Sierra Nevada and with my style of frequent off trail hiking and backpacking, I am often monkeying about in contact with that gnarly rock that jeans stand up to better.
As for getting denim wet, that has not been much an issue here in lower elevations of California because outside winter and early spring, humidity is low and rain rare. Personally I have a high sweat threshold so my legs rarely sweat and skin is not oily. During late spring and summer in the Sierra Nevada high country, it does thunderstorm enough that while backpacking, I usually carry lightweight coated rain pants that can wad up into a jacket pocket. So when it does rain need to bother with taking off my boots putting on and taking them off. Likewise at stream crossings cannot just walk through water like one can with synthetics that will dry out quickly or shorts. But then as someone out infrequently during the early snow melt season, am not crossing many streams and in any case have an acrobatic talent for slippery boulder or log crossings.
Rain pants over jeans also double as an extra layer on cold mornings since as a photographer in the High Sierra above 10k elevations, I am often up and about at dawn when temperatures anytime of summer can dip down below freezing. Additionally instead of say cotton thermal underwear, usually carry extra lightweight cotton pants that like pajamas, I normally just wear inside my goose down bag but if necessary on really cold days, is a third pants layer.
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whistlepunk
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Post by whistlepunk on May 21, 2019 9:57:01 GMT -8
Only for day hiking bushwhacking, to protect my legs. For extended trips or on good trails there are too many other better alternatives.
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amaruq
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Post by amaruq on May 21, 2019 10:43:55 GMT -8
I've worn jeans almost daily for decades now. Just how us younger folk roll, I guess? Though I prefer Old Navy to Levi's because their 'Athletic Fit' fits me better through the thighs and rear end. They also work out to about half the cost and last about 75% as long as Levi's. Though I'll go out for local day trips in jeans, for backpacking I have a couple pairs of hiking-specific pants which are blends of tough synthetics and spandex (or similar). I can't say I would be very comfortable backpacking in jeans. From there it's rain pants for when it's raining and/or the underbrush is soaked, wool and fleece leggings of sorts under a pair of skiing/snowboarding pants for winter. I don't care for shorts. I enjoy the benefit of cooler legs, but shorts just never seem to fit me well, so I'm a jeans all summer sort of person where I can get away with it. Here's to all who follow their own path and refuse to be conformists! Non-conformance for its own sake seems like conforming, just in the other direction...
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Post by autumnmist on May 21, 2019 10:46:42 GMT -8
Non-conformance for its own sake seems like conforming, just in the other direction... Well, that could be true. I was thinking more of people who just want to establish their own paths, even if they're a blend of conformity and noncomformity….something like "to thine own self be true."
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Post by greg1062 on May 22, 2019 14:14:54 GMT -8
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RumiDude
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Post by RumiDude on May 22, 2019 15:41:32 GMT -8
Or this one ... Rumi <~~~~~went to san francisco
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Post by catonsvillebill on May 22, 2019 17:59:24 GMT -8
LOL You let your ego get in the way of having practical, comfortable hiking pants I do not have much, but I do have my pride
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Post by catonsvillebill on May 30, 2019 9:27:30 GMT -8
Well I did it......went to REI and bought XL nylon pants LOL You let your ego get in the way of having practical, comfortable hiking pants Well I did it......went to REI and bought XL nylon pants. I do like the weight of the pants I must admit.
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Deborah
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Post by Deborah on May 31, 2019 10:27:04 GMT -8
Well I did it......went to REI and bought XL nylon pants. I do like the weight of the pants I must admit. Progress. Good job.
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geosp
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Post by geosp on Jun 2, 2019 16:50:19 GMT -8
Here in NZ (being land masses of long comparatively narrow islands) the wx can change on you in a blink and you can get hit with rain and temperature drop. (especially at altitude) So I'd consider denim is generally a hazard as far as exposure or even ending up in a river. Besides that I prefer the definite lightness and 'freedom' of quick drying hiking pants or shorts. Used to always wear shorts but favour long pants now as they offer sun protection... and also prevent my legs from scaring innocent wildlife.
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