Upland Game Pants for Hunting Africa

[BeeMaa]

We have just returned from safari and are going over what worked and what didn't.
One thing that worked, but not as well as we would have liked were our Carhartt Washed Duck Work Dungaree 12 oz cotton canvas.
Seems that more than one time we each ended up with Prickly Pear thorns in our legs.
To that end I'm researching Upland Game/Briar Pants for our next trip.

So far I've come up with a few choices (in no particular order)

Filson Dry Tin Cloth 5-Pocket Pants
Filson Double Hunting Pants
Orvis Missouri Breaks Briar Pants
Gamehide Briar Proof Pants

Wondering if anyone else is using or considering such options and would like your views.

 

[Red Leg]

Pretty much into shorts.

 

[BeeMaa]

Pretty much into shorts.

Roger that.
I just might need something a little warmer in the South African winter with morning temps near freezing.

 

[CAustin]

Duluth Trading fire hose pants may be what you want!

 

[Red Leg]

Usually not. When I do wear a long pant, I have settled on the Kuhl Slacker model. It is super quiet, light weight and yet the weave is tight enough to shed most thorns. I hate brush pants. They are noisy, heavy, and awful on a all day pursuit. Prickly pear is an interesting problem. Never hunted in Africa wear there were any. Here in Texas, I wear snake boots when shooting quail where they are prevalent.

 

[Hutch01]

I also wear the Kuhl Pants in the Ryder model. They are thick, but breath well and repel briars good enough but they’re about $80..

 

[Adrian]

Man up and wear shorts!

Only joking, each to their own of course.
I wear shorts because I figure material will hang up on thorns more than my skin, if I do wear long trousers I'm still going to get a few scratches and I dislike wearing long trousers when it's so hot.

 

[BeeMaa]

Duluth Trading fire hose pants may be what you want!

I've seen these pants, we have a store close to where I live.
The weave on these is not as tight as the Carhartt Washed Duck Work Dungarees.
Giving serious consideration to the Filson option as the weave is incredibly tight and if tinned are amazingly resistant to thorns.
Plus I'd use them when actually bird hunting.

Usually not. When I do wear a long pant, I have settled on the Kuhl Slacker model. It is super quiet, light weight and yet the weave is tight enough to shed most thorns. I hate brush pants. They are noisy, heavy, and awful on a all day pursuit. Prickly pear is an interesting problem. Never hunted in Africa wear there were any. Here in Texas, I wear snake boots when shooting quail wear they are prevalent.

The Prickly Pear were all over the area I hunted in Free State.
Get this, we drove right by a Prickly Pear farm planted all neatly in rows...just yards away from thousands of wild Prickly Pear.
My PH explained that the farms grow them for the fruit, in the wild the fruit is very small.

Hadn't given much thought to taller style boots or snake boots.
I'll have to look into that.
Thanks.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Being in my 70s, my skin is not nearly as thick and tough as it once was. I wear upland pants occasionally bird hunting, but as mentioned they are stiff and noisy.
I have been wearing 5.11 cargo TacLite pants for my 3 Africa hunts. They are a combination cotton/synthetic with double knee area you can put a pad in. They may make more noise than a soft all cotton pant, but they haven’t seemed to alert any animals so far. The threads are Teflon coated, so rain (and red wine) rolls off. Dirt doesn’t seem to stick to them and they are tough enough they seem to turn the acacia thorns pretty well.
That said, avoiding getting too close to acacias works best.

 

[Jeff 907]

I wear 5.11 Ridgeline pants. They are two-way stretch rip-stop and kept the thorns off me in Namibia. The gusset crotch offers great flexibility and is in the proper place. They’re easy to maintain and fluids tend to run off. I’d like to go to shorts but my blood is a bit too thin and I’ve turned into a bleeder.

 

[Mort Hill]

I’d like to go to shorts but my blood is a bit too thin and I’ve turned into a bleeder.

I love shorts in Africa too. Regardless of the temp I just fell better in them. That said, I used to proudly display the scars from wait-a-bit thorns and others things that rip and tear. Now days, I nick my thumb doing house chores and before I know it it looks like someone beheaded a chicken from all the blood.

 

[Tra3]

Check out the kuiu pants with side zip vents. I brought the warm weather version and a thicker version with knee pads. Both worked great in the mornings, the thicker ones when it was 30 degrees!
I always wore shorts in the afternoons.

 

[Jeff 907]

I have the Kuiu attack pants. Four way stretch, zero chaffing, and quiet. They are a great pant. I usually use them for hunting in Alaska. They are mosquito proof but not thorn proof.

 

[BeeMaa]

I have the Kuiu attack pants. Four way stretch, zero chaffing, and quiet. They are a great pant. I usually use them for hunting in Alaska. They are mosquito proof but not thorn proof.

I was looking at the Kuiu pants and have friends with them who say the same thing.
Good for just about everything except thorns.

I love shorts in Africa too. Regardless of the temp I just fell better in them. That said, I used to proudly display the scars from wait-a-bit thorns and others things that rip and tear. Now days, I nick my thumb doing house chores and before I know it it looks like someone beheaded a chicken from all the blood.

After being hooked several times by wait-a-bit and ripping my Carhartt's, because I didn't wait-a-bit...
I will not be wearing shorts for hunting Africa and will continue to look for proper pants.
Mostly because I'm the same as you...looking like a crime scene after a minor scrape that's easily fixed with SuperGlue.

 

[TTundra]

I wear my ripstop carhartt cargos that are my work pants around the house for the year before the hunt. $40 pants that last a year and go to Africa and come back to last even longer are a winner. Dont think I've seen more than a thread or two pulled by any if the thorns on my two trips at least. I wear the same pheasant and chukar hunting and only put on chaps when its wet.
The Duluth Trading as @CAustin recommended would be my next choice.

 

[Deleted member 11879]

Check out Kevin’s in Thomasville, GA (quail capital of the world). They’ll add canvas facing to any pair of pants you send them. I’ve had them add canvas to Kuhl’s, jeans - you name it.

Here’s the link; https://kevinscatalog.com/men-s-custom-briar-pant-facing

 

[postoak]

A little off topic but I've never noticed prickly pear in South Africa either, but it has an interesting there:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pears_in_South_Africa

 

[MS 9x56]

• We have just returned from safari and are going over what worked and what didn't.

One thing that worked, but not as well as we would have liked were our Carhartt Washed Duck Work Dungaree 12 oz cotton canvas.
Seems that more than one time we each ended up with Prickly Pear thorns in our legs.
To that end I'm researching Upland Game/Briar Pants for our next trip.

So far I've come up with a few choices (in no particular order)

Filson Dry Tin Cloth 5-Pocket Pants
Filson Double Hunting Pants
Orvis Missouri Breaks Briar Pants
Gamehide Briar Proof Pants

Wondering if anyone else is using or considering such options and would like your views.

I have used the Filson dry tin cloth for hunting rabbits but would not recommend them for stalking as they are quite noisy when thorns are dragged over them. Great for protecting your legs but noisey

 

[BeeMaa]

I have used the Filson dry tin cloth for hunting rabbits but would not recommend them for stalking as they are quite noisy when thorns are dragged over them. Great for protecting your legs but noisey

Yeah, I've kinda figured that out.
My wife and I each have a set of the Double Hunting Pants.
We use them for working in the woods, mostly chainsaw and tree work.

Gonna stick with our Carhartt B11 Washed Duck Work Dungaree for hunting.
Appreciate it.

 

[rnovi]

Kuhl light hiking pants here as well. I just surrendered to the scratches.