Summer Pants: Cotton Canvas vs NYCO vs Nylon?

E

elelbean

Joined
Apr 5, 2005
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Hey all,

Just wondering what pants you generally wear for brush bustin' from spring through fall? I like Carhartt cargos but they suck when wet. I also hate 100% nylon pants cause of the noise. I really want a good pair of olive drab cargo/convertible pants that are made of a NYCO material, but i can't seem to find a decent pair. What do you like to wear? Any suggestions?
 
I'll be subscribing to this thread.

I like to hike in pants and not shorts in the summer time and have some of the same questions you do. Normally I would just wear a pair of BDUs.

I have a pair of 70% Cotton / 30% Nylon that are pretty comfortable. I've only got one pair though.
 
I wear Levi 501s pretty much year round, but I am getting back to wearing BDUs again. I just ordered a couple pairs of Poly/Cotton from BDU.com
 
I like Royal Robbins water shorts for much of the year. I like how they let "things" air out preventing that certain itch, particulary if you are out for more than a day. They are nylon, but really soft, no noise to speak of.
 
I wear the 5.11 cargo pant series year around almost 6 days a week for work and play. 5.11 has cotton canvas, nylon and wool pants and I wear all three depending upon the task and weather conditions...but when temps get warm and/or humid I switch to nylon...they are much lighter, breath better, dry extremely fast when wet/damp and when I perspire I don't get plumbers crack with them! Cotton and cotton canvas suck up perspiration becoming heavy and then the pants start to sag...with nylon they don't.
 
If you have a REI near you I would go browse there. The North Face, Columbia, Ex Officio, etc.... all make hiking pants out of numerous materials. Some of them can get pretty pricey though - I have a pair of Ex Officio's that cost about $100. Last year I picked up a pair of Olive Drab Columbia zip-off cargos for $30 that I like alot.
 
I wear REI Sahara convertible pants. They're nylon but I never noticed any noise.
 
I wear military BDUs made of ripstop in the warmer months. comfortable & dry quick when wet & lots of large pockets & in lots of plain colors & lots of camo patterns & colors.
 
I wear the basic green BDUs cause they dont attract attention. I buy then 40% nylon and 60% cotton. They last long time even with all the things i get into. But my next ones would be the 40% cotton and the 60% nylon. Should last longer and feel very good after they wear in and get softer....

Sasha
 
Columbia Sportswear Lander pants. Got a pair last year. Not too heavy nor too light. Pretty tough pants too wore them all hunting season. It looks like they changed the design a bit this year though.
 
elelbean said:
Hey all,

Just wondering what pants you generally wear for brush bustin' from spring through fall? I like Carhartt cargos but they suck when wet. I also hate 100% nylon pants cause of the noise. I really want a good pair of olive drab cargo/convertible pants that are made of a NYCO material, but i can't seem to find a decent pair. What do you like to wear? Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

REI's Mojave convertible pants (65/35 cotton/poly) have worked out great for me:

http://www.rei.com/product/746903

They dry quickly enough here in TX, but I haven't worn them in very damp conditions yet. Good, stout zip off legs and the legs also zip up for easy on/off without removing your boots.

Another thing I always look for is regular belt loops as I always like to wear a regular belt for holster, knife, etc.

I've been very pleased with these REI pants...that's compared to North Face, Columbia, Ex Officio (great, but not regular belt loop) and even Rail Riders (they don't have convertible pants yet).

ROCK6
 
I agree with Tim the Slugman, you can't go wrong with 100% rip-stop cotton military BDU's for hot weather. They dry quickly and are very light weight. If you expect cold nights (mountains) then pack a pair of long underwear to wear in the evening under them. Price is right around $30 at the local Army Navy Store. I've been wearing them for hunting in Florida for 35 years.
 
I avoid Cotton because it stays damp up here in the PNW. Likewise, I have had a couple pairs of nylon hiking pants get melted to my leg when a spark jumped out of the campfire. I found the 60/40 Poly/Cotton mix in some of the BDU pants are just about the best pants. Dry quickly, don't melt at the slightest like spark, and are durable.
 
I hike in Hawaii where "rain forest" almost always means a brief shower or more every day.

Because of that, I wear light to medium weight nylon shorts, cargo pockets optional. Belt loops to fit at least a 1-1/2 inch belt.

Nylon dries quickly, is tolerably comfy even when wet, and takes abrasion fairly well. I wear synthetic briefs underneath also because of the rain.

Shorts are cooler when you're trucking along. There's nothing more annoying than wet cotton pants (jeans included) tugging at your knees and thighs when you're stepping over stuff on the trail.

Some brands I've used are REI, Ex Officio, Sportif, Royal Robbins, etc.

Ymmv.

Jim FBtE
 
One thing to remember, for us knive lovers, is to make sure the pants have belt loops and that you can use a real belt. I have a nice pair of Columbia pants, but I don't like wearing them because it has an integrated belt (like some of those pants from Gramicci.com) which makes it impossible for me to carry a knife on it unless I wear another belt just for the knife.... which is kinda lame.
 
denverco said:
Columbia Sportswear Lander pants. Got a pair last year. Not too heavy nor too light. Pretty tough pants too wore them all hunting season. It looks like they changed the design a bit this year though.
Click to expand...

+1, Got a pair of these last season. Work great, pretty cheap and look good. I also have a few pair of BDU's and nylon convertible pants but I like the Landers a bit better and will prolly get another pair.
 
I like the Propper brand BDU's in 65/35 Poly/Cotton Battle Rip. They are durable and comfortable and dry pretty quick:)
 
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