Wet wading pants

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bdhoover77

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Because I want to avoid ticks, sunburn, thorns, etc., and I also don’t want to deal with waders in the summer heat, I am looking for a pair of pants for wet wading. Does anyone have any suggestions on what they prefer while wet wading?
 
I just switched to the Patagonia sun tights with a pair of quick dry shorts and really like it. Haven't gotten into real prickly stuff yet, but for wading and canoeing they have been much lighter and quick drying than wading pants.

I have had a number of wading pants and don't have a real preference, but I do like the kind that have a mesh liner like a bathing suit so you don't have to wear under pants. I hate wet under pants.
 
Just do a search for hiking pants and pick a pair you like. I have probably 8 pair that I use for fishing/hiking. There is little difference with the brands I like such as: Simms, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, North Face and Eddie Bauer. I would say if you are going through a lot of heavier brush to look for a pair with thicker material that will not tear as easily. The Patagonia Quandry pants I have are very thin, but I like them if it is hot or I am in a boat mostly. I think the EB are the best quality material out of every pair I own and they were probably the least expensive . . .
 
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Dear bdhoover,

If you have a Columbia Outlet store anywhere near you or where you are fishing check out their convertible PFG fishing pants. There is one In Hershey at the Tanger Outlets if you are up this way. You can make them into shorts if you want to buy unzipping the leg section. The thing I like most about them is that they have a mesh brief liner so you can wear them commando and they are dried out by the time you get back to the car and put your gear up.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂
 
I'll second the Columbia PFG pants - super lightweight and breathable and just great all-around pants. I prefer the ones with the built-in belt, but to each their own.

You'll definitely get the best deal at an outlet store but they run sales online often. Even at full price though, they are a good buy.
 
Ozark Trail pants at Walmart, $25. Chinese but pretty well made, decent nylon fabric. Cargo joggers look like wet wading pants (no zipper!), Cargo pants have brush guards knees and butt.
 
I like the Columbia convertible pants but I don’t wet wade anymore. They have a 10” inseam on the shorts. Some of the convertibles leave you in short shorts when you zip off the legs,
 
TheDuke44 said:
I'll second the Columbia PFG pants - super lightweight and breathable and just great all-around pants. I prefer the ones with the built-in belt, but to each their own.

You'll definitely get the best deal at an outlet store but they run sales online often. Even at full price though, they are a good buy.
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I got these. They are very good
 
JeffK said:
I just switched to the Patagonia sun tights with a pair of quick dry shorts and really like it. Haven't gotten into real prickly stuff yet, but for wading and canoeing they have been much lighter and quick drying than wading pants.
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I think of that as Kiwi style wet wading as that is where I first encountered it about twenty years ago. I still hate myself for how little fishing I did in NZ when we worked there for six months after getting married.

I did the leggings and shorts thing for a while but have transitioned back to quick dry pants. This is mostly because they're more versatile not because they are better for wet wading.

I use Clothin quick dry pants from Amazon. I think they're sold as a travel or workout pant rather that wading pants. Lightweight and zippered pockets are my main requirements.
 
RIP to the Orvis outlet where I got a half dozen Orvis Jackson pants and shorts for $20-$30. Guess they're going to have to last the rest of my life, since I'll never pony up the $120 or whatever ridiculousness they now ask for full retail
 
Are there pants that are both reasonably quick drying and heavy enough that nettles won't sting you?
 
troutbert said:
Are there pants that are both reasonably quick drying and heavy enough that nettles won't sting you?
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Dear troutbert,

I can't answer that directly because I've never managed to see a nettle, but I can tell you that the pants are very lose fitting and roomy. You tend to feel them getting caught on something long before it becomes a problem. They are also very tightly woven. I have pants that are over 20 years old that I haven't managed to tear or damage.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂
 
wildtrout2 said:
Too funny.
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Dear wildtrout2,

It wasn't meant to be a joke. I've never seen them. Maybe I'm just stealthy and skilled in avoidance. I can tell you that they do well against poison ivy if they are wet or if you immediately wade in. I can always see that when I'm standing in it! 😉

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂
 
TimMurphy said:
Dear troutbert,

I can't answer that directly because I've never managed to see a nettle...
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Stinging nettles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica

They are very common. The sting goes right through the typical thin quick-drying fishing pants.

But don't go through jeans at all. But jeans are cotton so stay wet a long time.

What I'm looking for is pants made of quick drying nylon material, just a little heavier than the typical fishing pants, so that stinging nettles don't inflict the pain.

I've been on some streams where the entire floodplain is covered with nettles.
 
troutbert said:
Stinging nettles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica

They are very common. The sting goes right through the typical thin quick-drying fishing pants.

But don't go through jeans at all. But jeans are cotton so stay wet a long time.

What I'm looking for is pants made of quick drying nylon material, just a little heavier than the typical fishing pants, so that stinging nettles don't inflict the pain.

I've been on some streams where the entire floodplain is covered with nettles.
Click to expand...
Never saw a nettle ?? really ?
I fish a lot in shorts and these stinging nettles are all over Ridley creek , saw grass on the Brandywine is harsh to , but my favorite is stinging caterpillars , that sting and stick really well to you ,even through really thick leggings .
 
troutbert said:
Stinging nettles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica

They are very common. The sting goes right through the typical thin quick-drying fishing pants.

But don't go through jeans at all. But jeans are cotton so stay wet a long time.

What I'm looking for is pants made of quick drying nylon material, just a little heavier than the typical fishing pants, so that stinging nettles don't inflict the pain.

I've been on some streams where the entire floodplain is covered with nettles.
Click to expand...
Dear troutbert,

If they are that common, I suspect that I am one of the people that they do not affect. I'm not willing to go roll around in a field of them to prove that conclusively, but I fished in cut-off jeans or army fatigues for decades before the advent of quick drying fabrics and can honestly say I've never been stung by anything other than a bee or a wasp or a yellowjacket.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂
 
Skwala Sol Wading Pant- super comfortable, very quick drying, look good- the only downside is that the stinging nettles will still get you
 
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