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hardwearing smartish trousers for backpacking

ysc

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I do quite a bit of backpacking in hot places and I am looking for a pair of trousers that will take a fair amount of abuse but will just about pass muster in a nicer bar or hotel.

I used to have pair from gap that looked like slim tan chinos but were made of something much tougher, they were still cotton, but they were pretty tough.
Anyway they died and I need a replacement of some kind, something fairly cheap and tough, they don't have to look great, just ok, wondered if anyone had any ideas?
Is there a particular fabric that might work and I could look out for even if there is not a particular garment?
 

james_timothy

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Patagonia.
 

emptym

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I'd go w/ Patagonia too. I have three pairs that are 10+ yrs old. Very, very tough. Very comfortable in hot weather and when sweating (the Philippines, New Orleans, DC summers, etc). I'd go w/ a nylon or nylon blend version. Nylon is tougher and less insulating than polyester. But polyester dries quicker and resists the sun better.

If you want a really cheap version, look in thrift stores for old poly-cotton blend pants in pincord (similar to seersucker, but with thinner "wales" and no puckering). I have an old pair that's terrific in hot weather. It may take some searching though. Really any pair pants that's thin and made of some poly-cotton or nylon-cotton blend is great in hot weather, ime.
 

greger

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Fred Beckey would go to a mens store and buy wool slacks. That is what he wore throughout so much of his mountaineering. So many of the places he went was trailless. Here in the nortwest off trail is very thick brush, and many times very wet brush, something about rain and endless drizzel.

Cords are fine. I like wide wale.
 

Xiaogou

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Last time I was in Orvis they had some nice stuff. Wouldn't take it backpacking though. Maybe try a local hunters/sportsman store.
 

ysc

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Thanks, these look like some pretty good ideas, hopefully I will find something that suits. The main problem is travel trousers seem to come only in eight pockets unzip to shorts style or old man traveller with an elastic waist band and extra pleats, but those companies seem to have some viable options.

Any trousers sold in a huntsman type shop near where I live will be pretty unsuitable - its more the hunting, shooting and fishing old british outdoors type than anything else, massive thick cords, jodhpurs and tweed breeks have their place, but its not on me in a bar in South America.
 

Vintage Gent

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By backpacking, do you mean the recreational activity where you carry all your camping supplies in a large pack and tent camp every night in the backcountry? If so, I'm not sure why you'd need trousers for a hotel or bar.

Regardless, I'd counsel against cotton. In hotter climates, temperatures can still drop considerably. And if your trousers get rained on--something every backpacker has to prepare for--cotton can be very dangerous. When wet, it offers no insulation, bumping up the chances of hypothermia, even in comparatively mild weather.
 

ysc

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Originally Posted by Vintage Gent
By backpacking, do you mean the recreational activity where you carry all your camping supplies in a large pack and tent camp every night in the backcountry? If so, I'm not sure why you'd need trousers for a hotel or bar.

I tend to end up doing a mixture, a bit of camping and hiking usually staying in hostel but sometimes its nicer to be able to stay in a nicer hotel, and I like to be able to go into nicer restaurants to eat. But everything goes in a large rucksack.

Last time I travelled around Nicaragua and Costa Rica for a couple of weeks, then flew up to Mexico for couple of weeks with a friend. So I hiked and camped in Nicaragua, but I went to some parties in Costa Rica, and ended up mostly in cities staying in hotels in Mexico, eating in a few nice restaurants.
I need something versatile, just got to be able to stand up to hard wearing and a certain amount of rough treatment, but its not for hardcore stuff, if I will be doing that, I take specialist kit for that.
 

emptym

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If you're in the UK, I'd try Rohan. They make some neat things.
 

wetnose

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Browse around mec.ca - I'm sure you'll find something.
 

TheDroog

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I second everyone's recommendations for nylon or polyester pants over cotton. Cotton is heavy and doesn't breath well, plus you want the quick-drying abilities of technical fabrics while backpacking. I found these on the REI website (Patagonia Dispatch). They might pass muster at a bar.

2d0165bd-7559-403f-822b-07fe8178d281.jpg
 

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