hiking pants

What style of hiking pants do you perfer

  • Camet

    Votes: 6 9.8%
  • Queensport

    Votes: 7 11.5%
  • SEA Austrailia

    Votes: 25 41.0%
  • Gul

    Votes: 9 14.8%
  • Sailing Angles

    Votes: 3 4.9%
  • I dont like hiking pants

    Votes: 11 18.0%

  • Total voters
    61
I like the Camet High Waist Hiking Pants because they don't have suspenders, they just have a belt an stop at the waist.
 
Hi there!

As of right now, I own 3 different pairs of hiking pants. I have a pair of BURKA's, SEA, and Rooster hikers. All of them are 3/4 length.

BURKA: These are some of the most expensive hikers you can get. They are designed and made by Daniel Birgmark and his father in Sweden. They are very unique in that the battens are removable. The battens velcro on the inside of the pants, allowing you to place them where you need them, or to even get a different length in battens if you need. These hikers are very thick and are good for colder weather sailing. They are the most comfortable hikers I have worn, but they are a little heavy too.

SEA: These hikers are pretty much the same as the Queensport ones. They are practically the same price (I paid 150 Euros for mine from Brendan Casey, and Michael Blackburn was selling his for 140 Euros). These are a little lighter than the Burkas. I have used mine heaps this summer and I just love them. They are durable and relatively comfortable. With some grip on the knees, it makes it nice for those windy downwind legs.

Rooster: The rooster hikers are made with a neoprene that is alittle more stretchy than in the other hikers I have mentioned above. They feel quite similar to the SEA hiking pants, though they are just a little more tight in the knee area. There is a nice amount of padding on the knees for protection. The battens are just as stiff and comfortable as the SEA pants. I only just got mine a few weeks ago, so I do not know how they last, however I would imagine that they hold up well from the way that they look.

So... in the end, I like all 3 of my hikers. They all get the same job done and they range in price. for comfort the Burkas are definitely the best but that is not to say that the others are uncomfortable. Generally, all the designs are very similar, no matter what brand you go for.

I don't know if I've helped!

Take care and hike hard!
~~keamia~~
 
I am firm believer/user of the old style Musto strap-on hiking pads, the design cut always left plenty of room in the crotch no matter what you were wearing, from wetsuits to board shorts the strap-on pads were the best. And they never really soaked up much water or held any inside, all around a good piece of equipment.
 
i tried the strap-ons once-- i found them extremely uncomfortable, as I could never get the battens to sit right.
i have the magic marine above the knee neoprene ones, and i like them but if i could get new ones i would definitely get 3/4 ones. a lot of my friends have the SEA ones (mainly the airprene ones, with the little holes in the neoprene) and love them, but my coach works for SEA so...
my problem is that i can't pull mine up high enough without the strap digging into my shoulder adn cramping my shoulder muscles. the battens dig into the back of my knee and oftentimes downwind cut off the circulation to my legs, putting them to sleep. that makes for a fun first 10 minutes after the leeward mark...

kendall
175045
 
I've never used hiking shorts, but am seriously considering it after sailing last Sunday. The backs of my thighs are really aching due to a serious day iof hiking. Is this what hiking shorts are designed to stop? As well as essentially extending the deck a few inches..

As it's now wetsuit weather here again (London) is is the strap-on style ones that will work?

AndyB
..of no fixed sail
 
Im pretty new into lasers, i was put onto SEA by pretty much all of the laserites at my club.

i have the hiking shorts not the 3/4 pants and they are great

i also tried a pair of queensport ones and didnt find them as good
 
I just got the SEA 3/4 Airoprene hiking pants for christmas....tried them on and they feel really comfortable and allow tons of movement and don't weigh me down that much at all. Haven't tried them out on the water yet but love them so far!
 
i have gul strap on hiking pants. i don't know that i prefer them but they were cheap and work for me. i think i got them at aps for $50
 
Musto all the way, simple and easy, they stay in place and don't give you a weggie. and they are well within my price range.
 
Well it is a proven fact that SEA eqippment r the lightest and most durable hiking pants in sailing, but dont get the ones with the little holes as it is like little weak points throughout and they rip.
 
nup rooster are best! i have two pairs, one 1/2 and one 3/4! half is for winter when im wearing a thick shortie, the other is for summer! have had the 1/2 for 2 1/2 years now and they havnt worn out at all.
 
Geoff, I think you would need to try the Musto "Strap on" type for over a dry suit or wet suit. The others fit tight like wet suits and don't leave room for anything underneath except for lycra.

Keiran, I just got some SEA Airtech pants as well. I followed the size guide which recommended XL for me, (6.2" height and 190-200 weight). Mine slide on and off pretty easy. They actually start to slide off if I do not have the suspenders on. I would like for them to be tighter, but I think the most improtant thing is the fit on the length. Mine end just above the knee and the crotch area seems to be in the right place. If the crotch area on yours is too low, like does not fit then your pants are too small, but if that fits in the right spot and the pads are not too high on your thighs then you are probably fine.
 
Rob B said:
Geoff, I think you would need to try the Musto "Strap on" type for over a dry suit or wet suit. The others fit tight like wet suits and don't leave room for anything underneath except for lycra.

Thanks. That's what I was assuming, but I wasn't 100% sure. I'll probably go with the ones from GUL since they look adequate, and after spending the multi-$100 on a dry-suit I'll probably be feeling a bit poor for awhile.

Cheers,

Geoff S.
 
When we frostbite in CT, the majority wear their wetsuit hiking pants inside their drysuit. 1st layer is something like polypro that passes moisture away from the skin, then hikers, and if it's really cold (below freezing) another layer on top of the hikers, then the drysuit.

I sailed with the strap on's long ago, while they were easy to throw on and off, I found two issues that made them less then ideal for me:
1. The material in the legs had no stretch, so if I put them on tight, I had poor circulation. If I put them so that I had decent circulation, they would slide around and the pads would work themselves to the side of my legs instead of the back.
2. The waist belt cut into my hip bone

These were a pair from the late 70's/early 80's, so the material may have changed somewhat.

On the positive side, the strap on's were very easy to alter so that you could get the pads exactly where you wanted them, height wise, on your leg, with simple takeups or darts sewn in the material. Doing that with the wetsuit models requires trying different brands to find the best fit..... I'm not positive, but I think the Burkka hikers may have adjustable pads for that reason...
 
49208 said:
When we frostbite in CT, the majority wear their wetsuit hiking pants inside their drysuit. ...

Interesting. I'd not thought of that (althought it's not uncommon for people out here in Wisconsin wear some kind of wetsuit under their drysuit as a last-ditch survival backup in case the outer layer gets ripped...).

One reason I was thinking of wearing the hiking pants on the outside was to reduce abrasion on the drysuit's seat. Do you wear anything outside, or just rely on the drysuit's reenforcement?

Cheers,

Geoff S.
 
Most of the group I sail with wear some sort of tight shorts on the outside of the drysuit - Lycra etc...
It protects the seat as you mention, and also since most of the dry suits are so baggy, it helps to contain all that excess material so sliding around in the boat is a little easier
 
Something extra I wanted to note. In the 90's I sailed using the oldl North strap on hikers, (still have them). They worked ok, but would work their way out from under my thigh and could get caught on things as they do not fit snug like the neoprene hikers do. However, the advantage to shed them and fold them up tight is nice. If I'm out and it gets light I will take them off. In my most recent regatta I had on my SEA pants and it got light. It took more time to take them off, fold them and secure them, (in front of the mast). However, when it blew hard enough to wear them and hike they were way more comfortable.
 
I have tried a number of pants over the years, and have never been completely satisfied with any of them, so have decided to try making my own. So far the design is in its infancy, but my specs are something along the lines of:

Pants must not fall down or stretch when wet! How many times during a race do you have to try and pull up hiking pants that have become 'droopy' when wet!

Battens must extend from just above the back of the knee to as high up my (bum) as practicable, allowing normal sittling, kneeling and standing posture without protrusions. This will provide the maximum spreading of the load, no matter how hard I am hiking.

The battens must also protect the back of the leg as well as the outside of the leg for those times when one is hiking 'twisiting' forward.

The system will be held in place using wide, adjustable straps on the legs and waistband. Another little trick here is place some velcro (the hooks component) on the inside, which 'grabs' the neoprene of my wet-pants and so doesnt slide/rotate etc.

My biggest problem at the moment is finding suitable materials, that are hard wearing yet flexible. I made one prototype from an old sail which worked quite well except that is was exceptionally slippery on the deck and I was sliding around all over the place, and once straight out the back of the boat! I have a couple of synthetic material struts which are about 2" wide and 1/16" thick from an old knee brace that I had to wear for six months that are nearly perfect for the battens, but I cannot locate a supplier who doesnt want me to pay medical/hospital prices for similar components! And I am NOT paying A$65 per strut! (would eventually make the pants worth at least $260+)

Once I have the design worked out a little more, I will take it to my local sailmaker/adventuring store to get them to make my Beta version for further testing.

I will keep you appraised of my efforts, and would appreciate any feedback, maybe your current pants have their good points/bad points that could be re-engineered in my product?
 
It sounds like you are describing the strap on pants made by North, Gul and others....Gul strap on hikers at APS

As far as material - cordura is a good material to cover the battens - 1000 denier. It's not slippery like sailcloth. You could also use Sunbrella/Acrylian (which is the material used for leech covers on roller furling sails, awnings etc) It's not as hard wearing as cordura, but it's not bad....

As far as the batten material - a visit to most sailmakers should yield you enough scrap batten stock to get going.

Have you tried the Burrka hikers ?

Good luck

wabbit said:
I have tried a number of pants over the years, and have never been completely satisfied with any of them, so have decided to try making my own. So far the design is in its infancy, but my specs are something along the lines of:

Pants must not fall down or stretch when wet! How many times during a race do you have to try and pull up hiking pants that have become 'droopy' when wet!

Battens must extend from just above the back of the knee to as high up my (bum) as practicable, allowing normal sittling, kneeling and standing posture without protrusions. This will provide the maximum spreading of the load, no matter how hard I am hiking.

The battens must also protect the back of the leg as well as the outside of the leg for those times when one is hiking 'twisiting' forward.

The system will be held in place using wide, adjustable straps on the legs and waistband. Another little trick here is place some velcro (the hooks component) on the inside, which 'grabs' the neoprene of my wet-pants and so doesnt slide/rotate etc.

My biggest problem at the moment is finding suitable materials, that are hard wearing yet flexible. I made one prototype from an old sail which worked quite well except that is was exceptionally slippery on the deck and I was sliding around all over the place, and once straight out the back of the boat! I have a couple of synthetic material struts which are about 2" wide and 1/16" thick from an old knee brace that I had to wear for six months that are nearly perfect for the battens, but I cannot locate a supplier who doesnt want me to pay medical/hospital prices for similar components! And I am NOT paying A$65 per strut! (would eventually make the pants worth at least $260+)

Once I have the design worked out a little more, I will take it to my local sailmaker/adventuring store to get them to make my Beta version for further testing.

I will keep you appraised of my efforts, and would appreciate any feedback, maybe your current pants have their good points/bad points that could be re-engineered in my product?
 
I have Neil Pryde Hikers, the battens are a long way down the leg encouraging the wearer to hike harder to get onto the battens. The stitching has failed in various places but thats easy to fix.
I have made my own hikers in the past, I made the battens from the backsupport on a broken plastic outdoor chair.
Darryn
169711
 
Well I have the SEA hiking pants and I like them very much... but just make sure that you don't get them to big because the pads in the back will dig into your knees and you will find out that it hurts big time on the down winds!
 
yeah i just gota pair of SEA australia hiking pants the 3/4 one and they are really nice. alot more support and they dont wear out as fast as some other once iv had.
 
i did have SEA pants but i am not the right fit 4 any makes of hiking pants so i had to get custom pants i have also never had a wetsuit or hiking pants so when i first used them i was amaised how heavy they where.
 
Just got a pair of the Magic Marine strap-on pads. What is the works best under these? I have a spring suit that I'm considering, but am a little worried about being too warm this weekend. And is it advisable to wear something over the strap-on pads (seems like too many layers...)?

Thanks,
-Jason
 

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