Hi Chester, are you crawling on the stalks and if so, on what terrain, flora etc. I was thinking that the new Seeland Prevail at £99.99 would be perfect as they are 100% waterproof, 10,000 10,000 membrane and with vent zips on the outer thighs. Really impressed with the construction and functionality. Seeland are developing more workwear styles, which we are delighted to have been involved with over the years.
https://seeland.com/prevail-frontier-trousers
Let us know so we can distill a bit more one what we would recommend.
Andrew
Most of the terrain is hilly, only partially grazed, so lots of over-grown areas and thick cover. I've thought a lot about what I need in a stalking trouser, besides keeping the legs warm! It's surprising, and a little disappointing just how many come up short in some department or another. The holy grail of durability, breathability, functionality, all season suitability etc are rarely found in any one design, but the more I look, the more I realise that the answer has been under my nose all along. I mentioned that I like the new Deerhunter Recon jacket a lot (the one with Deer-X Dura panels). Well, looking at the matching trousers, which I assumed might be too warm for spring/autumn use, I was wrong. I've been wearing the jacket in temps from 16 degrees to the cooler mornings we've recently had, including during the first frosts of the autumn, and it deals with the warmer days very well having excellent breathability. It is also made from material which seems a lot tougher than my older Ram jacket. Like all garments with linings (be that Goretex or Deer-tex...or whatever-Tex), snag it on barbed wire, just once, or tear through Hawthorn or Blackthorn and it'll wreck the garment. I try not to.
However, if that is the only compromise, then the Recon reinforced trousers seem to tick all the other boxes. More than I wanted to spend tbh, but probably worth it. Many trousers don't have zipped pockets which frankly is inexcusable in a stalking trouser. All too easy to lose car keys and then you're stuffed, so I want to have zipped pockets, reinforced knees and rear panels for crawling and sitting on rough or wet cover. None of my old ones had this and started to wear through within a season. I wanted water proofing but decent breathability. The recon, judging by the jacket in use, seems to be highly breathable, rated at 10,000g/m2/d although I find the numbers can be misleading. I prefer non-lined garments with better breathability but finding one that stays water resistant is the challenge. I don't like heavier canvass or waxed fabrics as I find them too cold and stiff in the winter. So the Recon trousers it is. Happy to report back once I've put them trough a few stalks and report back. If they don't live up to expectations, I'll say so to prevent others jumping in where angels fear to tread. If they do, then initial conclusions need tempering with findings on durability and that won't come until they've been put through at least a season, by which time I'm sure the new latest and greatest will have superseded them!
