The 9 Best Hunting Pants for Outings That Are Warmer, Drier, and More Comfortable

While it seems like there’s a specialized pair of hunting pants for every season and each type of hunting, many hunters are just looking for one good pair of pants they can use year-round.

Good hunting pants are essential equipment, but given that most technical hunting pants retail for over $100, owning multiple pairs isn’t realistic for everyone. Thankfully, FirstLite has made a great all-rounder in its 308 pants balancing durability and breathability. The elastane and spandex used in most stretch hunting pants dings their durability, so FirstLite went with a slightly stiffer but more durable 100-percent polyester fabric that still stretches plenty unless you’re doing yoga in the woods.

Importantly, the company also offers many combinations ofwaist and length measurements so you can easily find your perfect fit. Just like a pair of Levis, the standardized fit means once you find the right sizing, you can be confident in ordering another pair such as the 308 Lined Pant for colder weather or the 308 Whitetail Pant for Eastern hunting.

The straight leg cut means you don’t have to fight to get them over boots, and it’s just a roomy fit for those who don’t like snug pants in the field. My only gripe with the sizing scheme is that the length and waist both seemed a tad long (a complaint echoed in the reviews on the website). I’m normally a 34 waist in almost any pair of pants and found myself wishing FirstLite made the 308s in a 33 waist.

The 5-pocket design is familiar, but there are some nice tweaks, like a protected pocket knife sheath pocket, zippered thigh pocket, and zippered “carpenter’s” pocket, which is perfect for keeping your phone accessible but secured.

The compromise weight is great for most Western hunting as you can layer underneath them with thermals as-needed or over them with insulated pants or bibs for extra-cold mornings. They’re a tad heavy for the warmest early seasons, and I wish the vents skipped the mesh and blew open wider for the times I’m huffing up a steep hill and find my legs steaming up. But if you’re looking for a single pair of hunting pants to rule them all, it’s hard to beat the fit and construction of these well thought-out Western hunting pants.

The price tag on modern technical hunting pants turns many shoppers away from the big names, but thankfully, features from high-end hunting apparel have started to trickle down to lower-priced garments.

Killik is Sportsman’s Warehouse’s house brand and its apparel does a decent job of balancing lower costs with the features and materials hunters want.

The Summit Vital pants deliver modern technical hunting pant performance in a budget option made from all synthetic materials that handle moisture well and are lightweight and stretchy. These retail at the magic $100 number but can often be found on sale for less, meaning hunters who are looking to get away from heavy denim hunting pants can go technical without doubling their cost.

The cut and style are not as becoming as those from the high-end brands, but the construction is familiar, there’s no cotton, and the pants stretch with you as you move. The synthetic fabric is more “plastic” feeling than the blends higher-end brands use, and these don't breathe particularly well with a fleece-like lining. Still, it beats denim, hands-down. The pants are also sized by waist and length so it’s easy to get a proper fit.

Kryptek is perhaps best-known as a popular high-tech camouflage pattern technology, and it’s the only one tested and approved by the U.S. military for concealment.

The brand produces a lot of outerwear, and I’ve found its pants to be not only well-made but also a bit more affordable than a lot of the big names in the space. There are also some smart features I love that aren’t usually available in pants at this price point, like reinforced belt loops and mesh-backed heat-dumping zippers at the hips.

The Alaios pants also have eight different pockets smartly placed to stay out of your way and prevent snags. I particularly like the zippered cargo pocket that sits high on your quad, which keeps it from impeding your knee flexion when hiking or kneeling. The reinforced knees are durable enough with an extra layer of fabric, but they’re also ready to receive the sold-separate kneepads if desired.

Hunting in warmer early seasons provides a layering challenge: Avoiding overheating and sweating while hiking, since damp clothes and sweat can tip off game and make you extra cold once you stop.

Like most Sitka pants, the Equinox Guard pants offer moisture-wicking tech and four-way stretch for comfort and mobility, but the key addition here for warm-weather hunters is bug protection. The Equinox pants use a durable and odorless chemical bug repellent treatment as well as a thin but tightly woven fabric to prevent bites from ticks, flies, and mosquitoes.

The Equinox is a no-brainer for early season hunts in the East and year-round hunting in the Southeast, especially when worn in Sitka’s new OPTIFADE Cover camo pattern, which was developed with the University of Georgia Deer Lab to provide maximum concealment in greener hunting seasons.

Under Armour is one of the few non-endemic brands to do hunting apparel right. Far from being athletic wear that is painted camo and rebranded, Under Armour hunting gear is performance-minded and well-thought-out. I have worn the Ridge Reaper Raider pants across multiple hunting seasons and found them to be an acceptable all-around weight.

I’d probably opt for something lighter for desert climates and hot early-season archery hunts since the highly elastic material is fairly thick, but I was able to layer under them despite a tailored fit and wear them for even my coldest hunts of the year. The articulated “moto” knees provide essential padding for more active hunts without having to insert bulky, annoying kneepads.

Rain pants are an investment that you hope you won’t have to use too often, but you're glad to have them when needed. I like to carry a rain bottom in my pack to quickly slip over my regular hunting pants when weather moves in so that I can prevent wetting out my more active pant layer.

Sitka’s Dewpoint pants are a lightweight 3L Gore-Tex construction similar to lightweight ski pants that repel water, but still breathe to avoid the clamminess of a traditional rubberized rain suit.

The pants are not cheap for how infrequently I wear them, but they pack down small thanks to a zero-pocket design. I never let them leave my hunting pack, as not having them can end a hunt quickly.

The Dewpoint pants have long zippered sides, making them easy to put on over other layers, and the seams and zippers are sealed so as to not give water an easy way in. These are loose enough to accommodate layers underneath but have an athletic enough fit that you can hike in them (and vent as needed).

There are few places colder than a treestand on an early winter morning, so it’s hard to beat the warmth of an insulated hunting bib to fight back the chill.

Unfortunately, insulated bibs are often stiff, heavy, and bulky. They leave you feeling more like the Michelin Man than a stealth hunter. FirstLite's Core bibs use PrimaLoft's high-end Gold Insulation to achieve an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio, and because it's synthetic, the insulation will still keep you warm if it gets wet. The only downside: the insulation doesn't compress as well as down, so the bibs take up a ton of room in a pack if you need to take them off.

The quiet, brushed face fabric also has a water-shedding DWR treatment, which keeps you in the stand even if the weather turns to rain or snow. When paired with the complementary Core jacket or vest, the bibs have pass-through pocket access to the kangaroo hand-warming pocket.

If a specific camo pattern isn’t essential for your hunt, there is a big world of technical outdoor pants available to hunters willing to look outside the usual hunting apparel brands.

I know a number of hunters (myself included) that love Prana’s Stretch Zion Pants for scouting, casual wear, and actual hunting. Like the Stretch Zion Pants, Badlands’ Scree pants are prized for their water repellency, abrasion resistance, and stretch comfort for hiking and other outdoor pursuits. They're an affordable option as well. I mention the Stretch Zion pants here mostly because the Scree Pants are so similar with a few durability tweaks such as reinforced cuffs.

In a variety of solid earth tones, these pants work well in and out of the field, but I wish they offered a camo pattern as I could see the Screes working well as a hot-weather archery pant.

The pants are tough enough but extremely breathable, which can be a problem if you want to wear them in later seasons and colder climates, but I love them for early-season scouting when concealment isn’t essential. It’s also worth pointing out Badlands’ Unconditional Warranty, which promises repair or replacement for life, despite the low price point.

One area where lightweight, technical hunting pants tend to come up short is durability. While most hunting pants will endure snags without falling apart, they are likely to experience pulls that can damage the pants over time.

For upland bird hunting and other pursuits that drag you through dense brush and brambles, a more durable pant is recommended. The Kuiu PRO Brush pants use lightweight and breathable polyester but are reinforced with Primeflex high-density double weave panels on the thighs and both sides of the lower legs.

Unlike many other upland brush pants that use heavy-duty canvas for durability, the PRO Brush Pants use an ultralight proprietary fabric Kuiu developed with Toray that’s tough but still flexible, and stretchy enough for active hunts.

There are several small details included as well, including a hook to secure the cuffs to your boot laces, inside and outside thigh vents, and removable suspenders.