Bushwhacking Chaps

[Dalraida]

At noon today after unsnapping my chainsaw chaps to eat lunch it occurred to me that it might be nice to have a set of chaps made for "whacking". I want set of lightweight chaps to keep in my pack so that I can do most of my hike in shorts and avoid the bloody legs I always seem to get when my hike turns into a "whack". When I deliberately go out to bushwhack I wear long sleeves and long pants, carry gloves and goggles. But then it is almost always a hot and sweaty hike. If anyone else is interested I will contact Jack Stevenson's of Gilford and see what he can come up with. Might be fun to see one of his models wearing a pair. Quantity might keep the price down?

 

[mavs00]

You make a good point.

When I think chaps, I'm thinking the the old westersn horse type that only go halfway round the leg. To me, when I swhack, I find anything that isn't tucked real close in, get grabbed by those damn carnivous conifers, and I have to make real un-natural movements to undo myself.

What I'd think helpful would be something more like a lightweight gaiter that went, say.........up to my neck. Well okay mabye crotch. It would think it need to completely encircle the leg, otherwise it'll just get caught on everything. Perhaps that's what you had in mind, but chaps makes me think of other things.

It would be helpful to have something a tad more durable than traditional hiking pant (long) for summer shwacking.

Perhaps more seasoned whackers than I ought to chime in here.

 

[Peakbagr]

Tim,

I usually go with a t-shirt and shorts. The result is that my arms and especially my legs get shredded in many places.
The 2 things that are most uncomfortable:
Once the skin is scratched, the subsequent scratches in the same spot really burn. When you get home and shower, the soap and water REALLY burn.

You'd think that repetition would teach me. Freud once said said something along the lines of "the definition of insanity is repeating the same act over and over and expecting a different outcome."

When the scabs from the last bushwack have not fallen off I'll wear very thin, long, nylon-cotton hiking pants. They are slippery enough to keep the scrub branches from scratching, and will fend off all but the sharpest spruce bayonets.

Personally, I think that any chaps that are thick enough to be effective will be too heavy and warm.

Alan

 

[Neil]

Here's what works for me:
Gore-tex XCR pants, very light but very expensive. With a triple side zipper so you can decide exactly what's open and what's not. After (or during) a rain they shed the water that the branches dump on and you keep dry inside because it's gore-tex.
Last week, I started out in synthetic tights and between sweating, the rain and then as we climbed, snow, my legs were soaked. I put the gore-tex pants right over the wet tights and as we ascended we had snow right up to our knees(I was out west). Later, coming off the mountain we stopped to peel and what do you know, my tights were bone dry! I havn't used them in real hot weather cuz there wasn't much of that this summer and I just got them this year.

 

[explorer13421]

LLBean has Briar Chaps made with 1,000 denier nylon . Water repellant treatment. Looks like a pant leg with zipper to knee for putting on and taking off; two loops to attach to belt, $39.00Page 7 of Hunting Catalog for Fall 2004.

 

[Dalraida]

Beaners

Hmmm, guess I'll check out those Beaners.

 

[sardog1]

Cabela's has a very large selection of chaps.