Knickerbockers

[Ogden]

Looking for some Norrona products, I found these interesting knickerbockers:

http://www.norrona.com/web/products.nsf/web/hfriluft_skall_stor/$file/1253_stor.jpg

Does anyone have experience with these trousers in winter?
How about ticks? Is it easier for them to get under your clothes ?
I always wear gaiters. And the lower part of the trousers are often wet
(that´s why I prefer cotton gaiters, Goretex doesn´t make sense to me).
So maybe this is a solution?
Are knickerbockers + gaiters good for 4 seasons?

 

[addyb]

Are knickerbockers and gaiters good for all 4 seasons? I don't know, but let me ask you this:

Is there anything wrong with nylon climbing pants and gore-tex gaiters?

hehe you know, I think in the end, it doesn't really matter which gear a person things is better, I truly believe that it is a personal preference.

Myself, I would never wear wool knickerbockers and cotton gaiters. I live in BC, Canada and it really doesn't matter what season I'm hiking in, it rains. In fact, it can be horrific.

If it's below freezing in the winter, it'll rain. If it's hot and steamy in the summer, it'll rain. And so my choice in outdoor gear reflects the weather in my area. I simply CANNOT wear wool or cotton because no matter what, I will get soaked. And wool and cotton take a very long time to dry out.

To be honest, I haven't yet had the chance to take my Ventile anorak climbing with me. I've only had it for a few months, and been too busy with university to have a chance to test it. And I'm nervous.

Now, if I was living in the BC Interior, I would definately wear wool knickerbockers because I know that they are very warm.

Anyway, that's my Sunday morning rant on outdoor gear.

Now back to your regular programming.


Adam

 

[Spacemonkey]

Knickerbockers eh?
Tell you what, for your bushcraft 80's fashion revival, I can supply you with some olive green 'beedy-boppers' and a DPM Rubik's Cube, if that's any help...


Adam, doe sit always rain on the mainland too around Vancouver?

 

[addyb]

Spacemonkey,

Actually it rains MORE around Vancouver than where I am. I'm in a city called Nanaimo, which is on Vancouver Island. It's right across the Georgia Strait. So I get to Vancouver via a ferry.

Winter here isn't really much of a winter. We rarely get snow. Just a bit of frost in the morning, so as long as a person has a good Gore-Tex jacket, they'll survive.

And so my choice in gear reflects that. It has to be synthetics, or else I'd end up getting hypothermic in the winter. I remember going on a Autumn hike a couple of years ago in a place here called the "Elk River Valley" which is almost like walking through a jungle. There are some camp zones early in the trail, but once you get past that, it's mountain territory. It's about 12km long, and maybe 1 or 2km wide.

Except that it was the middle of October, and we had horrible weather. This one person we were with, he was wearing cotton and wool clothing, and he got soaked and became very hypothermic.

It was absolutely horrible. We had to strip him down and and keep him warm all night and get some warm liquids into him because his was in really bad shape. The rest of us were in sythetics, and while we were damp, we dried out much quicker. If it was worse, we might've had to hump out and get Search and Rescue to come bring a body bag.

And so it was that night that made me swear off natural materials for BC hiking/climbing. (Well, for the winter)

Adam

 

[Graham_S]

i suspect it was the cotton rather than the wool that caused the problem.

 

[twelveboar]

I often wear woolen breeks for shooting and they are excellent, warm when wet tough as old boots absolutely brilliant they are. I would wear them more often but you look a bit to Edwarian for most places!