Best Hunting Pants of 2025

While plenty of hunters will crow about their rifle, their gun dog, or their truck, few brag about their hunting pants. They should. Because pants can make or break a hunt. When you’re busting through briars, sliding sideways on a shale-covered slope, or trying to sit still in a frozen treestand before daylight, your pants are either working for you or against you. 

It’s easy to know if you’re wearing the wrong pair, but when you’ve got the best hunting pants on, you almost forget they’re there. That’s why we’re taking this opportunity to do a little bit of bragging about our favorite pairs. And like our rifles, our dogs, and our trucks, this is a subject we don’t take lightly. We’ve field-tested the hell out of these — from early-season scorchers to late-season grinders — and we’re not here to hype up anything that hasn’t earned it.

How We Chose the Best Hunting Pants

The OL staff has years of experience hunting everything from prairie-roaming pronghorns to cliff-climbing bighorns. We’ve collectively logged thousands of hours and covered countless miles in the field — and we’ve done it wearing every style of hunting pant imaginable.

Our team brings a wide range of hunting styles and regional experiences to the table, so we decided to select the best hunting pants by committee. We believe in every pair of hunting pants on this list. Some are longtime staples that have stood up to multiple seasons of abuse. Others are newer finds that impressed us right out of the box, but really proved their value during hunting season. Every single pair earned its spot on this list by performing when it mattered, whether we were crawling through briars after spring gobblers, climbing into frost-covered treestands, or glassing wind-blown ridgelines at 10,000 feet.

Best Hunting Pants: Reviews and Recommendations

I can honestly say this may be one of the most comfortable pairs of functional pants I’ve worn hunting. Kuiu Attack pants feature built-in odor control and a soft, brushed backing to reduce chafing. They fit well, thanks to the gusseted crotch and articulated knees, and they stay in place even when I squat, sit, or bend over to tie my boots. These pants are also straight-legged through the boot, which means they are virtually silent while walking through the woods. 

These pants also have zip-open hip vents to cool you down quickly on active hunts or provide easy access to mid-layer pockets. Speaking of pockets, the low-profile design on these pants looks good on paper but makes it hard to slide things in and out, especially when you’re sitting. It’s a minor complaint, but I appreciate having instant, easy access to my phone, snacks, and wind checker without having to wiggle too much when I’m 18 feet up a tree. 

One great thing about these pants is that the women’s versions are just as sturdy and comfortable as the men’s. If you’ve been around the hunting scene for any amount of time, you might remember that awkward time when Kuiu’s founder publicly claimed the brand would never make clothing for women. But in 2022, the brand took a hard turn on their previous no-clothes-for-women-hunters stance and released a complete line of high-performance gear for women, including a women’s version of the highly popular Attack Pants. These are so awesome that it’s hard to hold a grudge. — Alice Jones Webb, staff writer

The stretch nylon panels on the Obsidian Merinos enhance both range of motion and durability in high-stress areas. While these pants lack the durability for serious brush busting, they aren’t exactly delicate either.  I crawled my way through a briar patch during turkey season, and they survived the ordeal with only a couple of snags. However, what they may lack in durability, they make up for in stealth. Sure, modern synthetics are tough as nails, but you can’t beat how quiet merino moves through the woods. Merino is also naturally odor-resistant and UV-absorbent, so you don’t need to worry about human funk or any invisible-to-humans UV glow giving you away on the final stalk. 

While some wool garments require ultra-special care on wash day, these are completely machine washable. However, they are not dryer-friendly, so you’ll need to air dry them on a branch or a clothesline. —AJW

I’ve hunted in brown pants that I bought from Costco, and while I wasn’t as comfortable as in my Sitka pants, and I never fully got blood stains out of them, the cheapos didn’t prevent me from filling tags either. The point is that early-season bowhunting isn’t very reliant on clothing. The temperatures are warm, and we’re not hunting very long. 

The Mossy Oak Woodsman Walker Air gives you far better performance than cheap cotton pants, without costing as much as First Lite, Sitka, or Kuiu options. They are built with a breathable Polyester fabric that won’t stink and wicks sweat away from your legs. These pants are stretchy, allowing for a full range of movement while chasing long beards or climbing into a stand. I normally wear a 34-inch inseam, so the Woodsman Walker Air is short on me. I only wear them with rubber boots as a workaround to the short inseam. — Scott Einsmann, executive gear editor

Sitka’s Women’s Cadence pants have been my go-to pants for several seasons. I wear them year-round as a stand-alone layer in North Carolina’s hot and humid early bow season, an outer layer for spring turkeys, and a mid-layer for most of the regular deer season. The lightweight, stretchy design makes these work well for layering without sacrificing mobility or comfort. 

Unlike some major brands that shrink their best-selling men’s pants and market them for women, Sitka’s Women’s Cadence pants were designed by women to fit women’s bodies, and boy, did they hit the mark. Made with a tapered waist and hip line, these pants are designed not only to flatter feminine figures but also to keep us comfortable during long hours in the field. 

These pants feature four relatively roomy pockets — two hand pockets and two mesh-backed thigh pockets.  I’m a firm believer that hunting pants can’t have too many pockets, so I’m bummed that these don’t have back pockets. But the thigh pockets are roomy enough to hold my phone, a face mask, emergency TP, or treestand snacks. The hand pockets are pretty spacious, too, and you get a bonus knife sleeve that is perfect for stowing a folder. 

Of course, few Sitka Gear discussions don’t involve cost. The brand has a reputation for being pricey. However, quality never comes cheap, and these are top-shelf hunting pants. If you’re dropping a few Benjamins on hunting pants every year, I promise you can afford these. These are rugged pants that earn high marks in the longevity and durability departments, meaning they will last for years. I’ve hunted hard in mine for the past three seasons, and except for the faint blood stains on the right pant leg, they look and feel brand-spanking new. — AJW

I bought my Sitka Ascent pants in 2018, and I’ve worn them while hunting whitetails, elk, bear, aoudad, and turkeys across the country. Through seven years of hard use, the pants have no loose threads, tears, or broken zippers. The colors remain steadfast after many wash cycles. 

I most often reach for these pants when it’s 80 degrees and humid during bow season. The nylon fabric is very breathable in those sticky conditions. Mobility is also excellent in the ascent pant, and it’s easy to climb treestands or hills. 

I wear the Ascent pant often, but it does have some stiff competition. Most notably, the Kuiu Tiburon and First Lite Trace pants. Both of those pants are more breathable, softer, and quieter. But, they are also less durable. When I walked through a briar patch in my Trace pants, it immediately pulled out all over. I’ve been through a ton of briar patches in my Ascent pants without that issue. The Ascent pants are also more water resistant, so walking through dewy grass or a sudden afternoon shower isn’t a big deal. — SE

Stone Glacier’s De Havilland hunting pants are designed for late-season hunts in colder weather. They’re a heavy-duty nylon/poly/spandex blend and contoured with the hiker or backpack hunter in mind. This means a snug, athletic fit with articulated knees that allow maximum range of motion. They also have approximately three inches of adjustability in the waist, facilitated by a hook-and-loop adjustable zipper and an adjustable belt strap in place of a button. This allows you to tighten or loosen the waist of the pants without bunching material. 

I’ve been using the same couple of pairs of De Havilland pants for several years now and have only one small tear to show for it — courtesy of a sharp limb while busting through an old burn. I find them to be a great pant for hunting Dall sheep in Alaska in August, but they can be uncomfortably warm in hot weather. Fortunately, the size-zip leg vents help alleviate that discomfort. When paired with good base layers and covered with heavy insulating layers, they are a great option even in the coldest conditions. — Tyler Free, senior staff writer

With the rise in popularity of saddle hunting in recent years, there has been a scramble from brands to fill the needs that arise from diehard hunters. Whether it’s new ways to store your gear in the tree, updating the saddles or platforms for comfort and utility, or even adding knee pads to help you stay in the tree longer, there are plenty of products designed to make saddle hunting easier.

With an almost two-month-long archery season here in Pennsylvania, I too joined the saddle hunting movement to open up more opportunities for me to hike in deep on public land and find secluded bucks. That has given way to some clothing needs I hadn’t addressed in previous seasons. While most high-end camo companies are leaning heavily on merino wool, not every situation calls for the warmth merino has to offer. Rather than sweating on my way to the stand, I decided to try out the Kuiu Pro Pant this fall, and I was blown away by the results.

I wore the Pro Pant from the beginning of October through the middle of November and realized quickly just how versatile these pants are for saddle hunters. On warm early-season days, they were breathable and comfortable during evening sits, but when the temps began to drop in November, all I needed were a few base layers, and I was still content to sit all day. 

The best saddle-specific feature on the Pro Pant is the knee pads. Whether you’re putting your knees into the tree just to relax or you’re steadying for a shot, knee pads have become a critical part of my saddle hunting gear. Kuiu added the knee pads directly to the pants. An added bonus is that these pants can also work great for spot-and-stalk hunters who crawl or kneel for long periods of time. The knee pads are durable, and more importantly, they protected my knees throughout the season.
At just under $200, these pants are worth every penny. They held up over miles of terrain and hours in the saddle. They’ve quickly become my favorite early- to mid-season hunting pants. — Derek Horner, audience development manager 

I hunted most of the 2024 season trying out various First Lite pants, and the Trace is my favorite of the bunch I tested. They are ideal for hunting in the Southeast, where temps don’t get below 70 degrees until muzzleloader season, and I’m often packing in my saddle or dragging out deer in warm weather. I mostly hunt from a saddle, and the Trace’s stretchy fabric didn’t restrict my movement while climbing trees. That stretchy, soft fabric is the key to the Trace’s sweat pants-like comfort. The low-profile belt is a nice feature and was also very comfortable under my saddle.

The main downside is that these pants aren’t very durable. Don’t plan on busting brush and having them last very long. Mine took a beating this fall, but held together for me to wear them while predator and turkey hunting. Another potential con is that their athletic fit might be too form-fitting for some people. — Scott Einsmann, executive gear editor

Best All-Weather: Forloh AllClima Rain Pant

Forloh uses patented Airadigm Pulse Plasma technology to coat every fiber in all three layers of its AllClima rain pants. The process creates serious water resistance (20k mm with 35k+ mm in the membrane) and excellent wind resistance. The air permeability in these pants is a minimum .1 cubic feet per minute (One cfm or less is considered windproof.)

While these pants do a magnificent job of keeping out wind and rain, they are also surprisingly breathable. It has a minimum 20k gm²/24hr moisture vapor transmission rate, which is considered a premium score in the breathability department. That means these pants will not only keep out soppy weather, but they won’t leave you soaked from the inside out.

AllClima rain pants are designed with a gusseted crotch for enhanced mobility, and they feature a reinforced hip area for added durability where your pack or pistol holster would typically rub. The cuffs, ankle instep, and seating panel are reinforced to help this rain gear hold up in rugged hunting environments.

These are my go-to pants when the North Carolina weather turns wet, which is often. Not only have they kept me dry in sudden downpours and all-day drizzle, but they aren’t uncomfortable to wear in the sometimes stifling Southern heat that accompanies spring turkey season and the early bow season. — AJW

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Things to Consider When Buying Hunting Pants

Find the Right Fit

As hunters, we don’t have the time or patience to fight with our gear. We need our pants to work like extensions of our bodies. Look for a fit that gives you room to move, especially if you’re adding insulating layers, but isn’t so big that you have to stop and hike up your drawers every 50 yards. Unfortunately, there is no universal sizing system in the hunting gear world, which means a size medium from one brand may fit like an extra small from another. Thankfully, most manufacturers provide a sizing guide. Take the time to measure your waist and inseam. Then match those numbers with the brand’s guide and go from there. 

Dress for the Weather

You can’t dress for late-season whitetails the same way you dress for spring turkeys. Warm weather hunts require breathable materials that won’t leave you soaked in sweat. When the weather turns cold, you’ll want insulation and wind-proofing. Waterproofing is also a boon when things turn soppy. One pair of pants can’t do it all, so think about when and where you’ll be hunting. 

Keep it Quiet

Quiet fabrics may not matter all that much if you’re sitting in a duck blind, but they are an absolute necessity if you’re bowhunting a quiet oak flat. For close-up hunting animals with far better hearing than humans, look for pants made from materials that don’t sound like crinkling candy wrappers every time you shift your weight. 

Plenty of Pockets

You probably don’t need hunting pants with a dozen bulky cargo pockets, but a few thoughtfully placed pockets sure are nice for stowing your phone, rangefinder, wind checker, and some extra snacks. 

Extras

Brands will try to tempt you with scent-blocking tech and DWR coatings. These features can be handy in bad wind or rainy weather, but don’t let the marketing hype fool you. They aren’t magic fixes. Fit, comfort, and durability should always be the top priority.

FAQs

Final Thoughts on the Best Hunting Pants

The best hunting pants won’t make you a better hunter, but they will make the season more comfortable and enjoyable. When you spend your “free” time hiking before daylight, climbing trees, crawling through dirt, and hauling meat out after dark, you need pants that won’t quit before you do. The good news is that there are plenty of solid, brag-worthy options out there.