chaps/coldweather

[Bdog]

Advice on some cold weather Chaps, what style do you use, who makes them and pricing if possible? Putting a mule box on my truck so anticipate lots more cold weather riding than in the past. Any other pros or cons on the subject.

Thanks
Bruce

[Mike Leonard]

Bruce,

I have all kinds of chaps and sort of swap them out as the situation changes. I like long chinks for the bulk of my hunting and I mean long more like armetas without the skirt fringe.The are lighter easier to move in and offer pretty good protection from oak brush and juniper. If I am really riding in the bad stuff I have a pair of waxed bullhide Tom Horn style batwings that are awesome and they will repel catclaw and thorns too. They are heavy and clumsey so you have to take them off if any walking is done. Also when they are cold they get pretty stiff. Probably more than anything in cold weather I wear leggings that are shotgun styles and fairly tight fitting. Mine have been chap waxed heavy and will repel wind and water and snow. You can walk in them some so I would vote for them in the cold. If you have some made make sure to tell you leather guy you want step in style shotguns. The zippers zip from top to bottom but don't come all the way apart. That way you can get you booted foot thru them pull them up and buckle them and then zip the bottoms down. Nothing is a bigger pain the butt that trying to zip chaps together when you hands are cold and the wind is blowing. don't go too light on them and you may want to use elk as it is really soft but pricey. Pockets are nice to have in them as well so you can put a few things in there and you don't have to dig all over for your candy bars or chewing tabbaco. LOL!

[R Severe]

I certainly agree with Mikes post. My favorite leather for most chinks and leggins is elk. It's a hair lighter than cowhide and more pourus and that makes it warmer. Also Elk stands getting wet and drying back out better than most other leather.

A cheaper solution if your in a wetter climate or your snow gets sloppy in the daytime is the Filson waxed leggins. They are pretty warm and will keep your legs dry. Also they are pretty good to walk in and are light. They just snap on your belt and conform to your legs, tougher than they look.

[bryan]

If you want some custom chaps, sissy fancher makes some of the nicest I have seen around here. Just normal shotgun type would probably be the best.

[Eric Muff]

I AGREE WAXED ELK IS PRETTY TOUGH TO BEAT.

[bluedog4]

I really like the WICK Chaps, light, water resistant, with heavy duty zippers for easy on off.

[Brady Davis]

I'm a big fan of longer buckskin chinks...Soft, pliable and easy to move in and they are warm.....I got some real nice ones from B bar B Leather in Blackfoot ID...THey do good work...

[Mr.pacojack]

I bought a chap pattern from Tandy leather and was going to make some extreme cold wheather chaps out of a buffalo hide(hair on) I had tanned a few years back. Mike L. what do you think?

[Flatlander]

When you talk about maxed chaps? What kind of max do you use on leather?

[Mike Leonard]

Paco,

I think those would be interesting chaps and warm but don't lay them suckers down where them bear dogs can get them or they will be shredded. LOL!

Funny deal I had a friend that use to cowboy up colorado way. Well he got a little flush and he had a really super nice pair of elk chinks made and I mean they were pretty. The belt was all carved and boy old Tim was really proud of them. He would even strut into the local waterholes for a cold one and leave them pretty chinks on. Well one day he strutted in there and there was an old time cowboy setting there at the bar. He looked over and saw Tim all decked out with his chinks and his spurs with big old jingle bobs on them. He said where the hell did you park your horse? Tim said no I rode in my pickup over here. The old guy said where I come from we take our spurs and chaps off before we go inside. Well old Tim felt a little embarassed so he went out to his truck took of his fancy chinks and spurs and put them in the cab of his old flat bed Ford. He had his little blue heeler bitch in there and she was just a 8 month old pup and he was mighty proud of her to, till he came back out to leave. LOL! She chewed them fancy chinks up like a beaver chews a tree. Man I thought old Timbo was going to set right down there in the street and bawl like a baby. Dogs will be dogs. LOL!


Chap wax can be bought from leather supply companies.


Robin,

I have a pair of Filson chaps and they are tough to beat in the wet. I was over hunting near Weiser Idaho and I helped a friend process a bunch of steers and all I had to wear was those Filsons. Well all them hands sort of looked funny at me till the end of the day and then when I stayed dry and warm they started asking about them. Go over there now and you will see a lot of them wearning a pair of Filsons underneath their regular chinks. They still got to look punchie but they enjoy staying dry and warm as well. LOL!

[R Severe]

Ya got me laughing thinking about the first filson leggings I spotted Mike.
A couple brothers I guided elk hunters with had them. At first glance I thought they were pretty ugly, as the day wore on and I got alot wetter they wern't so ugly anymore.
I asked them how long they'd been useing them they informed me " bout two years" Now these two guys build fence most of the year and are pretty hard on everything, including thier bodies. I figured that if those leggins could stand what they put them thru I'd get several years out of them. They cost me 40.00 bucks when I bought them and I still have them. They have no heam on the botton, a few houles on the inside of the legs where the saddle & my knees meet. I've rewaxed them twice and I still stay mostly dry.
Pretty good investment in my book.

I gave up trying to look flashy along time ago anyhow, just wasn't ever gonna work

[Brady Davis]

Last year I bought a pair of the Filson single tin pants...I wear them out hunting on bad days and then don't really need the chaps...They are tougher than hell and waterproof...Got them with a leather hem at the bottom from Filson and I think they will last for years to come. I do like to wear my chinks over them while riding...

Mike....Funny story about your buddy and his chinks Freakin pups anyhow eh?!

[Mike Leonard]

I am a big fan of Filson clothing. I usually have one of their cruiser coats on my saddle and with that and one of their wool vest you don't need much else.Funny deal though when you add that new wax to them. I had re-done my chaps and coatwith a fresh wax job, and I went out pheasant hunting with a buddy of mine. Well we were hunting around the edge of these creeks with a lot of willows and fields above had some corn cut and some alfalfa. It was one of those wet rainy type days and the old roosters were holding pretty tight. I would get in that brush with old Tuggs and he would go to rooting around in there and then you would hear a mad dash and some crashing branches and then my buddy on the outside would usually knock down a rooster while I was trying to untangle myself from the tamaracjs, willows and russian olives. Well we finally got the spot hunted out and returned to the truck. Well we drove off and that heater started to warm up in there and I guess the little moisture along with that fresh wax on the Filsons got pretty smelly. He said that stuff you wear must be pretty good but damn man you smell like a wet sheep. LOL!

[Brady Davis]

[Spencer]

Anothe +1 for Filson. I have the tin chaps and use them a lot. One place I use them that they work great are over my neoprene hip waders while deer hunting. go through creeks/mud with the waders, and through all of the brush without worrying about poking a hole in the neoprene. I have the tin cloth bibs for work, but they get very bulky and tough to walk and work in. I get worn out moving a lot with them on. mostly use them doing tree work.