The Best Hunting Pants for Men in 2026

KUIU’s Attack Pants ($149) are relatively affordable and a favorite of many hunters. At $149, they offer 11 variations of solids and camo. And Primeflex Toray fabric is notoriously tough and comfortable. KUIU treats these with its K-DWR for water resistance, and the design is simple, athletic, and streamlined.

Multiple Gear Junkie testers have worn the KUIU Attack pants for multiple hunting seasons and love the athletic fit coupled with flexible fabric. They really give great freedom of motion. Most recently, Editorial Director Sean McCoy wore them spring turkey hunting in Colorado, with temperatures in the 50s and no precipitation. To close the deal on his hunt, he had to crawl on his hands and knees through oak brush for about 75 yards while a gobbler hollered through the morning mist.

He rose up on the articulated knees to take a shot and drop the bird when it poked its head above a log. The pants are relatively quiet, and hold up well to the brush. McCoy loves the thigh vents — clutch when carrying a heavy bird 2 miles back to camp as the day warms up. And the zippered pockets are excellent.

We do wish the hip pockets were a touch larger. The quick access to a phone is great, but it’s a little snug for our team’s liking. Otherwise, these pants are darned near perfect and super versatile, ready to tackle pretty much any conditions with proper layering.

One note on fit: These tend to run on the small side. McCoy sized up one size, going with a 32-inch waist. He generally wears a 30 or 31, but the 32 fits well. Plan to size up a bit.

If your budget is stretched, a pair of Attacks can fit into most workplaces (in non-camo) as well as doing double duty in the mountains. These aren’t necessarily your inclement cold-weather pants, but for the average hunter, they’ll serve a ton of purposes in the field while maintaining decorum in public.

Across the board, Kings Camo makes some of the best bang-for-the-buck hunting gear on the market. The brand has pants at varying price points, but the Hunter 2.0 pants ($80) easily take the cake as the best budget hunting pants GearJunkie Contributor Morgan Nowels has ever worn.

Out of the package, these pants don’t seem like budget gear. They feel just like the most high-tech apparel from other brands that sport double the price tag.

A big part of that feel comes from the DWR-treated polyester/spandex blend material. While deploying trail cameras and moving tree stands around in the woods of Tennessee this summer, Nowels found the fabric breathed exceptionally well and could only be bested by the thinnest of hunting pants, like the First Lite Trace. They’re a great early-season pant and, unlike the Trace, can function as a late-season pant with proper base layers.

The legs are articulated, which, in conjunction with the little bit of spandex stretch, makes them extremely comfortable. They never felt restrictive while hiking up steep terrain or climbing up trees. They’re quick-drying to boot, and were dry within an hour after bushwacking through dew-covered brush. They really are the antithesis to most budget pants that feel hot, heavy, and stay wet for an eternity.

So, what gives? Why are they cheaper? Well, first off, the pockets aren’t nearly as functional as on other hunting pants. The cargo pockets aren’t zippered, and they’re not all that big. Storage is pretty darn limited.

On top of that, the material, while stretchy, breathable, and quick-drying, is a bit loud. It’s not so loud that it’s a deal breaker for hunters, but it is noticeable.

They also run small when compared to the rest of the pants Nowels tested for this guide. He usually wears a 32 and has spare room in the waistband. These pants in a 32 were snug. Doable, but snug. You definitely want to size up, especially if you plan on wearing a base under them.

Still, despite those drawbacks, these pants are lightyears ahead of other budget options. They’re a great deal at 80 bucks and are an absolute steal when you can find them on sale, which is often.

While pricey, the Kifaru Torlander pants ($300) have easily earned the title of the best late-season hunting pants. When the weather turns cold, wet, and nasty, you won’t regret the purchase one bit.

GearJunkie contributor Morgan Nowels put them through the paces on a January coyote hunt in Wyoming and through a brutal winter storm in Tennessee. Within a few days, they became one of his most used pairs of pants, whether he was in the field or around town.

The unique build is what sets them apart. Kifaru took the concept of a soft-shell jacket and turned it into hunting pants. The Torlander is lined with a thick grid fleece backer for warmth and a monolithic laminate membrane for waterproofness. The exterior is a slick, DWR-treated hydrophobic shell.

In temps as low as 13 degrees, these pants, paired with a thin baselayer, were all Nowels needed to stay comfortable. While post-holing through deep snow, the interior stayed bone dry.

From a functionality standpoint, these pants are waterproof like the KUIU Chugach TR. Unfortunately, they can’t make that claim because the materials themselves are waterproof, but the seams aren’t taped. In the field, it’s a mere technicality. They keep you dry.

While highly insulated, the Torlander’s breathability is what really sets it apart. Each leg has two massive hip vents that run from the hip to the ankle. As midday temperatures rose in Wyoming and Nowels hiked from spot to spot, he unzipped the hip vents, which completely kept sweat at bay. Thanks to the vents, he was able to put on a baselayer and keep it on — even during high output.

Toss in a fantastic pocket layout, removable suspenders, and knee pads, and you have a sweet set of hunting pants for late October through January. The only real knock against them is that they aren’t available in camo.

Early-season hunts call for lightweight, breathable pants, and the First Lite Trace Pants ($160) are among the best on the market. They have a unique fabric that’s cool, breathable, and durable. It’s called KinneticGrid, which essentially allows air to flow through the pants while maintaining rugged construction.

After wearing these on a turkey hunt, a camping trip in the Great Sand Dunes National Park, and a boar hunt in Texas, Editorial Director Sean McCoy attests that the breathability works. From 95- to 100–degree weather, these pants felt similar to wearing shorts. And if they get a little wet, the synthetic material dries wildly fast.

To further improve on breathability, First Lite built zippered vents on each leg, perfect for grueling hikes in the archery elk woods. You can open them up and get maximum breathability when temperatures soar. The zippered vents also serve as excellent pockets for items you need to keep secure. Those, in conjunction with deep hip pockets and button-down thigh pockets on each leg, ensure you can store anything you need for a day in the field.

McCoy tested the solid-colored version, and they look good enough to wear to the office and around town throughout the summer. They’ve proven to be durable even with consistent use. The only thing that’s given him a problem is the included belt buckle. It lost a tiny piece of plastic, so it doesn’t lock as well as it did when the pants were brand new. It’s still functional, but may end up failing over time.

If you plan on hunting in August or September, grab yourself a set of the Trace Pants. They’ll keep you cool in midday heat, and may end up being some of your favorite everyday pants.

There are more whitetail bibs available to hunters than ever, but the SITKA Stratus Bib 2.0 ($400) stands above the rest. In a crowded market, these bibs stand out because of several small details that add up to a big difference.

Many of those details center around breathability, which is really tough to execute with an insulated bib. If you want to walk to the stand while wearing them, you can unzip the 7/8th leg zips to keep things breezy. That isn’t unique, but the zip front on the chest is, which unzips down to your waistline for those times you really want to dump heat.

The breathability doesn’t stop there either. The panel on the lower back features zero insulation, and is constructed with a breathable synthetic material. That keeps your lower back from getting sweaty while carrying a backpack and eliminates chill from a sweaty back in the stand. A similar material is found in the crotch, although there is still a single layer of insulating grid fleece there. These bibs add breathability to areas of high heat, keeping you dry, and warmer.

Tester Morgan Nowels found himself needing them for cold, humid 48-degree mornings in the mid-fall but would have a mile walk back to the truck with temps approaching the 70s. It would have been more comfortable to take the bibs off, but by unzipping them completely, it wasn’t an uncomfortable walk, which was really impressive.

The strap system is buckle-less, and adjust easily with an ingenious hook and loop system. Rubber inlays on the straps ensure they stay on your shoulders no matter what. The internal belt is highly adjustable, and keeps things on the exterior of the pant streamlined.

While these aren’t as warm as the Fanatic bibs, they can definitely handle cold weather. Both the brushed polyester fleece outer and the LMC grid fleece interior combine to keep you warm. If the wind kicks up, the WINDSTOPPER GORE-TEX liner keeps the chill from penetrating. Nowels has had the opportunity to use these in the extreme cold as well, and with a solid mid-layer and a thick baselayer, says you could hunt in these in temps in the teens or colder.

Honestly, there are too many awesome things to go over here, and there isn’t anything not to like about these bibs, aside from the price. But with how well they do their job, it’s worth the blow to your bank account.

Rain gear has a bad habit of feeling like you’ve wrapped yourself in a sweaty, crinkly garbage bag. Most of the time, that’s exactly what you’re doing, just with a bigger price tag. But KUIU’s Chugach Rain Pants ($269) are a rare exception to that sad reality.

These pants manage to feel soft against your skin instead of stiff and plasticky. Slide them over your baselayers, and you’ll notice the difference right away. The fabric doesn’t scream every time you take a step. 

And while we’re not going to pretend any rain shell is truly breathable (let’s be honest, that’s marketing wizardry at its finest), these somehow feel less suffocating when you’re slogging uphill in a downpour.

Durability is also worth calling out. Contributor Morgan Nowels has tried his best to beat the Chugach TR to pieces, taking them through some of the thorniest briar patches you can imagine while whitetail hunting. While they certainly don’t look like they did straight out of the package, they’ve stayed watertight.

The real magic with these pants is the perfect balance they play. They’re stormproof, but not heavy, and they don’t take up much room in a pack. They stow easily and take up hardly any room in a pack, yet are always ready to keep you protected from the worst weather. Overall, it’s just hard to find rain gear that beats these for comfort, durability, and packability.

Colorado upland bird hunting means big miles on the plains and a lot of bushwhacking. After five years of wearing the Filson Oil Finish Single Tin upland pants ($199), Editorial Director Sean McCoy is absolutely amazed at their durability. Through briars and brush and all manner of nasty thickets, these pants have protected his legs over a lot of 15-mile days.

While tough as nails, these are specialized hunting pants. For one thing, they’re pretty heavy and bulky. You wouldn’t want to pack them in a backpack for a high-altitude hunt.

They are also so burly that they’ll beat up your skin if you don’t wear long underwear. And given that you should not wash these (or risk removing the oil finish that keeps them water-resistant), they will be forever dirty. So, plan to wear long underwear! Put two and two together, and you’ll surmise that they’re not great in hot conditions. No, they are not. These are cool-to-cold weather pants, so plan accordingly.

But if you can get past those cons, these are some spectacularly tough pants that will serve the average hunter for a decade or more. For huge days of stomping through upland brush and scrub in cool to cold weather, they’re hard to beat.

Of all the pants on this list, the KUIU Kutana Hybrid Pants ($199) are the most capable of handling a variety of conditions. The entire pant has a highly water-resistant DWR finish, and there are 11,000mm waterproof panels on the lower legs as well as the seat. That provides waterproofness in the areas you need it most, while mitigating the negatives of waterproof pants, namely, lack of breathability.

There is no insulation in these pants, and there is a large hip vent on each side. When hunting in temperatures in the 80s, tester Morgan Nowels found them to be plenty comfortable, although not quite as breathable as options like the First Lite Trace. While they aren’t as breathable as those options, the Kutana Hybrid, with a solid baselayer, pulls double duty as an excellent mid-to-late-season pant.

These are some of the most durable pants in the KUIU lineup, built with a Toray Primeflex 100% Stretch Nylon. Burrs and thorns brush right off the slick fabric. They’re nearly indestructible. The flex of the material, as well as the articulated knees, allow these pants to move with you, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find something with a better fit.

Now, as with all things in life, those benefits do require a tradeoff. These pants are fairly loud, thanks to the waterproof panels and the slick-feeling fabric. But if you’re looking for a pant that will perform year-round and keep you comfortable in a bunch of conditions, these pants are the answer.

After hunts in Nebraska and South Dakota, contributor Morgan Nowels says the Kings Camo XKG Field Pant ($149) is the true Swiss Army Knife of upland hunting pants. Whether you’re chasing mountain blue grouse in September or busting through cattails for late-season roosters in South Dakota, these pants deserve a spot in your kit.

Where the Filson Oil Finish Single Tin upland pants give up breathability entirely in pursuit of unmatched durability, the Field Pant sacrifices a touch of durability for a major increase in breathability. That’s what makes them so versatile.

They weren’t too hot during an unseasonably warm October hunt in the Sandhill region of Nebraska. With temps heating up into the low seventies and covering miles of hilly terrain, Nowels unzipped the hip vents (something you never see on upland pants) to keep himself cool. Aside from the hip vents, the polyester, spandex, and nylon construction also breathes, a huge benefit compared to the sweat-inducing build of most chap pants made from waxed canvas.

But when it comes time to hit the thick cover, the Field Pant protects your legs from almost any thorny plant. Through a week of busting brush in South Dakota, only one giant thorn penetrated. So, they won’t be as durable or stand up to as much thorny cover as the Filson pants, but they come dang close.

The only other downside to these pants is their tendency to pick up small burrs. The chap panels surrounding the legs and seat are made of a micro weave, which turns the pants into velcro in certain types of cover. You won’t get stabbed by the burrs, but you will have to constantly pick them off.

However, that doesn’t happen in most upland cover, so it’s a non-issue most of the time. For those looking for pants that will get them through the entire upland season, the Field Pants are a great choice.

Stone Glacier is one clever company. With the De Havilland pants ($220), it solved one of the more annoying gear issues faced by both hunters and hikers, and that is the interface between your pants and your backpack’s hipbelt.

The De Havilland pants, like many other outdoor pants, have an adjustable waist that allows you to move it up to three inches to allow for layering. But the clever design — essentially a built-in belt and no front button — results in no bunching and very easy adjustment, no velcro needed.

Beyond that clever point, these pants are overall very good. They begin with water-resistant polyester/nylon/spandex blend fabric cut to athletic but mobile proportions with a gusseted crotch and articulated knees. Full zip side vents let you air it out when the going gets warm. And deep cargo pockets give you plenty of storage beyond the normal hip pocket.

On the negative side, they tend to be a little loud and swish while walking. Thus, these are not our top choice for close-quarters stalking, such as archery still-hunting.

But beyond that one downside, these are darned good pants and even look good enough for civilization (so long as they are not stained with blood and dirt).