Kevlar jeans

[+Opalblade]

Our big TX Challenge event is coming up soon and I was reading somewhere about someone's experiences with the local cactii at the same park a previous year - they were apparently all stabbed by several "spines" that they had to remove and recommended wearing kevlar jeans. I had no idea such a product even existed. Do any of you own kevlar jeans? Do you wear them regularly while caching? Are they comfortable? I definitely don't want spines in my legs but the kevlar jeans I found online are pricey ($100+) and they don't seem like they'd breathe well. Any other solutions for protecting legs from impalement?

[+Chrysalides]

 

Don't go caching during a thunderstorm

 

Seriously, I didn't know there's such a thing as kevlar pants either. Not that many cacti around this part of California.

[+Opalblade]

 

Don't go caching during a thunderstorm

 

Seriously, I didn't know there's such a thing as kevlar pants either. Not that many cacti around this part of California.

 

Haha I'd definitely be assigned to the terrain 1 1/2 contingent

[+rambrush]

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/drilldow...ory.asp?cat=903

 

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/drilldow...ory.asp?cat=110

 

pricey yes but there should be something there

[+Isonzo Karst]

Half chaps or snow gaiters would probably work (just google those terms) At least they'll protect your lower legs, which are most at risk.

 

Anything that's tough enough and tight enough to be effective against cactus spines won't also be breathable; it's gonna be hot.

 

Some of the equestrian half chaps will be cheaper and taller than gaiters.

 

I'd probably just move with some care, myself.

[+modnar24]

Just a thought here. I've owned a couple pairs of kevlar patrol gloves. These are the kind that the police use while searching people. Kevlar is not made to prevent pokes (such as needles or cacti), but cuts and slices (the blade of the knife). This has been stated right on the packaging of all of them. While kevlar jeans may help, I wouldn't expect total protection from them. You might get better value out of a good pair of work pants,

 

M24

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Just a thought here. I've owned a couple pairs of kevlar patrol gloves. These are the kind that the police use while searching people. Kevlar is not made to prevent pokes (such as needles or cacti), but cuts and slices (the blade of the knife). This has been stated right on the packaging of all of them. While kevlar jeans may help, I wouldn't expect total protection from them. You might get better value out of a good pair of work pants,

 

M24

This is true. Kevlar is for blunt force penetration protection. Although is does work fine as chainsaw chaps (it "gums" up the chain/bar to stop it). But they probably would stop thorns -- from the front only. Heavy and Hot!

 

Try some of those "double tin cloth" pants or chaps from a respected Seattle clothing manufacture/supplier.

They will stop the spikes and spines from all directions, or perhaps their chaps pants/chaps. Waterproof, too!

[+Roland_oso]

Wow talk about synchronicity. Just this morning I was getting dressed and thinking about the up-coming Texas Challenge. There on my shelf was a pair of jeans that I bought while attending the Texas Challenge in 2008. These Jeans have what amount to a “built-in” pair of chaps. I thought, “with the propensity of cacti encounters at this year’s Challenge, I might just want to wear these jeans”. It will be a crap shoot as far as the weather goes. It’s a good chance that it will be somewhat cold still so getting too hot should not be a factor, but if it is raining that day I would not want to be burdened with a pair of wet jeans.

 

I’ll snap a picture of them tonight and post it here for all to see.

 

I did find these on the web that are close to what I have, but mine are standard blue denim uppers with the built in brown chap lowers.

 

Cordura® Front Work Dungaree

 

Edit to add another link. I think these are even the same brand Wrangler as I bought them at an Outlet in Mineral Wells.

 

WRANGLER Upland Jeans

Edited February 10, 2010 by Roland_oso

[+StarBrand]

I really don't think "armored" and "cool & comfortable" are going to go hand in hand. A good pair of hightop hiking boots and caution are probably more realistic.

[+Semper Questio]

I thought a good pair of boots would do well for cactus and such. The I went to my first Texas Challenge a few years ago and right off the bat I had a cactus spine spear me through the top of the bot as I was taking a step. If I were still able to do that kind of terrain, I'd invest in steel shank and toe boots to deal with the rocks and cactus hurting my feet.

 

Interestingly, though, I used to wear the nylon trousers with the zip-off lower legs and those seemed to do a surprisingly good job of letting most spines and thorns just kind of slide off of them. Plus they were lightweight, breathed well, and if they got wet or muddy I could just zip off the lower portions and press on in shorts.

[+Caped Crusader]

While a little pricier, snake armor would probably be better against cacti than kevlar. Here's a link to some snake armor products. snake armor

[+deercreekth]

I'm actually surprised that Kevlar jeans can be had for $100. As a previous poster mentioned, my experience with Kevlar has been that it's good for preventing cuts and scrapes, but not so much with puncture wounds. I used to work in a manufacturing plant where people would slice their hands or arms on metal banding around coils of metal. They started wearing Kevlar sleeves for protection. They definitely helped, but one of the first warnings given was to not go sticking themselves with knives as the sleeves could be punctured.

[+Opalblade]

While a little pricier, snake armor would probably be better against cacti than kevlar. Here's a link to some snake armor products. snake armor

 

"Tested with Live Snakes

TurtleSkin SnakeArmor Hunting Clothing has been tested with live rattlesnakes, successfully repelling both their strikes and venom."

 

Yikes, I hope that guy got paid well

 

I'm starting to gravitate towards the watch my step very carefully. If I got some kind of protective something I'd want them also be useable through the Summer and be less than $100. A local cacher said they found some fairly affordable kevlar jeans at an outlet but it's a good 1 1/2 away. Of course when I'm running around at the challenge with cactus sticking out of my legs I may regret my decision

Edited February 10, 2010 by Opalblade

[+BCandMsKitty]

Kevlar fabric is a fairly open weave mesh. Not designed at all to stop punctures from something like cactus spines, or needles. Our search gloves are kevlar lined and come with a warning that say they are not prevention from needles. The same with our escort vests, although they offer some protection from knives. Kevlar jeans, I would assume, are for prevention from cuts and not punctures.

 

BC

Edited February 10, 2010 by BC & MsKitty

[+Opalblade]

Kevlar fabric is a fairly open weave mesh. Not designed at all to stop punctures from something like cactus spines, or needles. Our search gloves are kevlar lined and come with a warning that say they are not prevention from needles. The same with our escort vests, although they offer some protection from knives. Kevlar jeans, I would assume, are for prevention from cuts and not punctures.

 

BC

 

Thank you, that's good to know I may just focus my shopping attention on some good hiking/waterproof boots instead. I have some great ones for winter but with the wool lining they aren't going to cut it for much longer

[+Scubasonic]

When I go caching I wear (Carhartt B73 Carhartt Washed Denim Logger Dungarees - Double Knee) they have many pockets to carry pens mini flashlights and the DBL Denim goes from the top of your thigh down to almost your ankle and they wear like iron this is what I recommend.

 

Scubasonic

[+Ambrosia]

I'm not sure how they would do with cactus pokes, but I do a lot of my backcountry caching in BDUs. I've been impressed in general with how they hold up. Make sure you get real ones and not knock offs. I believe they are made from 50/50 nylon and cotton. They are reinforced in the knees and butt and have drawstrings around the ankles. They are hardy, breathable (especially desert ones) and moderately repel water.

[+BCandMsKitty]

Out of curiosity I googled kevlar jeans and find they are promoted for protection on motorcycles. They even call them "drag jeans" Makes sense that it will help protect from road rash if you dump a bike.

 

Here's a thread that might help with some ideas.

 

Thorn proof pants

Edited February 10, 2010 by BC & MsKitty

[+wimseyguy]

Just a thought here. I've owned a couple pairs of kevlar patrol gloves. These are the kind that the police use while searching people. Kevlar is not made to prevent pokes (such as needles or cacti), but cuts and slices (the blade of the knife). This has been stated right on the packaging of all of them. While kevlar jeans may help, I wouldn't expect total protection from them. You might get better value out of a good pair of work pants,

 

M24

 

A friend gave me a pair of these after my copperhead bite a few years ago. I don't know how they would stand up to cacti spines, but they work well in nasty briers and those annoying holly bush hides.

I am now once bitten twice shy so I will poke with a stick and look before reaching into most hidey holes though.

Edited February 10, 2010 by wimseyguy

[+Opalblade]

I'm not sure how they would do with cactus pokes, but I do a lot of my backcountry caching in BDUs. I've been impressed in general with how they hold up. Make sure you get real ones and not knock offs. I believe they are made from 50/50 nylon and cotton. They are reinforced in the knees and butt and have drawstrings around the ankles. They are hardy, breathable (especially desert ones) and moderately repel water.

 

Are these real ones? Thanks for the tip

 

http://www.combathunting.com/PANTS_B_D_U_S..._D_U_PANTS.html

 

Edit - woops those are boy ones.

Edited February 10, 2010 by Opalblade

[+cerberus1]

Duluth Trading sells hikers (with bdu pockets) made of fire hose cover in various weights.

Feels similar to Carhartt, may need some breaking in to get them comfy.

Not sure if they have womens sizes though (maybe online.)

 

I'm the one who gets stuck crashing through the briers, while hunting with CJ. She has me trained well.

Three years now and I've yet to wear 'em out or get a tear.

[+cerberus1]

I had a pair of kevlar pants for motorcycle riding years ago. Gusseted, they felt great. Over the years I've expanded a bit and no longer want to spend the big bucks on riding pants. Jeans are fine.

 

In our area, when bushwacking while caching, I'm usually in a pair of Wrangler jeans with cordura nylon up-to-the-thigh in front and over-the-calf in back.

But you guys have some SERIOUS thorny stuff in yours. May not be a good choice since large thorns tend to "pick" loops of material out, then your monster-thorns pick/tear out the loops, creating a weak spot.

[+Caped Crusader]

Having spent 6 years in the army I can say that BDUs are GREAT!!! I live in Tucson, AZ and have worn them caching. They are indeed very comfortable, but they do not do well against cacti. A good pair of jeans and BDUs compare about the same when dealing with punctures. If you decide to go with BDUs, I would suggest going to a military surplus store where you can usually get some good quality used ones for half the price of buying them new. Of course you can get new ones at surplus stores as well. Also look for summer weight BDUs instead of the winter ones. They'll be alot more comfortable and will breath better.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Team Grabeel

[+Opalblade]

An option someone just sent out on a local yahoo group is gaiters. Was looking at those and there are some designed to be puncture proof. They have an elastic under your boot and then strap/zip/velcro around your lower legs up to or just above the knee. The ones that go all the way up would be $40+ with shipping, leaving me still wanting to risk the impalements, hmm...I think

[+carolnbarney]

They make "briar proof" pants for folks hunting. They are usually made of a heavier weight duck type material with some type of tough material on the front of the leg portion. Expect something like leather, oilcloth, etc.

 

Any store, website that sells outdoor and hunting supplies should have them.

[+gatoller]

Having hunted in nasty briars around Georgia for years, and a number of years chasing Mearn's Quail around the mountains in Arizona, I can give you first-hand assurance that 'briar pants' is what you're looking for. They do work fairly well even in pretty thick catclaw and prickly pear, though if you walk straight through a pear bush, you'll get poked.

 

If it's snakes you're worried with, you need a good high pair of boots and a touch of common sense, is all.

 

Go to Cabelas.com and search for 'briar pants'. They've got a whole line of them.

Edited February 11, 2010 by gatoller

[+Opalblade]

This is the only option I could find for briar pants for women for anyone interested

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/38504?pi=60...739-Google_Base

[+Castle Mischief]

This is the only option I could find for briar pants for women for anyone interested

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/38504?pi=60...739-Google_Base

 

So hawt.

 

This has been an interesting read. I think I might have found a cure to my "inner monkey" fear of legless reptiles.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

While a little pricier, snake armor would probably be better against cacti than kevlar. Here's a link to some snake armor products. snake armor

 

"Tested with Live Snakes

TurtleSkin SnakeArmor Hunting Clothing has been tested with live rattlesnakes, successfully repelling both their strikes and venom."

 

Yikes, I hope that guy got paid well

 

I'm starting to gravitate towards the watch my step very carefully. If I got some kind of protective something I'd want them also be useable through the Summer and be less than $100. A local cacher said they found some fairly affordable kevlar jeans at an outlet but it's a good 1 1/2 away. Of course when I'm running around at the challenge with cactus sticking out of my legs I may regret my decision

You have to wonder how many testers they went through before they got the product right! "Oops, that didn't work, back to the drawing board... hey y'all, get me another tester!"

 

Cautious movement is the only thing that will protect you. I raced desert bikes for years in California and Arizona, never found anything but luck and the grace of God that kept my legs from being ripped and stuck by the many sharp things that grow in my path.

 

Carry tweezers and disinfectant and be careful.

 

Oh, and be extra careful in those private moments... I once took a girl camping in the Superstition Mountains outside of Phoenix AZ who left the tent at night to 'do her business'. We spent the rest of the weekend picking cacti out of her fanny after she chose the wrong thing to lean on!

Edited February 11, 2010 by TheAlabamaRambler

[+GeoGeeBee]

We spent the rest of the weekend picking cacti out of her fanny

 

Note to right-pondians: "Fanny" does not mean in the US what it means in the UK.

[+Opalblade]

This is the only option I could find for briar pants for women for anyone interested

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/38504?pi=60...739-Google_Base

 

So hawt.

 

This has been an interesting read. I think I might have found a cure to my "inner monkey" fear of legless reptiles.

 

Haha I know, so NOT hawt, which is why I'm holding out for someone to make briar proof women's pants that actually look like women's pants I like the looks of the women's BDU cargo pants a lot better.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Opalblade

[+Opalblade]

While a little pricier, snake armor would probably be better against cacti than kevlar. Here's a link to some snake armor products. snake armor

 

"Tested with Live Snakes

TurtleSkin SnakeArmor Hunting Clothing has been tested with live rattlesnakes, successfully repelling both their strikes and venom."

 

Yikes, I hope that guy got paid well

 

I'm starting to gravitate towards the watch my step very carefully. If I got some kind of protective something I'd want them also be useable through the Summer and be less than $100. A local cacher said they found some fairly affordable kevlar jeans at an outlet but it's a good 1 1/2 away. Of course when I'm running around at the challenge with cactus sticking out of my legs I may regret my decision

You have to wonder how many testers they went through before they got the product right! "Oops, that didn't work, back to the drawing board... hey y'all, get me another tester!"

 

Cautious movement is the only thing that will protect you. I raced desert bikes for years in California and Arizona, never found anything but luck and the grace of God that kept my legs from being ripped and stuck by the many sharp things that grow in my path.

 

Carry tweezers and disinfectant and be careful.

 

Oh, and be extra careful in those private moments... I once took a girl camping in the Superstition Mountains outside of Phoenix AZ who left the tent at night to 'do her business'. We spent the rest of the weekend picking cacti out of her fanny after she chose the wrong thing to lean on!

 

I have a related story, and warning. I did high school in South Africa and one year some of us went on a pony (really short rugged mountain horses, we weren't abusing little ponies) trek in Lesotho. Most of the villages we stayed in had porta-potties but one did not. We asked where we could go tinkle and the villagers pointed us towards a field along a cliff that shielded the area from the view of the village. So a few of us headed off for the first shift. Tinkle tinkle. We are zipping back up and suddenly one of us spots two elderly villagers smoking their pipes at the top of the cliff looking down at us Greeeeeeeeat. So we're standing around speculating about whether the villagers REEEALLY come out here to pee when one girl starts squirming and dancing around. She had sat in the Lesotho version of poison ivy. That poor girl, what a place to have a rash during a pony trek in the mountains. Moral of the story is don't squat to pee outside, get one of these instead:

http://www.go-girl.com/?gclid=CMKt99X16p8CFRNuswodi3wgpg

 

[+Castle Mischief]

This is the only option I could find for briar pants for women for anyone interested

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/38504?pi=60...739-Google_Base

 

So hawt.

 

This has been an interesting read. I think I might have found a cure to my "inner monkey" fear of legless reptiles.

 

Haha I know, so NOT hawt, which is why I'm holding out for someone to make briar proof women's pants that actually look like women's pants I like the looks of the women's BDU cargo pants a lot better.

 

I don't know... kind has that "could go anywhere and do anything" allure. I might grab the little woman a pair.

[knowschad]

This is the only option I could find for briar pants for women for anyone interested

 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/38504?pi=60...739-Google_Base

 

So hawt.

 

This has been an interesting read. I think I might have found a cure to my "inner monkey" fear of legless reptiles.

 

Haha I know, so NOT hawt, which is why I'm holding out for someone to make briar proof women's pants that actually look like women's pants I like the looks of the women's BDU cargo pants a lot better.

 

I don't know... kind has that "could go anywhere and do anything" allure. I might grab the little woman a pair.

Gasp!!! FLASKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[+Casting Crowns]

I bought a pair of knee high "gaiters" from Academy last year for $20. They work very well against snakes AND thorns/briars. Should still be cool enough come the Texas Challenge to be comfortable. They do get hot in the Summer. But, with all of the copperheads I ran across last year, it's the least of my concerns sweating a little bit.

[+Opalblade]

I bought a pair of knee high "gaiters" from Academy last year for $20. They work very well against snakes AND thorns/briars. Should still be cool enough come the Texas Challenge to be comfortable. They do get hot in the Summer. But, with all of the copperheads I ran across last year, it's the least of my concerns sweating a little bit.

 

Yikes, thanks for the tip I was planning to head to Academy to see what they had

[+Casting Crowns]

I wanna say at the store I went to they were over near the bow and arrow section along with the camo tape! Good luck!