Welcome to our hand-picked list of the best hunting pants of 2023. Here, you’ll find gear for your primary objective — whether that’s hunting deer, elk, and other big game in alpine conditions or flushing grouse upland.
For those big game hunts in the freezing cold, we included warm, insulated, and even heated cold-weather hunting pants for bone-chilling days in the blind. Plus, the upland hunters out there will find a rugged pair of pants that’ll leave their legs free of briars and thorns, too.
We didn’t forget early-season lightweight hunting pants, either.
If it’s waterfowl you’re after, we’ve recommended a waterproof pair to ensure you’ll stay warm and your legs steady. And because this list highlights the best, you’ll see options from Under Armour, KUIU, Sitka, Carhartt, and more.
Now, let’s jump right into the best hunting pants of 2023.
Best Overall Hunting Pants
KUIU Attack
When you need a pant that can do it all, look no further than the KUIU Attack pant. Because we value versatility, these pants stand alone as 2023’s best option on the market – and they’re available for both men and women.
Made of a four-way stretch material called Primeflex by Toray, you won’t have any problem getting from point A to point B — even if that means hopping over a log or scrambling over some rocks.
And with a gusseted crotch and articulated knees, that stretch material isn’t the only factor keeping you free to move in any direction. With thoughtful details and quality materials, it’s no surprise that hunters think these are the most comfortable pants they’ve ever worn.
When it’s warmer outside, the hip vents allow hot air to escape from your body. If you want to simplify your hunting wardrobe with a single pair of pants, KUIU’s Attack Pants are the best option.
- Pros: Extremely comfortable, stretchy, durable, breathable, quiet, versatile enough for everyday use
- Cons: Can get caught on a thorn here and there, run small
- Best for: All your hunting needs
Best Camo Pants with Kneepads
Sitka Timberline
Our pick for 2023’s best hunting pants with kneepads comes from a name we’re sure you’re familiar with: Sitka. For starters, your pants should fit quite comfortably. Thanks to Sitka’s four-way stretch, when you move, the Timberlines do too.
Sitka engineered the knees (and seat) with double-reinforced polyester and removable knee pads to help you push through the prickly brush, cactus, and whatever else you tries to grab you.
Because these pants were created to withstand harsh mid-to-late seasons, you’ll find Gore-TEX. This material repels water and blocks wind to keep you warm and dry when it gets cold and wet outside.
The Timberline is available in four different camo patterns to best blend in with where you hunt. If you’re wondering about fit, they’re mostly true-to-size, but if you need to layer with long johns, order a size up.
- Pros: Comfortable, very warm, durable, waterproof, excellent windproofing, soft yet tough
- Cons: Sizing can be off
- Best for: Big game hunting, mid-to-late seasons
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Warmest Pants for Cold-Weather Conditions
KUIU Kutana Gale Force
When it comes to the warmest cold weather hunting pants in 2023, their KUIU Kutana Gale Force ranks as our top pick.
KUIU constructed these pants with a high-tech three-layered water and windproof system that keeps cold winter wind out while maximizing breathability. But despite the new waterproof material, you shouldn’t ever get that steamed feeling on your legs that’s common with less breathable gear.
We can’t say enough good things about these pants, and we’re not the only ones. KUIU’s customers rave about how toasty they are, with many stating they are the warmest pants they’ve ever owned. For a more multi-purpose option, check out Sitka’s Timberline pants.
If you need the warmest pants to help you power through the bitter cold of late-season hunting, look no further than this high-end hunting clothing from KUIU.
- Pros: Extremely warm, very breathable, high-tech, exceptionally well made
- Cons: Expensive
- Best for: Extreme cold, big-game hunting, rugged conditions
Intriguing Newcomers
Hiden Super Stalk
I’m always skeptical of a new camo company arriving on the scene because of the oversaturated market and the infinite amount of patterns, colors, and designs there are to choose from already. After all, as the adage goes, your Grandpappy shot deer in a flannel, right?
After meeting with the owner of Hiden at the Pope and Young convention in Reno this year, I have renewed faith in the hunting apparel industry. And, after getting my hands on these pants, I’m eager to include them on this list.
Granddad used to hunt in flannel, but that doesn’t mean camo patterns don’t work even better. Just ask the owner of Hiden. He shared several anecdotes about deer walking right up to him and being confused about what they were looking at.
Don’t just take his word for it, though. Check out this tool from Camo Matrix. You can compare Hiden to brands like KUIU and Sitka and see how their pattern stacks up in various landscapes.
- Pros: Durable but lightweight fabric, camo pattern breaks up your outline well
- Cons: No zippers to vent your nether regions
- Best For: Spot and stalkers who like to get close enough to hear their prey munching on grass
Lightweight Pants for Warm-Weather
Nomad Stretch-Lite
Far less insulated than the Sitka or KUIU pants above, these Stretch-Lites from Nomad are our best pair of hunting pants for the hot weather and early-season hunts.
Nomad made these pants with a lightweight, breathable, and quick-drying material that’s also durable enough to resist sticks, tree limbs, and thorns.
And even if you sweat a bit, don’t worry about scaring off your prey. That’s because Nomad designed the Stretch-Lites with a scent-suppression material that keeps you from stinking up the joint.
These pants are lightweight and won’t break the bank. They also come in six camo patterns, so you’re bound to find some Nomad lightweight hunting pants that match your gear.
- Pros: Inexpensive, very comfortable, soft, come in many designs
- Cons: Light for anything other than early season
- Best for: Spring turkey hunts, early-season bow hunting, hunting down South
Best Women’s Hunting Pants for Cold Weather
SHE Outdoor Insulated Waterproof
Many hunting apparel companies tailor their clothing to men. And it’s a shame because men aren’t the only ones who hunt.
Thankfully, SHE, a women-specific brand, created pants for women. These insulated, waterproof pants feature 150 grams of ThermoLite Insulation to keep hunters warm when temperatures drop. Not only that, they’re waterproof and breathable too.
They’re equipped with plenty of thoughtful features, like knee-high zippers for taking boots on and off and hook and loop ankle closures to help keep heat in while blocking out mud. We also love that these pants come with magnetic back pockets to keep your stuff secure while you bounce around the backcountry.
Give the SHE Outdoor Insulated Waterproof pants a look simply because they do what they’re supposed to — keep lady hunters warm, dry, and comfortable.
- Pros: Waterproof, windproof, warm, made for women, knee-high zippers
- Cons: Not the best for extreme cold, a bit bulky
- Best for: Mid-to-late season hunting
Best Upland Hunting Pants
Filson Shelter Cloth Brush
For upland hunting, you need lightweight, breathable pants to chase birds, pheasants, and turkeys around in thick brush. For those bird hunters, look no further than Filson’s Shelter Cloth Brush Pants.
Made of medium-weight, water-repellent fabric and materials, you shouldn’t have a problem trudging through dense cover in these bad boys. That’s because the key material at play is Filson’s Shelter Cloth Fabric, which is highly durable, tear-resistant, and strategically placed on high-wear areas of the pant.
Filson calls this material Shelter Cloth because it’s very similar to the tenting fabric used by the US military in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Back then, this tent cloth was incredibly water-resistant yet durable, so Filson used it in their pants.
Ultimately, these pants make for an excellent solid-color upland hunting option. And, if you’re in the market for a dependable hunting glove, these team up with the Orvis Uplander Shooting Glove to make for a deadly combo.
- Pros: Very durable, water-resistant, no break-in time
- Cons: Sizing a bit off
- Best for: Upland hunting, pheasant, grouse, and turkey hunting, brush
Waterproof Pants for Duck & Waterfowl Hunting
Drake Guardian Elite
Let’s move from the dry upland terrain towards the wet and mucky environment where ducks and other waterfowl splash around. You’ll need the Drake Guardian Elite High-Back Hunt Pant to hunt in these challenging conditions.
This 100% waterproof pair of pants are built to maintain warmth while repelling all of the frigid water you’ll find when exploring ponds and marshes. To completely lock in the waterproofing, these pants feature taped seams and Fowl-Proof YKK zippers that stop water in its tracks.
Drake reinforced the knees and butt for the high-wear areas, which means these pants are built to last. They’re also lined with Sherpa fleece inside, keeping you warm and cozy when the weather gets frosty.
In all, Drake’s Guardian Elites will give you warmth, water resistance, and comfort when all the outside world wants to do is make you cold, wet, and miserable.
- Pros: Waterproof, very warm, kidney-warming pouch a nice touch, lifetime workmanship guarantee
- Cons: None we can find
- Best for: Duck and waterfowl hunting, hunting in cold, wet conditions
Lightweight & Quiet Bow Hunting Pants
Under Armour Stealth Reaper
If you’re here to look at the best pair of lightweight hunting pants for bowhunting, look at Under Armour’s Stealth Reaper Early Season pants.
As you know, a bowhunter’s ability to stalk big game quietly is critical, so you need durable materials that won’t swish and swoosh with every step you take. The Stealth Reaper was made to accomplish that goal while checking several additional boxes.
Under Armour uses their UA Storm Tech material found in various products, including their early and mid-season hunting gloves. This lightweight and breathable fabric repels water while remaining breathable enough to keep your legs from getting sweaty and uncomfortable.
You’ll also find a right-side knife pocket, hand pockets to warm up your paws, zip cargo pockets, and back pockets for your wallet or whatever else you need to stash back there. The Sealth Reapers also come in two camo patterns, so you can pair them with your gloves, jackets, and other UA gear.
- Pros: Very well made, comfortable, soft, durable, fit very well
- Cons: Not much
- Best for: Early-season bow hunting, warm-weather hunting, hiking
Lightweight Pants Built to Cover Long Miles
Sitka Traverse
Elk, deer, and other big game traverse huge areas, with elk covering tracts as large as 500 square miles. That means you need lightweight hunting pants to help you stay on their tail.
Made of stretchy, quiet, and breathable fabric, the Traverse uses a four-way stretch material to enable high-end mobility. We think these are at the top of the heap if you’re after a pair of pants that won’t bunch up on you as you wind your way through the backcountry.
Sitka made the pockets of mesh increase airflow during warmer hunts. Plus, Sitka double-reinforced the knife anchor points and employed the best zipper on the market: YKK.
They’ll fit more snugly to eliminate any open areas that cause them to lose heat. Finally, you can find these in Sitka’s most popular camouflage designs, so you can match them to all the gear you already own.
- Pros: Very quiet, durable, extremely comfortable
- Cons: Collect burrs
- Best for: Tracking elk tens of miles, dry weather, early-season hunting
Best Wool Hunting Pants
Cabela’s Wooltimate
Wool: it’s warm as can be, even when it gets wet. This is why many hunters seek it out as the primary material for their cold-weather hunting pants. So, which wool pants do we recommend? For our money, we think the Cabela’s Wooltimate are some of the best wool camouflage hunting pants on the market.
Cabela’s combines Berber fleece and wool within a single layer to dish out warmth and water resistance as you move through the field. Further, Cabela’s added in their 4MOST WINDSHEAR, a wind-resistant inner liner that stops gusts in their tracks.
These are also equipped with six handy pockets to stash your gear and side zips to help you get in and out of your boots without taking your pants off.
Reviewers love how warm these pants are, though that warmth can create a bit of bulkiness when layered. When you need absolute silence, like for bow hunting, some think the inner liner can be a bit noisy.
- Pros: Very warm, comfortable, excellent camo
- Cons: Might be loud for some during bow hunts
- Best for: Mid-to late-season hunting, big-game hunting
Best Women’s Early-to-Mid-Season Pants
ScentLok Forefront
While the SHE brand pants are great cold-weather hunting pants, these ScentLok’s Forefronts are among 2023’s most versatile all-around ladies hunting pants.
These pants offer two handy ways to stay stealthy while elk or deer hunting. First, their micro tricot outer fabric keeps you quiet as you stalk your prey. Second, ScentLok integrated their odor-neutralizing Carbon Alloy technology into the pants to keep you from scaring off critters with your scent.
ScentLok has three features to keep you feeling mobile and agile in your pants: an elastic waistband, inner-thigh gusset, and articulated knees to keep you moving comfortably. Because what good are pants if they don’t wear well?
All this comfort wouldn’t mean much if these pants couldn’t also keep you dry, and that’s where ScentLok’s Precip-X technology comes in. It’s a breathable, water-resistant technology that keeps fabric durable while shedding water and repelling blood to boot.
- Pros: Made for women, warm, comfortable, water-resistant, odor-blocking, very quiet
- Cons: Not made for extreme cold
- Best for: Mid-season hunting, late early-season hunting, stalking prey
Best Everyday Camo Pant
Carhartt Rugged Flex Rigby
Carhartt’s a brand long associated with workwear. Given their camo pattern, the Rugged Flex Rigby makes great work pants that enable you to sneak into the woods for some hunting when the moment strikes.
That said, don’t expect to find advanced waterproofing or windproof materials in these pants. You’ll find versatile everyday camo pants that feature great patterns and a bit of stretch to keep you comfortable no matter which direction you go.
The Rugged Flex Rigbys are suitable for dry weather hunting, working, and simple everyday activities where you need to move comfortably.
If you’re looking for a more hunting-centric lightweight pant, we recommend the Nomad’s Stretch-Lite, an excellent alternative.
- Pros: Durable, flexible, can perform double duty
- Cons: Not waterproof, but they’re also not made to be
- Best for: Workwear, sneaking out to hunt
Best Bib for Late Seasons
Sitka Incinerator
Pants, pants, pants. That’s what this post is all about, right? Not exactly. We’ve included the Sitka Incinerator Bib because sometimes you need more coverage than just a pair of pants — you need an insulating layer for your core when facing extreme winter weather and snow.
Made from a two-layer GORE-TEX laminate, this bib is built to keep harsh wind and cold water at bay while you trudge through the cold brush. And you shouldn’t be too afraid of making noise as you move around, either, as the Incinerators feature a brushed-polyester knit face to keep noise to a minimum. If you’re after high-end hunting clothing, here you go.
It also has several handy cargo, chest, and hand pockets which are great for stashing quick-access gear inside. This beast of a bib is also equipped with full side zips, so you can air out while you move around outside of the stand or blind.
Sitka’s sizing seemed a bit off for some hunters, so dig into their sizing guide before pulling the trigger on the best insulated hunting bib we’ve found.
- Pros: Extremely warm, very comfortable, well made, water and windproof, lots of pockets
- Cons: Some don’t like the rubber shoulder straps
- Best for: Extreme cold, big-game hunting, sitting in the tree stand
Heated Base Layer Pants for the Extreme Cold
ActionHeat 5V Heated
If you sit in a tree stand for hours on end, your rear end can get frozen solid. So, if you’re the type who’s looking for the next big thing or loves to hunt in ice-cold conditions, give this heated base layer a look.
The ActionHeat base layer has three built-in carbon-fiber heating panels in the knees, thighs, and the top of your backside. These heaters can crank the heat up to 130 degrees for more than two full hours.
This clever base layer is powered by ActionHeat’s included 5V power bank, which uses a USB cord to power them, and can even top up your phone when you run out of juice. If you want to extend their heating capabilities, bring another battery.
These pants are not bulky and would work as a perfect base layer to eliminate the need for cumbersome layering. Additionally, they will provide better freedom of movement while keeping you warmer in the late seasons.
- Pros: Very warm, great for layering, non-bulky, replaceable battery
- Cons: Heating button placement might take some getting used to
- Best for: Layering, sitting in the blind or stand, range of movement, augmenting existing pants
Different Pants for Different Hunters
It should come as no surprise that not all hunting pants work well for all hunting scenarios. For example, a burly pair of waterproof pants on a warm early-season day may make you so sweaty that you never want to hunt again.
Likewise, you’ll probably catch more than a cold if you try hunting in an early-season pair during the dead of winter up north.
It comes down to picking out the best pants for where and how you hunt, so choose wisely.
Early Season Big Game
Early-season big game hunts require breathable, lightweight, and, most importantly, silent pants.
Many big game hunters use bows during the early season, so it’ll be a long day if their pants make noise and scare away that deer or elk. An excellent example of great early-season pants is the Nomad Stretch-Lite.
Late Season Big Game
Hunting in late seasons means you need fabrics to handle all the abuse and icy weather mother nature can bring. That means you need durable pants that withstand snags that can provide uncompromising warmth and insulation.
These pants will likely be made with materials like GORE-TEX and feature triple-layer fabric systems. Some might even use heating elements inside to keep you warm when it’s well below zero.
Check out these three products to get a good idea of what an excellent late-season big game pant looks like:
Duck & Waterfowl
Ducks and waterfowl live near chilly water sources, so you need pants that won’t get soaking wet when placing decoys or trudging through shallow water.
These pants will have taped seams so water can’t get in, and some will even include extras like kidney warmers to keep your core warm when it’s as cold and wet as it gets.
Check out the Drake Guardian Elite if you’re after ducks and other waterfowl.
Upland Hunting
Upland hunting has its differences when compared to waterfowl hunting. Here, you need durable pants that won’t get snagged and can handle the rigors of dry, thorny bushes.
We think the Filson Shelter Cloth Brush Pants provide excellent durability and water resistance to keep the early morning dew out of your pants as you burst through the brush.
Men’s & Women’s Options
Tons of hunting gear companies only include men’s options, so we wanted to highlight the great companies creating exceptional hunting equipment for women. SHE Outdoor and ScentLok make particularly good women’s hunting pants.
Factors We Considered When Analyzing Hunting Pants
Pants are an essential piece of everyday gear for hunting of all types. That’s why we analyzed several critical features to ensure you suit up in the right pair for your particular hunt.
Warmth
Pants that aren’t warm enough won’t cut it. That’s why we included pants with warmth levels that work for all four seasons. For late-season hunts, you need insulation to protect you from freezing temperatures.
Or, if you’re on an early-season turkey hunt, you need to be sure your pants won’t be so warm they won’t steam up your legs and stifle your movement. Of course, mid-season pants strike a sweet spot and provide versatility for the days that start with chilly weather and warm up as the afternoon approaches.
Water Resistance
Water resistance is a vital feature, especially if you hunt in wet and soggy conditions. That’s why we’ve taken water resistance very seriously when recommending pants, especially for mid-to-late-season hunting.
Wind Resistance
Part of staying warm means you can block out the wind when you need to. That’s where wind resistance comes in; it helps you to stave off the wind chill and keep your mind on hunting. Most late-season and cold-weather pants that made this list have exceptional wind resistance.
Breathability
Breathability and water resistance are often at odds with one another, but it doesn’t have to be this way. We’ve made sure to include products that feature breathable fabrics that not only help you shed water but also keep you from getting sweaty, sticky, and clammy.
Quietness
Many cheaply made hunting pants are noisy and don’t allow you to sneak up and stalk whatever you’re hunting effectively. So, we had to ensure the pants on this list allow you to move silently — like an assassin.
Durability
Hunting products that can’t withstand harsh elements have no place in your closet. That’s why we’ve only recommended dependable, well-reviewed pants that can take a beating season after season.
Color Composition
Camo is stealthy and enables you to disappear into the forest and strike at a moment’s notice. Solid colors are more suited for upland hunting when you need to blend in with golden prairies and more open environments.
Which Hunting Pants Will You Rock on Your 2023 Hunt?
Our list of best hunting pants for 2023 should offer every man or woman a quality pair of britches that stand up to their specific type of hunt. To cover all of our bases, we couldn’t leave anything to chance.
From lightweight hunting pants for early-season hunts to the warmest and most insulated cold-weather hunting pants, we hope you find a pair that hits the mark.
We also included top-notch hunting pants for upland, waterfowl, elk & big game hunters.
Our selections will come as no surprise, as the pairs we recommend come from the biggest names in the hunting industry, including Under Armour, KUIU, Sitka, Carhartt, and more.
Ultimately, the best brands make the best hunting pants for men and women who have their eyes set on the 2023 season ahead.
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Last Updated on August 16, 2023
