Trailwork means clearing brush, cutting logs, kneeling, moving rocks, and many other actions that beat up, tear, and shred traditional hiking pants.
This trailwork means heavier-duty pants that can stand up to the challenges of these tasks versus hiking pants.
Over the years, I’ve found two types of pants that lend themselves to this type of work.
For the first one, 65/35 polycotton pants work well for heavier trail work (moving rocks, cutting and moving blowdowns, etc.). They are inexpensive, rugged, and able to withstand the abuse of trail work (or related work). They do get hot, but sometimes, it can’t be helped. I do like them in colder weather.
LAPG makes some so-called tactical pants that, if you buy them in earth-tone colors, do not look overly “tacticool.”
The pockets are handy for tools, and the reinforced knee patches hold up well.
I have rotated two pairs of these since 2019.
The “Urban Ops” name is a bit cringy, but the utility is not.
At under $40 for trail work pants, I find them quite nice.
From a project we did last winter. PCO Joan. “Rocking the Squak,” too!
I like using lighter fabric pants for light-duty trail work, especially as it gets warmer. The Propper “Edgetec Slick” pants are made of lighter material than the pants above and look somewhat like more traditional hiking pants rather than military-style pants.
They are 100% polyester, have ripstop fabric, and reinforced knees. Again, as they are made with light fabric, they work well for light-duty trail work (cutting brush, closing down social trails, etc.), especially in hotter weather.
They do not look “tacticool” at all, have no cargo pockets, and are available in earth tones. At $35, they are also quite a good bargain.
I used a pair for a few years now, too.
From Joan.
Other pants might be heavier-duty or less baggy, but I found both of these pants’ price-to-performance ratios to be a winning combination for my trail working needs.
Disclosure – I paid for these pants with my funds.