Pants with knee pads

[Pseudonym]

I was posting in the hatchet/saw thread and explained that I like to kneel when using my hatchet. This is only comfortable because I wear pants with an integrated pocket at the knee to hold a piece of closed cell foam in just the right place for a little extra protection. The pocket is gusseted and overlapping, so the pads stay put. They add hardly add any bulk, or weight, and yield a huge comfort upgrade around camp. I fully recommend.

Before posting, I searched the forum for "knee pads" and of course most of those posts seem to pertain to the pads installed in the bilge for kneeling while paddling. Towards that end, integrated pant-knee-pads even work decently for the paddler who primarily sits, but likes to occasionally kneel in stretches of swift water.

 

[Keeled Over]

Like these?

https://www.fjallraven.com/us/en-us...users/keb-trousers-m/?v=F87176::7323450989064

On the Thelon trip both guides and the Swiss contingent all wore these and swore by them.

 

[Alan Gage]

I have a friend in that works on wind turbines (crawling around on his knees often) and he has pants like that. I thought it was a great idea when I saw them but, obviously, I've been too lazy to rustle up a pair.

Alan

 

[Alan Gage]

I found a couple more budget options as opposed to the Fjallravens

NEW! Style 054-PRO Painter's Pants |Thrive Workwear | Extreme Performance

Knee Protection Just Got Even Better- SQUISH® Knee Pad Inserts Details We added the convenience of being able to remove your SQUISH® knee pads and share them across multiple pairs of 054-PRO Painter's knee pad pants to save some cash. Or, if you prefer to load them in and forget about them...

thriveworkwear.com

The Carhart link won't unfurl so here it is

 

[GeoBoy]

I just bought The Law pants from Kuhl. They are double knee in the full and waxed versions.

 

[Keeled Over]

I have been pleased to see clothing companies not generally involved in the outdoor world getting involved. My Carhart balaclava was $12 while the Lowe Alpine was more then double. I always reach for the Carhart. Dickies and Wrangler are also making some inroads, and some of my favorite shorts from these two have supplanted my North Face/Columbia offerings. Good for the market - great for us. Buy now before the inevitable price creep.

 

[Simuliumvenustum]

I have a pair of Sitka Mountain Pants with integrated knee pads. They are not cheap, but they work great.

Mountain Pant | SITKA Gear

View the Mountain Pant in Optifade Open Country. The Mountain Pant is–hands down–the Swiss knife of big game pants.

www.sitkagear.com

 

[Keeled Over]

I have a pair of Sitka Mountain Pants with integrated knee pads. They are not cheap, but they work great.

Mountain Pant | SITKA Gear

View the Mountain Pant in Optifade Open Country. The Mountain Pant is–hands down–the Swiss knife of big game pants.

www.sitkagear.com

I agree - they are fantastic but the price for me is the sticking point. As everyone most likely knows, most of these companies do not produce their own products. Hodgeman, for example made waders for about everyone. Manufacturers don't want you to know who makes their products for them but with some digging you can usually find out. If you do you can get a very similar product for a greatly reduced price. There will always be a bit of a design difference between retailers, but the core is what you are after.

 

[pblanc]

5.11 sells knee-pad ready pants that have inner pockets for foam pads that are much cheaper than the above options. These are intended to be "tactical" pants and shooting pants that allow the wearer to take a knee or kneel more comfortably and quickly. The Taclite Pro pants are made from a pretty tough and fairly light ripstop fabric. 5.11 pants

 

[Pseudonym]

Like these?

https://www.fjallraven.com/us/en-us...users/keb-trousers-m/?v=F87176::7323450989064

On the Thelon trip both guides and the Swiss contingent all wore these and swore by them.

Yes, mine are fjallraven, though they're an older pair that doesn't have the ankle zippers featured in that link. I wish they did. I often end up taking them off while paddling (because I wear a light pair of river shorts underneath) and have to wrestle them around the sole of my boot.

The fabric is acrylic/cotton blend that feels nice and doesn't take on too much water, dries reasonably fast and still wears hard. There's a stretch fabric in the crotch (great feature) which had me concerned about durability but they've held up well. Thigh zips are nice for dumping heat. I like them so much I wouldn't hesitate to spend the premium again for a second pair when the time comes. I make the knee pads out of foam scraps and replace them every couple trips or so.

 

[MyKneesHurt]

I've worn Kebs every day for probably 8 years now, they don't have pads in the knees or slots to install them. There is a brand of work pants called Snickers that look very similar, but do have knee pad slots; they are also much more affordable.
The older Kebs were probably the best all-around pants I've ever seen, but they've recently changed the style to a *very* slim leg profile and made it more difficult to send them back to Fjallraven for repair, so I won't spend the money on another pair. No Kebs have back pockets, just hip and thigh pockets.
@Pseudonym - I don't think any Kebs have ankle zippers, they have a thigh vent and a calf vent on each leg. It'd be a great feature if they did do a pair with an ankle zip.

EDIT - Holy cow, yes, they do have slots to install knee pads! I have never noticed that in 8 years.

 

[Pseudonym]

EDIT - Holy cow, yes, they do have slots to install knee pads! I have never noticed that in 8 years.

If a guy who goes by the name @MyKneesHurt ends up discovering that the pants he already wears every single day can accommodate a knee pad.... well... I think my work is here is done!

 

[Keeled Over]

I've worn Kebs every day for probably 8 years now, they don't have pads in the knees or slots to install them. There is a brand of work pants called Snickers that look very similar, but do have knee pad slots; they are also much more affordable.
The older Kebs were probably the best all-around pants I've ever seen, but they've recently changed the style to a *very* slim leg profile and made it more difficult to send them back to Fjallraven for repair, so I won't spend the money on another pair. No Kebs have back pockets, just hip and thigh pockets.
@Pseudonym - I don't think any Kebs have ankle zippers, they have a thigh vent and a calf vent on each leg. It'd be a great feature if they did do a pair with an ankle zip.

EDIT - Holy cow, yes, they do have slots to install knee pads! I have never noticed that in 8 years.

Thank God you saw them - I was starting to think it was time for me to go to the home.

 

[MyKneesHurt]

If a guy who goes by the name @MyKneesHurt ends up discovering that the pants he already wears every single day can accommodate a knee pad.... well... I think my work is here is done!

I may beat myself up over that for a few days...