How do you avoid sweating your pants into a waterlogged state under hip boots?

I recently had a reasonably strenuous hunt wearing Cabela's Bog Buster Custom Ankle-Fit Hip Boots. Lots of walking/running/climbing. Loved the fit. But, each day upon returning to camp, the Carhart ripstop pants I was wearing under them were soaked thru with a perfect waterline starting at where the top of the hip boot squeezed onto my thigh, and extending all the way down to my ankles. Feet remained dry.

Each night I hung the day's pants out to dry and wore the previous night's hanging spare pair out for the following day.

Is this just a choice between the lesser of two evils?: Really wet pants from my own sweat, or really wet pants from rain and stream crossings? Granted, I was never once cold in the hip boots. But I did feel like I'd somehow defeated the purpose of wearing them in the first place. And worried that if I were facing colder Alaskan weather, the sweat accumulation on the legs had the potential to develop into a problem.

Any advice on how to stay both dry and warm in hip boots from the thighs down on coastal Moose and Bear hunts?

Thanks in advance.

Polpropelene long johns make you feel drier next to your skin but I learned a long time ago that if you are going to be out hunting in the rain all day you are going to get wet.

Agree with 458 Win, but switching to breathable (Goretex) waders (and presumably hip boots) seemed to cut down on the wetness down below. Maybe purely perception (I've not done a formal moisture test), but seemed a big improvement to me.

Similar to what 458Win said, dont wear cotton anything. I wear synthetic pants with hippers whether they are fleece, Microtex, or a variety of others they breathe and dry fast. Cotton is the worst of all evils for hunting, up here especially.

Arrid Extra Dry and polypropylene - Spray down legs and feet before donning clothes. Works for me.

Having just returned from a month of guiding near Cordova this thread needs my 2cents. If its raining your gonna get wet but this year I added a lite set of breathable raingear under hellys and wore insulated rubber gloves. Both sets of raingear were wet but I was remarkably drier than usual and the gloves kept my hands warm although damp.

quote:

a lite set of breathable raingear under hellys

Can I ask what brand / construction of breathable rain gear you think are best?

Any other layers under the inner set of rain gear?

How about the feet - Xtratuffs?

Thanks in advance.

Breathable rain gear will get you wet and so will goretex. I've had both and when your hunting in the rain all day it will soak through. The only rain gear I have found that will keep the rain off me is the Helly Hanson rain gear, Impertech in particular. If you are doing a lot of hiking in the Impertech you will get hot and sweat in them, but I prefer that over getting wet from the rain. As for the waders, I have the same problem when I hike a lot in them so I carry regular boots along with me just in case I have to do some serious hiking. I wore the Sporthill Expedition camo pants this past fall and they worked better than I could have hoped.

The best i have found are Frogg Toggs or Dri Duck "paper" rainsuits under Helly Hanson rubber raingear. Likewise goretex socks under your hip boots or goretex waders.

stuntpilot2, I am going to reiterate this based on your original post. Up here in Alaska it can rain non-stop for days, the vegetation can stay wet for weeks. A lot of guys up here (myself included)have searched endlessly for the best raingear available and this is my conclusion. Anything that is 100% waterproof will NOT breathe! Helly Hansen Impertech is a good example of this as well as some of the heavier commercial stuff. It will keep the water out but if your humping it around you will get wet inside from your own sweat.The most critical component of dressing for the outdoors up here is the material your clothing is made of. For example if I am wearing some fleece pants and you are wearing the Carhart ripstop pants which I imagine are made of 100% cotton, we can both be wet from sweat after a long day hiking in raingear and hipers. The difference is that all I need is some wind and thirty minutes minus the rain and my pants are completely dry. Heck I have even put them in my sleeping bag at night with me and woke up with them dry. So keep in mind that if its wet out you will get wet one way or another unless you stay in the tent, its how your gear recovers from a couple rough days that makes the difference. i do have to reply that I used the Marmot Precip raingear this year for my sheep hunt and was quite impressedwith how well it worked not to mention how light it is and how well it packs. Anyway thats my $.02

Great thoughts, thanks.

I do tend to avoid cotton. Has anyone used Cabela's Rain Suede Dry-Plus Pants w/Scent-Lok in Alaska yet? I've got a couple pair I'm seriously considering using for next year's Moose/Brown Bear hunt.