February 22, 2001


What do you think of Filson's Mackinaw field pants?

After reading your response to the gentleman looking for wool knickers, I remembered a page I found when looking for wool pants. C.C. Filson sells Mackinaw field pants that can easily be cut into knickers. I plan on ordering a pair myself.

— Richard Cheshire, Connecticut

That's an excellent idea. Filson's Field Pants ($157 — yeow!) are incredibly heavy, warm wool pants with a six-pocket design for plenty of places to stash (and search for...) stuff. A good tailor should be able to make a wonderful, super-durable pair of knickers from them.

Alternatively, as I learned just a few weekends back while in Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retailer show, and about a dozen alert readers pointed out, there is indeed a domestic maker of good knickers: Ibex. That company specializes in natural-fabric high-performance clothing made of wool and cotton. In knickers, Ibex makes a model called the Gnarly, with is a classic design made of rugged, woven wool with four zippered pockets, gusseted cuff at the knee—a very nice design. At $145, they're a bit pricier than the knickers I wore long ago, but they'll last for years.

Some readers, especially you young people, might ask: Why knickers? Function, really. Knickers were developed because long pants tend to bind around the knee. With knickers, you get great freedom of movement. And, with knicker socks, warmth that can be adjusted by pulling the socks down around the boot tops. Knickers were THE climbing wear for decades. But they've become pretty scarce, in large part due to the advent of light, warm synthetic materials that could be worn in their stead. I tossed my last pair of knickers some time back. But they still have a place in some climbers' wardrobe, and certainly remain a highly functional item.