Chaps. Do you use them? What kind do you like? Why?

A question for you. I am putting together my gear list for my Mexico to Canada trip in 2015. I have never worn chaps for my horse pack trips, but figure for a trip like this it's probably a good idea. Do you wear chaps? What kind of chaps do you prefer, and why? I am asking a bunch of folks these questions and will be posting the results on my blog, westerntrailrider.com. Thanks.

I have been asking the same think and what I have been told is. Shot gun chaps do give you more protection from thorns and brush also warmer in cooler, and drier in wet weather. Chinks are cooler in hot weather. This is all second hand info so take it for what it is worth.

I have both...

It depends on what im doing but I like them both. I wear my chaps on trails and they've saved many jeans from tearing and kept me dry many times lol

And I wear them in winter for regular riding work

Then summer I wear my chinks for ranch work but that's about it.


(really bad picture of me in my chaps haha)

I only wear shotgun chaps. 95% of the time I wear them riding whether I am trail riding or just out in the pasture working. Im very comfortable in them and it saves a lot of my poor blue jeans.

I have had both, Shotguns are great they do keep you warmer when its cold, but if its hot out they get a little warm. I love my chinks and will never be without a pair, I do ride from time to time without them but if I am "going on a Ride" I put on my chinks. If I only had money for one pair.....man......I think I would go with.....thats hard, chinks I think chinks maybe yes I think so.

I only have chinks myself. Wear them anytime I might head into an area with lots of thorns or nasty branches that prefer to stick a hole in you rather than give. When heading trails that are more open, I leave them in the trailer.

Well I was the high bidder last night on a pair of shot guns we will see when we get them here. And Tony if you like maybe we can use them for a pattern for you to make you a pair.

That'll work. I have patterns for chinks, and can interpolate those for batwings.

One interesting post on a fb page that I had not thought about was regarding wearing chinks in AZ cactus country. She said she wears shotguns, because the cactus always wants to poke you in the shins and chinks just don't help much for that. I'm sensitive to that. When I was about 4-5 years old, I fell off a horse into a pile of cholla (jumping cactus, in the vernacular). Luckily the memory is pretty foggy. Funny how your mind blocks some unpleasant memories like that.

I can see where chinks would be good for Texas mesquite country and AZ's higher desert elevations where there's more juniper and cedar than anything else.

I still have an old pair of English schooling chaps, which I had custom-made back in the 90's. . .and I will still wear them on trail. I love having that extra added layer in cool weather, and it's a bonus when you're riding through areas with a lot of "little pricklies" that would otherwise catch on your jeans. They just bounce right off the smooth leather.

I vote "yes" on chaps. Better to have 'em and not need 'em, than need 'em and not have 'em. ;)

By any chance are you going on the Pacific Crest Trail? A good friend of mine is hoping in the next couple of years to ride from Canada to Mexico.....