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

I wear chinks. I have a pair of chaps a friend gave me but I've yet to get them tailored. She's about 4 inches taller than I am.

The full shotguns are kinda handy when your horse brushes you up against some of these 5 foot tall cactus. We don't have the big cactus that Arizona does, But these are big enough

Yep. That's a cholla! I'm sure it was imported to Utah from AZ on a cow at some point.

Haha! I have thought I might need to ride back to my horse trailer in AZ on the PCT.

I have logged many-a-miles in the AZ desert - cholla and all - and I never had a problem with just chinks. If you run into a large cholla grove you can usually go around them, as they grow in large patches because the segmented pieces of the plant that fall off are what take root, and nothing really moves those segments around much once they fall except for the brave pack rat ever now and again.

I must say your ride sounds like it's going to be spectacular, I am jealous!

I'd say it all depends. I generally wear chaps of some sort anytime I ride, I like the extra grip. And hey, chaps just look way cool!

That being said:

• Shotguns hold in the heat - maybe a good thing up north?
• Chinks help fend off tall brush and light rain but not much else (although they look way cool)

Another thing to think about is the material for your chaps. The purists here will cringe but sometimes leather may not be the best bet as even the best waterproofing will eventually soak through.

Here in the PNW I tend to favor a set of heavy oilskin shotgun chaps that turn aside our incessant rain. Filson makes some excellent, but spendy, oilskin chaps that will keep you dry and warm.

What type of terrain, and associated climate, will your trip from Canada to Mexico take you through?

It will be desert to high mountains, but mostly dry climate. Even in the mountains it normally rains just an hour or so a day in the rainly season. Nothing like the endless rains you get up there.

I have a pair of brown Tough 1-Western fringe chaps and also a pair of black English schooling leather chaps I use.

I'm going to order patterns from Klenda Custom Saddlery, Custom Saddlemaker Bob Klenda. I decided to go ahead and order patterns for the #29 long chinks, the #33 Arizona shotguns, and I may order a set of batwing patterns if they aren't rodeo/show type. I need to call them and ask.

I've been looking at leather and figure I'll just make a couple pair and start honing my leatherwork skills a little.

We'll see how it goes.

I've always worn double fringe armitas. They have more too them than chinks, but are not as heavy and bulky as batwings or shotguns. Here's me sporting my new oxblood pair.