Pants?

[bran_gray]

2010 will be my first year going to a renaissance festival in garb and I'm having a few problems deciding on certain items.

Mainly, I'm trying to decide between some nice comfortable cloth pants or (as my wife insists) a pair of leather pants.

So far I have a green long sleeved shirt (thank you House of Dra!), 72" ring belt, a black and green belt pouch, and a bearded throwing axe.  In about a week I will be placing an order for the rest of the items.  I'll be adding a dagger to the belt, a good pair of knee high leather boots, and a few pieces of leather armor (cuirass, vambraces, pauldrons, and demi-greaves).

A few sites I've seen also suggest wearing a hat to help against the weather and heat...I was thinking a skullcap would work well with what I'm going for.

If you all would like pictures of anything that I have listed to get a better idea please let me know and I'll get some posted.

[Marietta Graziella]

Hello Bran,

Welcome to R/F.com!

If this is your first year going in garb, I always suggest to my friends that they start slowly.  Until you are sure of the weather at your faire (or the faires you'll be traveling to) it's difficult to know exactly what the temps are going to be in your garb.  Also, the more you wear garb, the more garb you'll notice and want to have!  If you spend a lot of money on your starter stuff you may come to realize it isn't exactly what you had hoped it would be.

Getting some solid basic pieces will serve you well and can be used/changed/loaned as you get more into the whole garbing fun.  Building a garb closet takes a long time.  Enjoy the process!

[Betty Munro]

Leather is sexy ... but leather can get HOT.  Depends on the weather expected at your faire ... and how much discomfort you can tolerate for fashion.
If not leather, a pair of chocolate brown linen or (horrors) cotton pants would probably be perfectly acceptable. 
We love pictures, and yes, it does make it easier to lend our opinions ...

[bran_gray]

My shirt is a darker shade of green but the style is the same.


Same shade as the shirt for the colored area.


The boots I'm going to order.



The two styles of leather pants I've been looking at.  I've also been told that if you buy the right kind heat isn't near an issue as with poorly made pants.


The simple pants that caught my eye and look very comfortable yet would fit with many many different paths I could take with my garb.

The axe I don't have a picture of (and it doesn't really matter I don't expect...it'll be worn on the belt with an axe frog and peace tied directly to the frog) and I'm starting to rethink the dagger.  Also rethinking the armor at this point in time.  And I still like the idea of a cloth or leather skullcap.

[Queen_of_Navarre]

Go for the most comfortable pants, I promise you, based on my husband's visits to Faires. He wore his leather pants ONCE and ONCE only.
Cotton is your friend.

[Adriana Rose]

All of the fellows that I know all wear cotton pants. Wrap pants seem to be the vouge too, I cant blame them at all those are comfy!

Yes leather makes you look like a badass but you wont look the badass when you are being hauled to the first aide area 

[Genievea Brookstone]

2010 will be my first year going to a renaissance festival in garb and I'm having a few problems deciding on certain items.

Mainly, I'm trying to decide between some nice comfortable cloth pants or (as my wife insists) a pair of leather pants.


The two styles of leather pants I've been looking at.  I've also been told that if you buy the right kind heat isn't near an issue as with poorly made pants.

I have to agree with your wife on the leather pants...My boyfriend pirate gone ranger has these side lacing pants.  Needless to say its entertaining watching him get dressed in them and helping him get out of them

[Baroness de Vale]

I have to agree with several of the others and say go for the simple and very comfortable pants first. Once you have attended your faire in garb you may decide to get the leather pants later. But it would be a bummer to start with the more expensive (and possibly hotter) leather pants and decide it was a big mistake. Also if you decide to get the leather pants, it wouldn't hurt to have the simpler pants as backup. You never know when you may need to have a change of clothes due to a spill, torrential flooding rains, etc.

[bran_gray]

Thank you all for the feedback.  I think I'm going to stick with the comfortable cloth pants and save the leather pants for later on down the line.

[Betty Munro]

save the leather pants for later ... or for the bedroom ... no kidding your wife wants you in leather pants - those are smoking HOT!!!
Sorry, I don't intend to flirt, just saying ...

[Dragonlord]

Wearing leather pants just makes me think of the episode of "Friends" when Ross wore leather pants on a date and then couldn't get them back up after going to the bathroom.

[Squire Mickey]

Wow, nothing like plunging right in with your kit eh?

Another thing to consider besides the fine points made already, is that your armor is going to make you hot all by itself. Potentially REALLY hot. As it stands now, if you wore NO pants, you are likeley going to be sweating from head to toe with just the other items that you will have on.

Leather pants look great, but man, if you have never worn them when you are really sweaty , for and EXTENDED period of time, well lets just say that it can get uncomfortable down below (and my pardon if my attempt at delicacy there failed, as  I be nothin' but a humble pirate, don't ye see).

I have made a pair of buckskins and worn them once. And as the gentlemen said earlier, ONLY once.

Still those Ravenswood's that you are looking at are very nice, and would be great with a nice billowy shirt and a hat...but that be my own 2 cents!

[Squire Mickey]

. You never know when you may need to have a change of clothes due to a spill, torrential flooding rains, etc.

Oh, I have seen a few much more dire "accidents" involving childeren, flying food, and wine that would lend some weight to THAT point as well!!!!

[bran_gray]

save the leather pants for later ... or for the bedroom ... no kidding your wife wants you in leather pants - those are smoking HOT!!!
Sorry, I don't intend to flirt, just saying ...

If I didn't enjoy a little flirting then why would I and my wife be so excited about attending faire in garb 

Wearing leather pants just makes me think of the episode of "Friends" when Ross wore leather pants on a date and then couldn't get them back up after going to the bathroom.

The entire time I was searching for good quality leather pants I was thinking the exact same thing!

Wow, nothing like plunging right in with your kit eh?

Another thing to consider besides the fine points made already, is that your armor is going to make you hot all by itself. Potentially REALLY hot. As it stands now, if you wore NO pants, you are likeley going to be sweating from head to toe with just the other items that you will have on.

Leather pants look great, but man, if you have never worn them when you are really sweaty , for and EXTENDED period of time, well lets just say that it can get uncomfortable down below (and my pardon if my attempt at delicacy there failed, as  I be nothin' but a humble pirate, don't ye see).

I have made a pair of buckskins and worn them once. And as the gentlemen said earlier, ONLY once.

Still those Ravenswood's that you are looking at are very nice, and would be great with a nice billowy shirt and a hat...but that be my own 2 cents!

I'm going to go ahead and throw this out there that the heat will probably not bother me all that much.  My otherworldly profession sometimes has me covered from head to toe in plastic (slicker suit) in 105 degree weather spraying hot water at high pressures on a concrete slab...it doesn't get much hotter than that.  Especially doing it for 2 hours at a time 

[Adriana Rose]

. You never know when you may need to have a change of clothes due to a spill, torrential flooding rains, etc.

Oh, I have seen a few much more dire "accidents" involving childeren, flying food, and wine that would lend some weight to THAT point as well!!!!

Dont forget pickle juice. ( yes the jokes are endless)