Bug Chaps

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I made a pair of bug chaps before I went on my latest trip. They were awesome!

I made them by laying a pair of rain chaps down on some noseeum and tracing them out with pins adding a generous seam allowance. You could also use a pattern which you can find with a quick google search for rain chaps pattern. Basically you just need the legs part of the pants and then a little bit that rises up the hips toward your waist band. I hemmed all the exposed edges and then at the top where it meets my waist band, I folded it over so I could insert mini carabiners. I used the mini carabiners to attach the chaps to the belt loops on my shorts. If you don’t have belt loops you can always insert a belt or a shock cord through the carabiners to hold them on.

I also put some elastic and cord locks around the ankles so that they could be loosened to put on over my shoes and tightened around my ankles.

You would think mosquitoes could still bite you through the pants but I found I kind of never stood still long enough for that to happen. And they were loose enough they could be kept away even from my knees.

[Michael B]

Curious, what differentiates chaps from pants? Are  they open in the back?

[David Thomas]

Chaps are crotchless pants.

[David Thomas]

Humans probably invented chaps before modern pants.  Wrapping your bum and naughty bits in one piece and adding chaps for each leg involves far simpler tailoring.

And was the original convertible pants/shorts.

I think there was a scientific paper from a  few years ago that pushed back the oldest known pants many centuries with a well-preserved exhibit from the Mongolian steppes and theorized it was related to their equestrian lifestyle.

[David Thomas]

Ah, here a summary of that article.  3,000-year-old pants.  Specifically for riding a horse.

https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-06-10/world-s-oldest-pants-found-ancient-chinese-grave-have-seriously-huge-crotch

[David Thomas]

Sorry for all the posts, editing keeps timing out.

Back to Diane’s OP.  That’s inspiring.  Because I’m often wearing long pants for the mosquitos when I’d rather be in shorts for the temperature.

In lieu of mini-biners, what about a toggle / button?  A chunk of rubber or neoprene to use as a button to the belt-loop’s buttonhole.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

You could attach them however you like. I am not a very good seamstress so when I rolled over the top edge I thought maybe my belt would fit right through, but it didn’t. Turned out being able to easily attach them with a carabiner made them easier to put on and take off anyway.

Chaps are a lot easier to sew and if I’m already wearing shorts anyway, full pants aren’t necessary.

I didn’t mention that I also slept in them. They kept my sticky knees from sticking together without making me as hot and sweaty as my windpants.

[John S.]

Thanks for the info Diane.

[Jeffs Eleven]

They not cheap but Snow Peak makes some bug pants. And a jacket that the hood zips up over you face! Properly weird!

[David Thomas]

Wowsa!  The Snow Peak bug pants are $210!

That buys a LOT of mosquito netting at the fabric store.

[Jeffs Eleven]

Yeah, do you know about fashion, David?!?  😜

I said they weren’t cheap!

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Coghlan’s makes a bug jacket and bug pants and they’re about 1/10th the cost of Snow Peaks’. I made my bug chaps myself because I had some noseeum netting lying around from a failed bug tent project. I’m really glad I made something worthwhile out of the netting.

[John S.]

Walmart was selling the shirt and pants for awhile under the UST brand. I picked up a pair for the heck of it.

[John S.]

just noticed that rei has on sale the ust bug suit.

https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/157564/ultimate-survival-technologies-no-see-um-suit

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