Can we finally talk about women’s hunting clothes?

With Ashley Holm

Because every year we hear the same things.

The gear doesn’t fit.

The gear doesn’t last.

There aren’t enough options.

The women’s version is basically the men’s version, but smaller.

And somehow, after all these years, finding a solid pair of hunting pants that fits an actual woman's body can still feel harder than finding the animal you're hunting.

So, we're skipping the fluff.

Here are five women's hunting pants we've got thoughts on.

1. Muddy TRX Women’s Pants

Hard no from us.

Muddy describes its current TRX women's lineup as purpose-built for women, with articulated patterning and stretch designed for movement. On paper, great.

On our bodies? Not so much.

The fit simply didn't work for us. The crotch felt longer than some men's pants we've worn, with enough extra fabric in that region to practically conceal a full-size rifle.

Okay, slight exaggeration.

But only slight.

We're all built differently, so try them yourself. They might fit you perfectly.

For us? It's a no.

2. Prois Pradlann Field Pant

Now we're talking.

The Prois Pradlann Field Pant feels like somebody remembered that women have hips, thighs and butts, and that all three still need to move when we're climbing, kneeling, crawling and busting through brush.

Prois offers its Freedom Fit through 2XL, which the company lists as sizes 20, along with regular and long options in several sizes. The pants also have four-way stretch, reinforced high-wear areas, articulated knees and an abrasion-resistant construction.

Translation?

They fit real women.

And we LOVE that.

Our complaint is that they're a little thicker than we'd choose for some of our brutally hot Southern hunts. But send us through nasty South Texas brush where everything has a thorn and apparently wants a piece of your skin?

We'll take the extra protection.

We're ready to get our hands on more of the Prois lineup, because these have us interested.

3. SITKA Cadence Pant

Y'all can hate on SITKA all you want.

The quality is hard to argue with.

The Cadence is lightweight, durable and stretchy without feeling flimsy. SITKA uses four-way stretch, articulated patterning and zippered thigh pockets that can also provide some ventilation. They're made for moving through rough terrain, and that's where these pants shine.

They're thin, comfortable, and they move.

Most importantly, they hold up when conditions dont.

Our gripe is fit.

SITKA has expanded the current Cadence size range significantly. It now runs from 25R through 40R, but we'd still love to see more inseam options. If you're a tall girl, you know exactly what we're talking about.

Technical hunting pants shouldn't fit only one version of a woman's body.

Give us the quality. Then give us the fit options to match it.

4. First Lite Women’s 308 Pant

First Lite deserves some credit here because they basically admitted something we've been saying for years:

Women's gear needed work.

The company says it spent two years redesigning its women's collection after recognizing the existing fit wasn't meeting women's needs. The new line added more room through areas including the hips and legs and expanded sizing.

The Women's 308 Pant now runs from size 0 through 18, uses four-way stretch and includes thigh vents. It's designed as a year-round mountain pant that can work alone in warmer weather or with layers as temperatures drop.

That's what we want to see.

Listen to women.

Fix the fit.

Give us options.

Keep going.

5. KUIU Women’s Attack Pant

This is another one worth putting on your radar.

KUIU calls the Women's Attack its do-it-all pant, and the feature list backs that up pretty well: four-way stretch, articulated knees, a gusseted crotch, zippered cargo pockets and hip vents, plus water- and abrasion-resistant construction.

It's that middle-ground hunting pant we appreciate.

Not everything needs to be an ultralight early-season pant or needs to feel like you're wearing a sleeping bag with belt loops.

Sometimes we just want pants we can throw on, hunt hard in and not think about again.

The Attack is designed to fill that space.

Here’s What We Actually Want.

We're not asking outdoor companies to make 400 different pairs of pants.

We just want good ones.

Give us room where women need room. Give us multiple inseams. Give us extended sizes. Give us lightweight options for women hunting Texas in September and heavier options for women hunting Montana in November.

And please stop assuming every female hunter is built exactly the same.

At Lady Outdoor Lifestyles, we don't body shame.

We don't care if you're a size 2 or a size 20 and we don't care whether your hunting pants cost $50 or $250. We definitely don't care what logo is stitched on the pocket.

We care if they work.

We want women's hunting gear built for more than one body type, more than one climate and more than one kind of hunt.

Because women aren't one-size-fits-all.

Our hunting gear shouldn't be either.