First Lite 308 Hunting Pant

I once heard someone say “You know a piece of gear is done when there’s nothing left to cut off of it.” I am awful with quotes, so that’s definitely not verbatim, but I think you get the idea. Gear, especially in the hunting industry, tends to be incredibly feature-rich–an extra pocket here, a different piece of fabric there, a random zipper over here. The First Lite 308 Hunting Pant has completely flipped that narrative on its head. Sure, a full-featured pant can be nice for certain situations, but 90% of the time, the simplest solution is best, especially when you’re talking about pants.

The 308 pant is a brand new addition to the First Lite lineup. It features meshed hip vents, one zippered pocket on the foreleg, a couple of classic rear pockets with folded-over tops, and a small zippered pocket behind the right knee area. They’re made of a polyester four-way stretch fabric and have a new standardized straight leg fit.

At first glance, it’s a simple, almost boring pant, but once I tried them on I could tell there was more thought put into them than what met the eye. They have a broke-in-pair-of-jeans feel to them. They’re not tight around the quad or calf like so many hunting pants today. They have that nice straight fit that allows plenty of room for comfort, while also not having any access material to rub against. I liked the simplicity of the pocket layout and almost found the “behind the knee” pocket unnecessary. That was until I put the key fob of my truck in it, zipped it up, and never had to worry about losing it for several days on end.

I received the 308 Pant mid-summer and used it a handful of times for summer scouting trips. The pant will work for summer temps in Arizona, but there are better options out there. This pant wasn’t intended for 110-degree days, it was intended for fall days from September into November.

I finally got to give the pant a good test run on a November Coues deer hunt in Central Arizona. The temps ranged from the mid-20s at night to the upper 60s during the day. I paired them with a zip-off long John for morning glassing sessions, zipped down the hip vents during the mid-day heat, and never once thought about my legs being uncomfortable. We busted through Manzanita, burned up oak brush and cat claw throughout the hunt, and only came out with some mild pilling throughout the pant. Some folks seem to think of this as the mark of a non-durable pant, but I disagree. I ripped a mid-layer in multiple places on this hunt, but the 308 Pant held strong.

If you’re looking for a do-it-all pant that fits just like pants are supposed to, I highly recommend checking out the new 308 Pant from First Lite.