Best pants for metal detecting

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Many detectorists just wear any pants and start hunting…

However they may be too tight for them to bend, their knees may hurt. And, they’ll have to keep buying new pants because the knees will keep wearing out quickly.

For these reasons and more, you need to get trousers that have particular features that make them suitable for metal detecting.

In this article, I listed the requirements pants should have to be ideal for detecting.

Not all of them are necessary. However, they’ll make it a little bit closer to perfection.

Then, in the second paragraph, I recommend a model that is good enough for this hobby, which is the Caterpillar Men’s Cargo Pants.

Metal detecting pants requirements

As already said, you can’t use any pants for metal detecting. They should have some requirements.

And they’re listed in this paragraph with a short explanation.

If you have more features that you think I should add to the list, please share them in the comments below. Thanks in advance.

Detectorists hunt in various environments like creeks and lakes. It also could start raining while you’re metal detecting.

That’s why pants should be water-resistant. If you can’t find them, you can buy standard trousers and use a water-repellent spray.

While metal detecting you have to bend down a lot for a relatively long duration. Because you have to dig, pinpoint and recover buried metals.

For this reason, the knee should be double-layered and crafted from a good quality cloth to avoid wearing out quickly.

Second and most importantly, It should have built-in knee pads or a pouch where you can place removable ones that you can buy separately.

Some like using standard kneepads with regular trousers. But, after using them for a while…

They’ll hurt you and the straps will leave marks on your skin. They’ll become loose and you’ll need to keep readjusting them.

However, with built-in kneepads, you’ll get rid of all of that. It will always stay in place and there will be no marks because it has no straps.

Metal detecting pants shouldn’t constrict your movement. You have to be able to walk and to squat easily. The crotch should be spacy.

You need to have plenty of pockets where you can put your finds, tools, mobile phones…

That way you can sort your items and pull them out easily when needed.

Since you’ll be putting a lot of stuff in your pocket plus the tools you’ll attach to the pants (pinpointer, trowel, folding shovel…), your pants will have a tendency to fall.

So, obviously, make sure you pick the right size and pick trousers with durable belts loop.

If you hate belts, pants’ suspenders should be good. Elastic waist type pants might not stay in place with the weight of all of your tools and finds.

If you wish you can buy pants with a green color (or camo). That way, the grass stains won’t be clearly visible.

The fabric should be smooth, breathable and doesn’t shrink after being washed.

It will be good if it is windproof. This way, you’ll stay warm on windy days.

Usually good working pants are thick to protect the user and to keep him warm.

They’re good in cold weather but you may feel uncomfortable wearing these during the summer.

Before moving to the next paragraph, I have a tip for the UK detectorists.

Instead of buying pants (I think you call them trouser), you better get a kilt plus and assless chaps.

When you‘re in the open and you have to answer the call of nature, you can do it without having to open the whole thing and feeling the cold.

Just kidding…

Which one to pick?

Now you know what to look for when you’re buying pants for detecting. You can pick any model you like.

Or pick Caterpillar Men’s Cargo Pants because it satisfies many of the requirements.

If you have other brands to recommend, please share them in the comments.

It’s made out of 60% cotton and 40% polyester. It can be machine-washed.

The inner waistband has gripper band to help keep the pants in place.

This is important because when you’re metal detecting, you’ll attach too many tools to your pants and you’ll put your finds there.

This extra weight will keep pulling them down. In addition to that, you’ll bend down a lot.

It has a diamond shaped crotch gusset to ease the movement.

This video will show in details the features of this pant.

It has knee pads insert so that you can bend and recover targets without hurting your knees. However, you have to purchase them separately.

The only metal in these pants is in the button. So there’s no risk of interference with the metal detector.

They’re not waterproof but they are water-resistant (they repel water). That should be enough if it’s raining while you’re outside.

It has one little red loop on each side. You can use them to wear the trousers easier or to hang them to dry out.

It has two built-in pouches that you can pull out easily from your pockets. They’re segmented to different compartments where you can put and sort your finds.

You can use them when they’re inside or outside the pocket.

On the side leg, you have a long slim pocket where you can put your pinpointer. There are also some loops, they’re usually used for hammers.

You have many pockets with Velcro. Two belt loops have double-sided Velcro to carry some tools.

One of the back pockets can be closed by a Velcro and it’s expandable. The left side back pocket is an open cut, it doesn’t have a cover for easy access.

There’s enough space in the bottom for boots. This article is will guide you to pick the right boots for metal detecting.

Fire Hose Cargo Work Pants

Some detectorists recommended the Fire Hose Cargo Work Pants. I didn’t spend a lot of time doing research about these pants.

The following info is from a website that sells them.

It’s made out of the same fabric that was once used to wrap fire hoses. So it should be sturdy.

The fabric is treated so that it repels water and stains. the seams are triple stitched. The pockets are deep and they resist punctures if you put sharp things inside.

Wrapping up

Pants have to have certain requirements to be suitable for metal detecting. You can pick any brand as long it satisfies them.

One of the best are the Caterpillar Men’s Cargo Pants. Many detectorists also recommended the Fire Hose Cargo Work Pants.

I hope you enjoyed the article. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to ask.