Breathable and Affordable, These May Be the Last Early-Season Pants You Buy: Badlands Andaire Review

As an archery hunter, I’ve spent a lot of time hunting in extremely hot weather. When I lived in Utah, our deer and elk seasons began in mid-August. Have you been to Utah that time of year? Blistering desert heat.

Now, in Tennessee, I sweat in the humidity while hanging trail cams in the summer and sit in a treestand in September. Breathable hunting apparel like the Badlands Andaire pants has become a staple in my kit.

Early-season equipment is tough to get right. Lightweight, breathable pants keep you cool, but they tend to lack durability. Getting one season out of a pair of pants is a no-go. Due to that, I’ve tried switching to lighter-weight mid-season pants, but in the extreme heat, they were unbearable, even with venting systems. Any amount of insulation doesn’t work in 70% humidity. I went back to shredding lightweight pants.

This summer, I did all of my whitetail scouting in the Badlands Andaire pants, and they quickly became my early-season favorite. No, they aren’t perfect, but when things get hot and swampy, there’s an argument to be made that they’re the best deal in hunting pants.

In short: At a very reasonable $70, the Andaire pants are some of the most budget-friendly early-season pants on the market. Like some of their more expensive counterparts, they’re covered in micro-perforated holes that allow for maximum airflow and breathability. While they don’t stand up to a briar patch as well as a thick mid-season pant, they are durable for a lightweight pant, and the Badlands warranty ensures you’ll be happy with your purchase.

Build of the Andaire Pants

Usually, budget-friendly equipment reflects the price in the quality of the build. I’d describe these pants as more of a “mid-tier” price point, although they are some of the lowest-cost technical early-season pants available from a hunting-specific company. The overall build quality is much better than a budget option, although it’s still not as good as you’ll find on pants with a double the price tag.

The seams are all well done and have lasted months of heavy use with only one minor piece of thread coming out. After I trimmed it, the seam didn’t unravel, and it was a non-issue.

However, within two cycles through the washer, the rubberized logo peeled off. You can still see the logo from the imprint, but the original is long gone. Since you can still see the logo, that doesn’t bother me too much, though.

Materials

The pants are 96% polyester and 4% spandex. That blend gives them the perfect amount of stretch. When kneeling, climbing up sticks to set stands, and squatting down to read a sign, the Andaire moved with me, and they never felt tight, no matter what position I was in. The blend also feels great directly on my skin.

Badlands calls the material these pants are made from “Eclipse Airvent.” That’s referring to the micro-perforated holes that cover every square inch of these pants. If you’re like me, that description evokes an image of pants that let you see through to the skin. That’s not it at all, though. The holes are tiny, and you can only see through them when you hold the pants up to the sun. The Andaire pants are available in three colors: Earth (solid), Stone (solid), and Approach OG (camo).

Pockets

One of my biggest pet peeves is nonfunctional pockets. The Andaire has five, excluding the pockets on the seat, all of which are functional. Props for that.

The main hip pockets are deep, and I can easily fit my wallet, bulky truck keys, a pocket knife, and more in them with room to spare.

Below the hip pockets are two zippered side pockets that are also substantial. I’ll often stick my bow release in there, or transfer my wallet and other valuable items that need to be secured when I’m in the field.

On the left leg, there’s a tall pocket that I use to hold either a fixed-blade hunting knife (the Montana Knife Company Blackfoot 2.0 fits perfectly) or a limb saw when I’m in a tree, clearing shooting lanes. It doesn’t feel secure, but it’s deep, and those items stay put.

Fit

The Andaire pants are available in sizes 32-44 in regular or tall inseams. The fit is right on the money, and they hug my waist just right.

An elastic band lines the waist, providing a slight give. I can grab the waistband and pull it away from my hips a decent bit. That allowed me to comfortably wear a set of base layers underneath on a chilly morning in British Columbia. When I took the base layers off, the band pulled back up into my waist perfectly.

Field Performance of the Badlands Andaire Pants

When I initially put on the Andaire pants, the stretch, fit, and super-lightweight feel made me fall in love with them from a comfort standpoint. But, the lightweight nature gave me concern about their long-term durability and performance in the field.

This summer, I wore these pants while doing some summertime scouting in the woods of Tennessee, as well as on walk-and-wade fishing trips. I also packed them on numerous trips involving a myriad of outdoor adventures. Here are my thoughts on how they held up.

Breathability

These puppies breathe. A lot. My office desk has a vent above it, and if I’m wearing these pants, I can feel the AC on my legs.

While deer scouting in August, I’m used to getting very sweaty. Not with these pants. They kept me cool through hours of hiking in steep bluff country. Imagine wearing breathable shorts, but with protection on your lower legs.

The Andaire pants are thin and are not pants for mid- or late season. They’re made for those super-hot hunts, with temps in the 80s and 90s and high humidity. If things get chilly in the morning, it’s best to have some base layers to wear under them. But when it’s hot? They provide relief.

Quick Dry

While these pants don’t have any DWR water-resistant treatment — it would be a little pointless since they’re covered in holes — they do dry very quickly.

All summer, I wore these while fishing from my bass boat, a raft, and on walk-and-wade trips. After pulling the boat over and wading up to my knees in a cutthroat stream in British Columbia, the pants were dry by the time we reached the boat ramp.

The quick-dry nature of these pants makes them an exceptional fishing pant for the summer season. Hunting and fishing pants in one? Sign me up.

Durability

Durability was the big question I had with the Andaire pants. In Tennessee, I walk through some of the most truly nasty cover you can encounter. Every plant has thorns, forming an impenetrable wall. I’m talking the type of cover that grabs everything, Velcroing you to the landscape.

This stuff has chewed up many articles of my clothing, and I have merino tops with giant holes, thanks to it. Naturally, I decided to wade through it in the Andaire pants.

After going through that type of cover at least a dozen times, I am impressed with the durability of these pants. That doesn’t mean they didn’t get damaged, because they did. But they held up better than some of my heavier clothing, and the damage wasn’t that bad.

Tiny tufts of fabric got pulled out, leaving little nubs on the fronts of my legs. The pants aren’t covered in frayed fabric, but there is some. More importantly, there are no true holes, which is impressive.

Lightweight gear won’t hold up perfectly in those conditions. It’s simply not in the cards. If you go into it knowing that, you won’t be disappointed with the damage that thick cover will do. If you know of a set of breathable pants that can withstand that, please let me know. It sounds like a unicorn to me.

On that note, due to the thin nature of these pants, you will get stabbed by those thorns. And mosquitoes will bite you through them. That’s just part of early-season hunting in the South. Grin and bear it, folks.

Warranty on the Badlands Andaire Pants

Every time I discuss Badlands products, I have to talk about the warranty. It feels so repetitive at this point, but it is what makes the brand’s products such a value. Badlands has a true, unconditional lifetime warranty. It doesn’t even matter if you buy the product used at a garage sale.

These pants are covered for the life of the product against workmanship and standard wear and tear. If you’re like me and go beyond “standard wear and tear,” Badlands claims, “If you rip or tear your Badlands gear, we will do our absolute best to repair it if we can.”

For early-season equipment that’s inherently going to get chewed up, that’s a huge deal. After this season, my set of Andaires aren’t damaged enough to send back. But I could see them hitting that point by next October. And when it happens, that warranty will come in handy.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been wearing the Badlands Andaire pants all summer long and into the hunting season. With how stretchy and breathable they are, they’ve been the perfect pants for when things get hot and swampy in Tennessee. I wear them at least 3 days a week.

Are they going to be pants I look toward in October? Absolutely not. Will they protect you from and stand up to thick briar patches? Kind of. But not really.

But that’s not the point of these pants. They provide a solution for those hunters who get after it first thing on the opening day of archery season. When most pants will leave you sweaty and chafing, these things will keep you cool.