DIY zipper puffy pants

[lotsofshots]

Disclaimer: I’m a penny pincher from way back. I was looking for some puffy pants but didn’t want to pay the $$$. Y’all turned me on to these M65 puffy pants and the project went from there! I wanted to add side zippers and fit them to my legs - they’re HUGE from the US government.

Here’s how the project rolled out...

I removed all the side buttons and folded the trim under and sewed it in place for a good solid foundation for the zipper...

Next I sewed the zipper in to each leg...

Instead of using Velcro closures like Kuiu does, I reused the buttons on the hip end of the zippers...

Took out 4-5” of leg material to fit me better. The pants on the left are how they ship, the pants on the right are after I added zippers and removed the material.

Here’s another pic of the fitted pants on top of the originals...

Also added a button to the waist in case I gain or lose a few lbs...

All in all, I’m happy with how they turned out. I’m far from a seamstress so there are all kinds of ugly stitches, but they’re completely serviceable. Can’t wait to try them out - they fit great under my Attacks!


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[Bärenjäger]

That's bad ass. Good work! Now find an old down pillow and turn your other pair into some extreme cold puffies...

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[lotsofshots]

That's bad ass. Good work! Now find an old down pillow and turn your other pair into some extreme cold puffies...

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Ha - thanks bud. I actually consider ordering another pair and stitching them together for 2X the insulation, then adding the zippers and fitting the legs. The pants are so cheap ($10 shipped) and light that it just might be worth the try.


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[1234AveA]

Disclaimer: I’m a penny pincher from way back. I was looking for some puffy pants but didn’t want to pay the $$$. Y’all turned me on to these M65 puffy pants and the project went from there! I wanted to add side zippers and fit them to my legs - they’re HUGE from the US government.

Here’s how the project rolled out...

I removed all the side buttons and folded the trim under and sewed it in place for a good solid foundation for the zipper...

Next I sewed the zipper in to each leg...

Instead of using Velcro closures like Kuiu does, I reused the buttons on the hip end of the zippers...

Took out 4-5” of leg material to fit me better. The pants on the left are how they ship, the pants on the right are after I added zippers and removed the material.

Here’s another pic of the fitted pants on top of the originals...

Also added a button to the waist in case I gain or lose a few lbs...

All in all, I’m happy with how they turned out. I’m far from a seamstress so there are all kinds of ugly stitches, but they’re completely serviceable. Can’t wait to try them out - they fit great under my Attacks!


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Solid job!


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[BullRiverMusk]

@Leroy91 you have to up your game man. Take some notes from here!

 

[eaglemountainman]

Nice job!

I don't know why the hunting garment industry does not include full length zippers on all their pants to facilitate putting on, and taking off, over boots!!! I for one , would gladly pay the premium.

 

[TREE ‘EM]

Pretty slick!
I’ve got to try it since I’ve got some down time for projects.

 

[lotsofshots]

After packing these in and wearing them in 3rd rifle in CO (6° one morning) and a west TX whitetail hunt a few weeks back, I can say these pants really did their job! I wore them over a pair on 250 weight IceBreaker merino pants (that I’ve also outfitted with zippers) and under a pair of Kuiu Attack pants and was very happy with their performance.

If I had it to do again, I would use different color zippers for each leg - this would alleviate some confusion trying to put them on in the dark. In fact, that’s the plan for a pair of full length M65s I’ll be working on these next few weeks.

Good luck y’all! Go for it!

Edit: this is the finished pair with the different color zippers. They were outstanding under a pair of waders for duck hunting and fly fishing, the extra length was nice to have when I didn’t have tall hiking boots on.


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[Ivanmania]

That looks really good!

 

[feanor]

Nice work- good use of the surplus and you won’t feel bad if you rip a hole in them either. Glad to hear they worked well too!

 

[ccarter]

That's good work. I'm not much of a seamstress, so I looked into getting zippers put onto the legs of a pair of insulated Microtex pants I have. After hearing the cost, and not being sure if she understood exactly what I wanted, I bought a pair of Trutimber down pants from Optics Planet for 80 bucks. They're about 16 oz. and pack really small. I wish I'd had them with me last year during third season. It was a little chilly glassing first thing in the mornings.

 

[Hunter26]

I like how so many people on here figure out awesome ways to fulfill their needs for little money and some effort! Good looking pants guys

 

[MBubley]

That looks deadly! Might have to give it a try!

 

[cronsman]

That looks awesome! I'm a penny pincher as well and might have to follow suit

 

[FZY]

This looks like something I would like to try. Where did you order the M65's from?

 

[lotsofshots]

This looks like something I would like to try. Where did you order the M65's from?

All of these came from eBay


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[ericwh]

Nice work.

Is there any advantage to this setup over the surplus puffers that already have side zippers?

"Primaloft Gen III Level 7 Pants"​

 

[Superdoo]

Nice work.

Is there any advantage to this setup over the surplus puffers that already have side zippers?

"Primaloft Gen III Level 7 Pants"​

I have both. The level 7's are for when it's -20 degrees and the wind is blowing. They are also super heavy and not at all packable! I paid $50 for mine.
The M65's are great for when it's above zero and you need to add a little extra. I paid $8 each for mine on ebay.

 

[FZY]

Found them on ebay, thanks.

 

[Alaska2025]

Disclaimer: I’m a penny pincher from way back. I was looking for some puffy pants but didn’t want to pay the $$$. Y’all turned me on to these M65 puffy pants and the project went from there! I wanted to add side zippers and fit them to my legs - they’re HUGE from the US government.

This look pretty great! Do you know what the final weight is on these? Also, how small are they when packed down? I'm doing a 7 day drop-camp caribou hunt in late Sept, so it's going to be cold, but I also need to worry about weight and space, as we are limited. Hoping these might be a low-cost, but effective, choice.