Howler Brothers Horizon Hybrid Pants Review
The Howler Brothers Horizon Hybrid Pants: great for flats fishing, high country wet wading, or rubbing elbows with hip urban socialites at the local coffee shop.
We recently started carrying Howler Brothers here in the Duranglers shop. If you have never heard of Howler Brothers, the short of it is that Howler Bros make fly fishing and beach lifestyle clothing. When I first heard of Howler Brothers, my initial reaction was: “the clothes look good, but will they stand up to the rigors world traveling fly anglers?”
After a week of tarpon fishing in the Florida Keys with only one pair of Howler Brothers pants, I would answer “yes”.
This was a last minute trip, and me being the unprepared flats angler that I am, the only pants I own are cotton. I had lots of quick drying shorts to take, but I really did not want to spend the majority of the trip rubbing sunscreen into my pasty white legs. After some very quick shopping, I settled on the Howler Brothers Horizon Hybrid Pants. These pants are lightweight, quick drying, and offer sun protection…but I will have to admit that my main reason for choosing the Horizon Hybrid Pants pants was because they looked the best on me. (read: made me look fresh)
I once was told that an ounce of fashion is worth a pound of performance. While this may not be the best logic to stake your life on; you will at least look good doing whatever you do. Besides looking good though, the Horizon Hybrid Pants preformed far better than I expected. Forgetting all my shorts (on accident) these were the only pants I wore all week in the Florida Keys. From the flats skiff to the the local eateries at night, these pants suited all the needs of island life.
Features
Besides being lightweight, quick drying, and offering sun protection; these pants have some unique features I did not notice until I wore them. The first is that they fit great and are not uncomfortable at all. Comfort is a pretty important feature if this is the only thing you have to wear the whole week. They have a great pockets including a back left button pocket and a back right zippered stash pocket pocket. The back zippered pocket came in handy for a litany of things throughout the week such as keys, wallet, change, and a spare Buff. They also have a reinforced pliers pocket with drainage grommet on the right side which can hold a variety of tools.
One feature I thought was pretty ingenious on the Horizon Hybrid Pants is at double reinforced cuff at back hem. This helps for people like me who go barefoot a lot and tend to wear out the heel cuff over time. This ensures a longer lasting pant if you are one to constantly step on the heel.
These were also great pants for a full day of travel from the Keys on a bus and through two airports back to Durango. I basically jumped off the boat and onto the Keys shuttle for a ride back up to the Ft. Lauderdale airport. The Horizon Hybrid Pants are comfortable and travel well!
A few other features include:
- Button closure with zipper fly
- Contoured self-lined waistband for optimal fit
- Howler Sunset label at back waistband
- Monkey icon at left leg
- Nylon mesh pocket bags at front for low drag in the water
- Quick-drying nylon ripstop
Waiting for tarpon.
Final Words
In a market super-saturated with solid pastel fishing shirts and awkward looking zip-offs; its nice to see a company like Howler Brothers making something a little different. While I loved having these pants the whole week, the deal sealer for me was when I came home to this compliment from the wife (who usually loathes fishing apparel):
“Those are fishing pants? They look good, kind of like Carhartts or khakis for fisherman.”
Not only did the Howler Brothers Horizon Hybrid Pants hold up to the rigors of a turbulent and rainy saltwater environment; they still look brand new. I am excited have these pants for the float season along with the long hikes, beating sun, and vicious bugs that come with summer high country fly fishing and wet wading.
Andy McKinley
Duranglers Flies and Supplies
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