Thanks for all the input.
Seems like these pants are just junk and that's a fact.
I guess my folks and i drank the Kool-aid Steve Rinella was selling!
They're not "junk" I just don't think your application is the target demographic, but I'm not either. Mine lasted two easons of very light use in eastern WA, but the crotch blew out and then ripped open pretty bad on a piece of downed fence. Yeah, the cost stung so I went a different route. FWIW, I've always been happy with the durability of my sitka outer layers, and I hear good things from kuiu fans too
FL merino is good, but like all merino, it's pretty fragile. It's a tough lesson for sure, but keep the merino as a base layer and use more durable materials or brands for outer layers. I love some of their stuff, I just wouldn't even let it look at a bramble
In general, don't drink influencer Kool aid, better to talk to folks and let them tell you what's worked and hasn't without a profit incentive. No shame in it, happens to plenty of us. But it's only worth learning once
