While we are living our best 90s life, can some one bring back half chaps with fringe! Call me tacky all you want 
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I had several different pairs of custom chaps in the 80s - 90s, my best and favorite being Journeymen’s when Chuck Pinnell worked there. Absolutely gorgeous. Still have them hanging in the tack room, haven’t fit in them in a decade.
Another reason for the move away from full chaps to half chaps is flexibility. I had very limitied range of motion in my knee with my full chaps zipped up, made it difficult to get on and off. I really liked the additional flexibility in half chaps. (Had custom halfs made by Journeymen as well.) The equation of extra stickability vs. extra flexibility came out in favor of half chaps.
If I lived in a colder climate and had to add in the wonderful comfort of riding in full chaps in cold weather, well, the result might be different.
I think @TheDBYC is on to something - I think the advent of the buttery soft French leather saddles like Butet and Devoucoux probably did a lot to dent the popularity of full chaps. I know that you can’t ride in them in jeans either; that the jean seams are rought on the leather.
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Yes, alas, the custom schooling chaps in barn colors with fancy fringe met their demise. I think it began when we realized the seams on either side of the twist on our saddles were separating or splitting. In fact, some of the leather was actually wearing through in some areas. That was blamed on the chap leather constantly rubbing on those areas. One solution was a thin leather overlay that you could attach (with velcro tabs) over the twist and seat of your saddle, like a shield. In SoCal they were made/sold at Broken Horn Saddlery.
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I’m fully expecting to see a thread titled “Uh oh…I’ve decided I want a Navajo saddle pad.”
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With a foam “lollipop” pad on top! 
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I still have my very first pair of Barnstable chaps. Those suckers wore like iron. They definitely don’t zip around my thighs anymore but they’re a fun keepsake. At one point in their life they were a lovely dark green but after years and years of love they’re brown…you can only see the green if you peek under the seams by the trim. I was always envious of the girls with the custom grain leather chaps with fringe, they were so pretty
Definitely think the downfall of full chaps was the rise in popularity of softer leather saddles. You can’t ride in jeans with those saddles, and breeches with full chaps just always seems weird. Plus there is something nice about the ease in switching between half chaps and tall boots, where you don’t feel as likely to slip and slide off every which direction. But on cold ass days I do miss the extra layer of warmth! I remember putting them on first thing when I got to the barn and not taking them off until I went home (and sometimes even wearing them home!), no matter what else I was doing, because they were warm.
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Some of us never stopped using the Navajo pads. I mean, four clean sides, four times the use before they have to go in the wash.
What’s not to love?
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Don’t forget the crocheted pommel pad in colors to coordinate with your Navajo pad!
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https://prochaps.com/ I have their full ones and I love them for south florida weather. They aren’t hot, fit like a glove, and don’t get ruined when I get rained on all the time lol
@Tha_Ridge "With a foam “lollipop” pad on top!
Don’t forget the crochet pad - in Barn Colors - to put under the pommel.
OK, @Indy beat me to that …
@McGurk Yup, 30+yo Navajo I still use.
1 of 2, the other shrunk when I put it in the dryer. D’OH!
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I feel personally attacked. Just kidding but yes I rode in this get up.
Full chaps are great for winter riding. I have a pair of leather ones with the monogram on the belt. They can technically stand on their own. The stick and the wind resistance are super. Had them for 15 years now.
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There, there, not at all!
Just recapturing the Glory that was the 80s HunterWorld. 
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Same here - I always pull out my Pinnell full chaps in the winter and have had them since ‘06. I love them, they’re so unique, and the young kids at the barn think I’m insane but HEY am I WARM !
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2 pairs of Pinnel’s on their way to the OP. 
Hoping they’ll fit enough to be used.
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Pictures when they arrive!
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That’s awesome! My Barnstable impulse buy should arrive tomorrow. 
There will be an entire fashion show and photoshoot!
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Let us know how they are!
The baby of the thread wants to know what a Navajo pad is
