Being that you live in MN, I'd suggest that you should at least consider leather pants vs chaps.

I wore chaps for years before I tried on a pair of leather pants (over my jeans) at a leather shop.

Pants keep you much warmer in cool/cold weather but they do require (at least for me) a good heavy pair of suspenders, especially of you're going to be much walking while wearing them.
FWIW, I have worn the leather pants just over long-johns when I know that I will not need to remove them as well as wearing them over sweat pants for trips.

 

The only time that chaps ever looked good

 

Another vote for Fox Creek

 

Yet another vote for Fox Creek. I have their chaps, jacket, gloves (2 pairs) bandanna. Great stuff.

 

Mmm dang! Definitely doesn't have anything to do with looking cool atleast for what I want them for.

 

Chaps always left my ***** cold but blocked the wind.

 

Need to watch the layout of your pipes. I couldn't with my fat cat. Burns holes in my jeans.

Chaps cut the wind. I'vegone out with flannel jeans and wool long johns, and had to put chaps on.
Cause leather breathes so well?


I've never worn expensive chaps, so I Can't say. But to me chaps are an area you can go lower price my cheap ones are 20 years old. I got a seam ripping, new forgetting to bring to show store.

Not saying dirt cheap. But mid level.

 

If what you're goin' for is to stay warm, I think your Carhartt bibs (assuming they're the lined/zippered model) will work better'n leather chaps. If you're as much interested in style as you are warmth, and you can find 'em in your size, I'd recommend heavy leather britches. The very last thing I'd buy these days is chaps even though I've got thousands of miles of wearing them over the years. The overwhelming majority of those miles were put on in SoCal so rain and/or bitter cold were rarely a problem for me. Now that I live where it's much wetter and colder, chaps just aren't practical (for me) because they leave some pretty vital body parts exposed to the cold and rain. Leather britches don't.

Blues

 

IMO you will be better off with a pair of textile riding pants, both in cost and results. You can find them in windproof, waterproof, and also mesh. And they offer protection against abrasion if you were to actually fall off the bike and slide. Not that chaps wont help some but if you get dislodged from your bike, your are probably going to land and slide on your *** or hips and not your legs.

 

So chaps were the subject just to cover cooler days , where the mornings are a little chilly. I have full blown leathers with all the crash protection. Hell I have 1 PC race suits. Insulated carhartt, which I probably won't be riding below freezing. Chaps were just another tool to throw in the arsenal. Ordered a set of the fox creek leathers.