Pants?

[ryan paulsen]

Anyone have a suggestion for some good "work" pants? I'm looking for something heavy duty, suitable for construction, yard work, etc. I tend to blow through normal jeans pretty regularly, so I'd rather spend a bit more for something more durable. I'm a big guy, so something with larger sizes would be needed (44x32). Carhartt? Duluth Trading? Cabelas? Anyone have a particularly good experience out there? Thanks.

[Peter Kelly]

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=71894&cat=1,71260,71948

Will certainly outlast the Carhartt ones.

[Adam Herman]

I really like Vertx brand and get them on clearance at LApolicegear.com They are not as restrictive at blue jeans and the material is nice, i dont think i have ever paid more than $30 for a pair. Even if they last as long as jeans, they are cheaper.

[Rich Riddle]

I wear Blaklader when not in overalls and working. They also make a very handy vest you can wear to hold things.

[Scott T Smith]

Ryan, I live on a farm with a sawmill operation, and my clothing gets an "extreme workout" on a daily basis. I've tried most of the major brands of work clothes at one time or another, and three years ago settled on the Bailey's "Wild Ass" loggers pants for my daily wear.

http://www.baileysonline.com/Clothing/Men-s-Clothing/Double-Knee-Pants/Wild-Ass/Wild-Ass-US-Made-Double-Front-Blue-Denim-Logger-Pants.axd

For starters, they are US MFG from US Mfg cloth! I like the idea of keeping my $ at home and in addition to being top quality, they are affordable, durable and very comfortable.

Second, they include a couple of side pockets on the seams for pliers, screwdrivers, etc (although they do not have a hammer loop).

Third, they are available with suspender buttons, which is a great feature for someone that works in the trades or out of doors.

Fourth, you can get them in either single front or "double front loggers" versions. I've found that the double front pants offer more protection when working around the sawmill or sharp objects.

In addition to blue denim, they are also available in black.

I highly recommend them.

[Brett Luna]

For outside work or inside rough work, my main pair are Duluth's "Ultimate Fire Hose Cargo Work Pants". They're comfortable and I haven't come close to wearing them out in a year-and-a-half. Bonus for me is the double knee that accepts their slip-in knee pads. For the shop, I have a couple of their "Everyday Carpenter Twill Pants" that are lighter while they feel good, they don't wear nearly as well. I'm thinking about trying the lighter DuluthFlex version of the carpenter pants.

[Matt Day]

I'm a big fan of Arborwear pants, in particular the Arbenters. I have about 4 pair and wear them daily.

And not just because they are based a few miles from my house. They are superior to the carhartts I wore for years. Check them out.

[Roger Feeley]

+1 on buying US made. I never heard of baileys. When my current jeans wear out, I will have to give them a try.

another source for US made is All American Clothing. I've been wearing their jeans for a decade now and they generally last me 6 or 7 years.

US made with union labor from US cloth made from cotton grown in the US.

The thing about US made is that that labor costs are higher. These companies realize this and they don't scrimp on material quality since that's not such a consideration anymore. They know that people that do business with them aren't looking for the cheapest alternative. Their customers are looking for quality.

I get my flannel shirts from Vermont Flannel.

I have bought things from Duluth trading and I really like the design and fit. I have a hard time with the imported aspect. If Duluth committed to bringing their manufacturing to the US, I would buy a lot more.

[paul cottingham]

My wife's best friend is a contractor, and he wears Carharrts. He beats the crap out of them, and they seem to serve him very well. Made in the US, as well. (Canada would be even better, of course!)

[John K Jordan]

... settled on the Bailey's "Wild Ass" loggers pants for my daily wear.
http://www.baileysonline.com/Clothing/Men-s-Clothing/Double-Knee-Pants/Wild-Ass/Wild-Ass-US-Made-Double-Front-Blue-Denim-Logger-Pants.axd


Scott,

Thanks for the note about these. I have been shopping at Baileys for years for chain saw and logging/sawmill things. I have never looked at their clothes. I will have some ordered as soon as My Lovely Bride gets here and tells me my size. (I am worthless without her!)

JKJ

[Jim Becker]

I'm a long time fan of Duluth Trading. Great quality and multiple formats of "work" oriented pants available to suit most folks' individual heeds. I honestly use them for business wear, too...the DuluthFlex Jeans are my "business casual" pants (I never wear "suits") for example. And they really are designed for "comfortable bending" without singing soprano. ;) Pretty much 90% of what I wear is from Duluth Trading...from the layer closest to me on out.

[Peter Kelly]

My wife's best friend is a contractor, and he wears Carharrts. He beats the crap out of them, and they seem to serve him very well. Made in the US, as well. (Canada would be even better, of course!)Certain Carhartt garments are "Union-Made in USA". The bulk of their clothes seem to be made in Mexico these days.

[Todd Davidson]

Plus 1 for Bailey's Wild Ass - comfortable, durable (every pocket is riveted) and very reasonably priced. Not having a hammer loop is an inconvenience. And, because they are so heavy duty, can be a bit oppressive on hot Summer days. For most of the year though these are my go to work pants. I have found that they run a bit snug in the waist sizing - they offer sizing in 1" increments - I usually wear a 34 waist but found their 35" to be a better fit.

Rigg's Ranger Ripstop pants are my choice for the warmer months. I like the additional pockets and Riggs have the hammer loop on the righthand side. They are not made in the USA though (but an eBay seller has them for less than $20 a pair).

Or, for lighter weight yet durable traditional carpenter jeans/pants Key makes a good product (their Duct IMHO is as, if not more, durable than Carhartt or Dickies at a cheaper price).

On the flip side, the worst I've ever owned are Schmidt carpenter pants (Tractor Supply brand I believe).

[Ryan Mooney]

Rigg's Ranger Ripstop pants are my choice for the warmer months. I like the additional pockets and Riggs have the hammer loop on the righthand side. They are not made in the USA though (but an eBay seller has them for less than $20 a pair).


Yup +1 to these, so far they're significantly outwearing the lighter carhartt pants. I've had three pairs in more or less continuous light duty for almost 2 years and they're still hanging in there and looking pretty good- the lightweight carhartt's would last me maybe 6mo tops. I can't compare to the heavy carhartt's as I haven't worn the rigs out yet to the same extent I did the carhartt (and I wear them in slightly different usage).

The local ranch supply store usually has a sale on them every 3-4 months at around the $20/pair range.

I'll have to check out the Bailey's when I need some heavier pants..

[Steve Peterson]

I started buying Walmart Faded Glory jeans for $10 in sizes up to 42x32 and $12 in larger sizes up to 54x32. They seem to last just about as long as the other more expensive brands. I always seem to get at least $10 of use out of them and they are comfortable to me.

Steve

[Erik Loza]

I have Carharts and no complaints but lately, the 5.11 tactical pants are what I find myself wearing for shop/yard work.

Erik

[Jesse Busenitz]

Nobody likes Wranglers? Not Brett Farve's, but these https://shopping.yahoo.com/759759571-original-fit-cowboy-cut-jean-13mwz-wrangler?bfr=50.0 This is all I wear and on the ranch they get a lot of hard wear.... I also like the fact that I can get "non-square-pants" i.e. 34x34 instead of the 31x34 which is what I normally wear.

[Erik Loza]

I got away from jeans (any brand) for yard/shop work for the lack of pockets. You can put phones, gear, etc. in the Carhartts or the 5.11's. Just what works for me.

Erik

[Chris Padilla]

Hmmmm, maybe its time I branch out from my Levi 501s! I've worn nothing but Levis since high school and so I honestly don't know if they are any better/worse than anything else out there.

[paul cottingham]

I actually wear the same pair(s) of nylon shorts I have had for the last 20 years for pratically everything. Bear in mind, I have very little feeling in my legs, so I can wear shorts in any weather (even snow) with little discomfort. Of course it rarely gets less than -5C here. But it's a damp cold. :-)

[ryan paulsen]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses, this is exactly what i was looking for. I will probably start with one cheaper pair and one more expensive from this list. Thanks!

[Matt Day]

All you carhartt fans should give Arborwear a look. Very nice and durable high quality pant. My favorite features over carhartts are the double lined heal (my carhartts ALWAYS fell apart there and I had fabric strands at my heals), double lined at the tape measure spot in the pocket, deep pockets that hold a lot, and many pockets (8 on my arbenters) & a hammer loop.


They are however made in Mexico, but based on an article I found online it's because of quality &a material reasons.