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Matt Day
03-01-2019, 9:20 PM
I need some new pants. I used to wear Carhatts carpenter or diuble knee duct pants, and have worn Arborwear arbenter pants for the past 7-8 years. Arborwear was local to where I used to live and the stuff is nice enough, but like the Carhartts the knees where out on me.

So I’m looking for something new. Possibly Duluth or try Carhartt again?

These pants will be basically for temps under 60 (7 months of the year?). They’ll be used in the shop, yard work, playing with the kids, going out (I’m pretty relaxed).

What do you all suggest?

Jim Becker
03-01-2019, 9:38 PM
I have a closet full of pants from Duluth Trading and have worn them for years. They are comfortable and wear like iron. Not inexpensive, but my practice is always to catch things on sale and buy enough to get free shipping. Their pants last me for years. And for the record, all of my tees are from them, too, (can't beat the extra length) and their "Buck Naked" product has been my first layer for over a decade. Those also last "forever" and are uber comfortable...

Gary Ragatz
03-01-2019, 9:49 PM
I'm partial to Lee's denim carpenter pants. They're not especially heavy-duty, but they have some space in the seat and the thighs that make them a comfortable fit for me. I can usually get them for around $30/pair.

I haven't tried Duluth pants, but I love their flannel shirts ("Free Swingin'" I think) - also with space where I need it for working.

Ken Fitzgerald
03-01-2019, 9:51 PM
I just bought my first t-shirts from Duluth and am impressed with them. They are heavier than what I had been wearing for years and as stated by Jim, the extra length is nice! I wear Carhart jeans but may have to try Duluth in the future.

Wade Lippman
03-01-2019, 10:25 PM
These are fantastic
https://www.511tactical.com/stryke-pant.html

Matt Day
03-01-2019, 10:48 PM
These are fantastic
https://www.511tactical.com/stryke-pant.html

Do I need to pack heat and have a badge (since there is a badge holder) to wear those?
Just kidding. Just seems like they are marketing to a certain audience on their video.

Rich Engelhardt
03-02-2019, 5:40 AM
I'm partial to the Big Smith brand. Been wearing them sine way back in the early 1970's when Monkey Ward had an exclusive on the brand.
Today, all they make/sell is bibs. I can't speak for the current quality of them - - since the ones I'm wearing now are the same ones I outgrew roughly 20 years ago.
(I went on a diet in December 2017 & I've lost about 110 pounds - thankfully, I kept a lot of the cloths I outgrew when I gained all that weight).

The good news is - I can finally fit back in those bibs!
The bad news is - I'm still losing & I'm out,,err,,err, out-shrinking?LOL! Those same bibs - a lot of my wardrobe is way too big....

Jim Becker
03-02-2019, 8:29 AM
Duluth currently has 20% off and free shipping on $75 orders based on today's email.

Wade Lippman
03-02-2019, 8:41 AM
Do I need to pack heat and have a badge (since there is a badge holder) to wear those?
Just kidding. Just seems like they are marketing to a certain audience on their video.

I wondered what that loop was for! A badge holder... Unlikely I will ever have a badge, but good to know I could.

Charles Wiggins
03-02-2019, 8:57 AM
I'm a cheap ba$****, and I don't "live" in work pants. Even when I did they were just jeans, so suffice to say I am no expert.

I bought some Dickies duck, double-knee, etc., first, by direct order on the interwebs, then later, after losing weight, from Wally-World. I thought the price for the seeming quality was a pretty good trade-off. I probably wore the original pants I ordered a couple dozen times, mostly to cut and process firewood, and they show almost no wear. I would not expect them to be as durable as Carhart or Duluth, but I don't punish my pants in the same way a work-a-day guy does either.

Steve Rozmiarek
03-02-2019, 12:14 PM
I have some of those Dickies to Charles but in denim, I actually like them better than the Carhartts for day to day. $20ish a pair, you can go through 3 or 4 pairs for the same price as one Carhartt. Beat the heck out of them and toss when covered in paint/glue/silicon or they rip. The lowest right leg pocket is perfect for the little Stabila level I pack around all the time when doing doors and windows.

Andrew Joiner
03-02-2019, 12:49 PM
I wore Carhartts for years. I stopped because of cost and the coarse weave, heavy fabric seemed to wear out pretty fast. Denim is tighter weave and lighter and cheaper, but I was addicted to built in knee pads I had with the double knee. Now my favorite work pants are Walmart cheap house brand jeans. I hot melt glue foam pads inside the knee.

Stan Calow
03-02-2019, 1:16 PM
Texas Jeans. Made in the USA and a reasonable price.

Yonak Hawkins
03-02-2019, 4:22 PM
Duluth currently has 20% off and free shipping on $75 orders based on today's email.

OK, I'll give 'em a try. I ordered two pair so I get free shipping.

Jerome Sidley
03-02-2019, 4:37 PM
Thanks for the recommendation on the Duluth's just ordered 2 pairs they're cheaper than regular jeans up here.

Matt Day
03-02-2019, 5:36 PM
Free returns?

Jim Becker
03-02-2019, 7:11 PM
Matt, no free returns if you ship. $7.99 flat fee, but you can return for free at any of their retail stores if one happens to be anywhere near you. That said, the two times I've every had an actual issue with a product over the years (not an "I don't like it", rather a "something is wrong" situation), they took care of me. I've never "wanted" to send anything back, quite honestly.

Matt Day
03-02-2019, 7:38 PM
Gotcha. Thanks Jim. I’m going to plan to go to the store in Indy in a week or two.

Perry Hilbert Jr
03-02-2019, 8:56 PM
I always liked Carhart stuff, but lately, the jeans seem to coarse a weave. The winter coats I have had, don't wear as well as the Walls brand winter coats I have had. As for jeans, I once stuck with wrangler, tried Carharts and a few others. Recently, it has been Schmidt's from Tractor Supply. They fit me better than other brands right off the shelf and their cheap $20 a pair. I keep 4 or 5 pair in the works. Newest for casual outings, parties etc., the last year's pair for every day wear and the pairs from two or three years ago are "barn" clothes. Yea the knees wear out first, but frankly by the time three years has passed, they are ready to be cut off and survive another two or three years as shorts for farm work. I have been using Schmidts for about ten or 12 years now and for the past three years wear jeans every day. It does seem strange to have nice jeans for parties and get togethers, slightly lesser jeans for running to the store, meetings etc and then a few pair of barn jeans for dirty greasy muddy work around the farm. I do wear coveralls on some winter days. I had a couple pairs of some kind of heavy duty jeans when in college. Got them at a strange "dry goods" store that sold heavy duty clothing for farmers, carpenters and others. They sold Red Wings there too. I remember, I had to wash the things 3 or 4 times just to soften them up enough to wear. And they did wear like iron. Not the usual brands like Wrangler, Levi or Lee. IIRC they were made from 22 oz denim. When new, they felt like wearing armor plate.

Jim Becker
03-02-2019, 8:58 PM
Gotcha. Thanks Jim. I’m going to plan to go to the store in Indy in a week or two.

Matt, that's actually a really good idea. I think you'll be impressed with the quality, no problem, but going to the store lets you try things on. Almost all the Duluth pants have some comfort features keyed directly to men's anatomy, so it's likely you'll fine them comfortable, too. If you try shirts, be aware that their "Tradesman" fit is very generous for movement. If you're a simmer guy, they do have "Trim fit" on many shirts, too. I personally like the more generous fit.

Dave Lehnert
03-03-2019, 12:27 AM
Am I the only cheap one on here? $7.99 (Why pay full price $9.99, buy on sale) Rural King jeans is my work jeans.
I have always liked the Dickies cargo pants. They were our work uniform jeans at my last job. They were heavy duty compared to what you find in the big box stores.

Bill Dufour
03-03-2019, 12:55 AM
511 is local but they have never been made in USA same company Royal Robins. Is Ben Davis still around? They are some relation to Levi Strauss.
Bil lD.

Andrew Fleck
03-03-2019, 8:13 AM
I always liked Carhart stuff, but lately, the jeans seem to coarse a weave. The winter coats I have had, don't wear as well as the Walls brand winter coats I have had. As for jeans, I once stuck with wrangler, tried Carharts and a few others. Recently, it has been Schmidt's from Tractor Supply. They fit me better than other brands right off the shelf and their cheap $20 a pair. I keep 4 or 5 pair in the works. Newest for casual outings, parties etc., the last year's pair for every day wear and the pairs from two or three years ago are "barn" clothes. Yea the knees wear out first, but frankly by the time three years has passed, they are ready to be cut off and survive another two or three years as shorts for farm work. I have been using Schmidts for about ten or 12 years now and for the past three years wear jeans every day. It does seem strange to have nice jeans for parties and get togethers, slightly lesser jeans for running to the store, meetings etc and then a few pair of barn jeans for dirty greasy muddy work around the farm. I do wear coveralls on some winter days. I had a couple pairs of some kind of heavy duty jeans when in college. Got them at a strange "dry goods" store that sold heavy duty clothing for farmers, carpenters and others. They sold Red Wings there too. I remember, I had to wash the things 3 or 4 times just to soften them up enough to wear. And they did wear like iron. Not the usual brands like Wrangler, Levi or Lee. IIRC they were made from 22 oz denim. When new, they felt like wearing armor plate.

I tried those Schmidt’s from TSC. I wanted to like them but they just don’t hold up for what I do. I do a lot of metal farbrication/welding and farm work and I get a year out of them if I’m lucky. I like those Carhartt flex pants a lot better.

Jim Becker
03-03-2019, 8:34 AM
Duluth Trading was one of the first to have "flex" type pants in the market and "all the names" have jumped on that bandwagon now...and yea, that little bit of spandex does make a difference when one is "doing stuff".

Darcy Warner
03-03-2019, 8:42 AM
Whatever kind I find at goodwill or garage sales. Currently I don't own any Jean's that aren't stained.

Matt Day
03-03-2019, 8:56 AM
Currently I don't own any Jean's that aren't stained.

Me too. I’m trying to fix that!

Malcolm McLeod
03-03-2019, 9:10 AM
Call me old fashioned, or old, or even un-fashioned, but best wearing are Levi's 501's! Button fly, guaranteed to shrink, wrinkle, and fade. ....Buy the right size*, put them on and get in a tub of warm water. (Blue legs and other parts and pieces :eek: are only temporary.) Perfect fit and last for eons.:cool: The rest are merely wannabes.:confused:

Trivia anyone...? - - Bad Dad was manager for them (~17yr) after Air Force. He worked through Brooke Shields' arrival with nothing between her and her Calvins. Calvin was paying $0.15/hr in Malaysia(?IIRC), and Levi was paying $10-$12/hr for average operator, $15-$25/hr for superior operators on piece rates. (GOOD wages - this was ~ early '80s). It drove 100% of Levi's production offshore. This included some 40-odd plants with perhaps 400 people each. Sad for the employees, but Levi survived. Dad retired just prior to their 'exit'.

______________
*(+2" in waist & inseam, unless either is >36" - then add 3")

Al Launier
03-03-2019, 9:24 AM
Deluth Coupons if anyone is interested https://givingassistant.org/coupon-codes/duluthtrading.com

Jim Andrew
03-03-2019, 10:06 AM
Nobody is cheaper than me. I buy my jeans at Walmart, and regular price is 9.99. Black friday price is 7$ per pair. I have a stack of about 20 I have not even worn yet. Last few years, have just been going to the black friday sale the next morning, no crowds and they still have plenty of jeans.

Jim Becker
03-03-2019, 7:22 PM
I have some jeans that came from Costco that are only a little more than those from WallyWorld...which I do not patronize. While all my better pants come from Duluth, for the few pairs I know are going to get paint or other nasties on them, resulting in a short life...I go cheap. :)

Kris Cook
03-03-2019, 8:30 PM
I have been pretty happy with Carhartts which I wear pretty much every day. I have worn the knees out of a few pair but like to think I got my money's worth before then. I do have a pair of Wrangler work pants with reinforced knees. They are pretty heavy duty, and probably wouldn't wear them out somewhere (at least my wife probably wouldn't let me...). I have a few things from Duluth I really like. I will look at their shirts based on input here.

I also saw these some time ago. http://www.leevalley.com/us/hardware/page.aspx?p=71894&cat=71948
Don't think I would spend that much on a pair of pants but they look pretty slick.

Greg R Bradley
03-03-2019, 9:22 PM
Levi 501, Costco, Walmart???? You guys must have a big waist compared to your legs. Actually there isn't a Levi anything that I can get my legs in that isn't at least 4" too big in the waist. I mean, that is all for someone that has a belly that is bigger than the top of their pants.

Patrick McCarthy
03-03-2019, 10:14 PM
Used to do 501’s when younger, got into Wrangler 13mwz’s during my cowboy days, last few years i have been very happy with Kuhl’s “Born in the mountains” and have been very happy with them.

Patrick Walsh
03-04-2019, 12:58 AM
Carhartt fleece lined double knee. I have been wearing the same six pair for five years now. They are the only pants I own other than a suit. They are all covered in glue, caulking, roofing tar from ice and water shield and just about everything else you can imagine. The knees all have holes at this point and a few belt loops have given way. It’s timemto pony up another $250 for anothe five pair. Seems like a bargain to me.

Jim Koepke
03-04-2019, 2:06 PM
My favorite wear for a couple of decades has been Dickies painters pants:

https://www.dickies.com/mens-clothing/mens-painters-pants/

There is also free shipping on orders over $50. Back in my trimmer days of youth my favorite was Levis' 501 jeans.

For my build, these are the most comfortable pants at a good price on the market.

When they arrive, a fine tipped sharpie is used to write the last number of the year around the fly button. This lets me keep the new ones separate from older pairs.

It seems every time a purchase is made from them they send you discount codes. Maybe a sign up for the news letter will get a discount offer before a purchase.

jtk

Yonak Hawkins
03-05-2019, 12:30 PM
Nobody is cheaper than me.

You win !!

Jason Roehl
03-06-2019, 6:38 AM
I'm not quite as cheap as Jim, but I have found Wrangler to be great work jeans--I always get the carpenter style. Two pair probably last me a year or so. However, this last go-round, I decided to try the Dickies Flex. They seem to work, but I don't think they had "relaxed fit", which would be better for me due to my odd shape of no hips, but large thighs (thanks, cycling!). Don't know on the longevity of them, yet, as I've only had them a couple months or so. Both the Dickies and Wrangler set me back about $20/pair, so the Wranglers had earned their keep.

James Pallas
03-06-2019, 7:37 AM
For years I wore wrangler jeans and wrangler chambray shirts when at home. I had to wear dress clothes for work. The chambray shirts were the best to me. They would wear so thin the air would go right through them, just perfect for summer. I wore the same thing so much that the grand kids would ask if I ever changed my clothes. Found Duluth and now I have some color in my life. Still wear wrangler jeans tho.
Jim

Yonak Hawkins
03-08-2019, 11:09 AM
I got my Duluth pants yesterday. They seem quite substantial and well made. I haven't tried them on yet as I washed them first thing and they're still drying. I suspect I'll have to do some tailoring, however, as they didn't have my size available.

Mike Null
03-08-2019, 12:03 PM
I wear Cabela's brand comfort fit jeans. That is all I wear unless we're going out for dinner. Wear like iron, comfortable, $20 per pair on sale. These jeans and my Champion sweat shirts are my unifrom of the day. No ironing for either.

Jim Koepke
03-08-2019, 1:27 PM
Just received an email from Dickies announcing free shipping with no minimum.

Not sure how long the free shipping will last.

jtk

Jim Becker
03-08-2019, 5:41 PM
Yonak, I often have to do the dance around inseam length...31" is "perfect" but most often I have to choose between 30" and 32". One shows socks more than I prefer and one gets dirty with ground contact more than I prefer. LOL

Matt Day
03-09-2019, 7:43 AM
My first step in my pants journey. I picked up some Dickies Carpenter pants at Walmart (minor throwup in my mouth-don’t like that place). The pants seem just about the same as my Carhartts I have, same types of pockets, hammer loop etc, maybe a hair thinner material but for $24 it’s hard to complain.
I’ll be in Chicago next week for the Big10 tournament and i’ll Try to stop by a Duluth Trading store.

Jim Becker
03-09-2019, 9:43 AM
Duluth has some of the DuluthFlex pants on sale right now and they have been my favorite. Hopefully, the prices will hold until you get to visit the store, Matt.

Matt Day
03-09-2019, 9:55 AM
Thanks Jim. I’ll need to also consider if one pair of Duluth are worth 3 dickies.

bill kaminski
03-09-2019, 4:29 PM
I get Wranglers and the house brand at TSC. Reasonable price and quality. They also fit my fat butt.

Neil Gaskin
03-09-2019, 8:28 PM
Most of my work wardrobe is Duluth. I like there pants and bibs. I like the “ultimate” bibs snd work pants for their cargo pockets. The foam knee pad inserts are great.