I’m retired spend most of my time in my workshop or doing maintenance on outbuildings on our rural property. I really like Dickies Duck Logger pants, but they seem to wear out quickly. I have three pairs that get worn almost constantly in rotation. The oldest pair is now just over two years old and is worn out - I’ve repaired the seam in the crotch once, but now the fabric either side of it is thread bare. My phone has worn trough the bottom of the right front pocket.
Are there similar pants that will last longer, or am I expecting too much?
I’m in Canada.
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Duluth Fire Hose Flex 45507 have held up well for me, so much so that I have 7 pairs. The only crotch I had get damaged was when I got them hooked on a scaffolding platform hook. My Keybar did wear through the back pocket from moving around on masonry. I am probably going to start switching over to a heavier weight 92204.
I would like to try out the Alec Steele 01 G1, but they sell out fast and runs are infrequent.
I keep seeing good things about the Duluth Fire Hose Flex. Just been on their site and the “free shipping for orders over $50” seems to include Canada, so they’re only about twice as much as the Dickies. I wonder if I can get four years out of a pair :-)
I came here to say this. Fwiw, mine are at least 5 yrs old. I do farm work, yard work, a lot of chainsaw/tree cutting work with them.
The flex version is better than the non flex. Pay attention to the style so you get the pocket/loop configuration you want.
Carl Murawski made a video in a similar style to ProjectFarm comparing different brands of workpants.
ProjectFarm themselves did a couple videos testing the durability between different brands of jeans. The first one focuses on affordable jeans, while the second video throws in expensive brands as well to see how they compare.
Interestingly, the dickies ProjectFarm tested seemed to do quite well regarding crotch tearing, and did okay on the abrasion test. If your pants material is failing due to thinning out from abrasion, I would guess that the ones that did well on both the abrasion test and crotch tear test would be your best bet.
I’m skipping through the project farm “affordable” video and found the summary table:
I think that “1” says they did **not **do well on crotch tearing. They stand up remarkably well for other abrasion - I’ve been rebuilding a foundation and spending a lot of time crawling around under an old shed - the knees still look like new!
It’s a bit counterintuitive, but for his tests, lower values = better result. The dickies required the most force to tear apart at the crotch.
My dad swears by Duluth stuff.
Buddy of mine swears by 5.11 pants
Idk if they ship to Canada or not… good luck op!
I’ve got a couple pairs of 5.11 pants and am a big fan
I like 5.11 Taclite and ABR pants. The rear slash pockets are bigger and more comfortable. I do have a physical, outdoor job that they stand up to well, but I’m not terribly rough on them.
I did manage to pop the stitches in the crotch of one pair after several years, but did not rip the fabric itself. 10 minutes with a needle and thread, or a single pass through a sewing machine and they are good as new.
Just FYI, not all Dickies are created equally. They sell lower quality ones at places like Walmart. The material is thinner and the stitching uses thinner thread and a different stitch pattern.
I still wear some Dickies I bought 25 years ago.
Well - I’m surprised. Dickies Canada customer care team actually replied and confirmed that “Genuine Dickies” (the brand sold at Walmart) is not genuine Dickies - it’s a different brand and is lower quality.
I’m tempted to boycott them now for allowing their brand to be abused like that, but I said in my email to them that I’d try real Dickies if they confirmed there is a difference - so I will.
That’s interesting, and what I suspected. All of mine (4 pairs in total so far) have come from the local Walmart. I’ve just written to Dickies Canada customer support to see if they will confirm this. Unlikely, but worth a try. I’ve worded it like “I’m not happy with your pants from Walmart - should I try some from dickies.ca or move to another brand”. I’ll let you know if I get anything back.
Carhartt, just make sure it’s pants that are supposed to be “work” pants. It’s become a fashionable brand now, so I think they make a lot of casual clothes.
Duluth firehose pants are definitely good.
A couple brands I haven’t seen mentioned yet:
ArborWear, who specializes in logging apparel makes good tough canvas pants, and they are affordable for what you get. I have a flannel lined pair that are very close to being stiff enough to stand up on their own.
Filson pants cost an arm and a leg, but should be good from what I’ve seen.
Basically, you want real, non-stretch jeans or canvas. Bonus if they tell you the weight of the fabric. Once you get any spandex in there, you are limited in strength. I also always go for pants with reinforced crotches, cause otherwise that fails first for me.
Pants will wear out. I wear Carhardt washed twill pants every day. They hold up really well for heavy jobs, but won’t last forever. I have several pairs that are ratty and reserved for extra dirty work. At most, they last me 2 years before they look like hobo pants.
I don’t like the cut of dickies, and they aren’t as tough as the carhardt washed twills.
The washed twills are $35-50 US. Beyond these pants, everything else is a trade-off. Better pants, kuhl, 5.11, Deluth, heavy duty Carhardt Duck; all more expensive, some to a laughable extent.
Come join the Carhardt gang.
I’ve heard good things about SOSO 33oz, not tried them personally though.
