# Recommend some comfy, tough pants for me!



## Valpo Hawkeye (Jul 31, 2007)

Okay, I know it's a wierd inquiry, but I'd like to find some nice pants. I'm changing jobs from a field tech to a "Master Plumbing Specialist" at Home Depot. This means I will be able to stay a bit cleaner through the course of a day. Here's what I'm looking for:

* Khaki or a dark wash denim
* Somewhat loose but not sloppy
* Boot cut for work boots
* Stury, deep, comfortable pockets
* Cargo pockets are nice, but not a neccessity

I'm a 36/34. When you list the pants, please also list where you can purchase them.


----------



## Radio (Jul 31, 2007)

Gotta be Carhartt!!!!!!!


----------



## Valpo Hawkeye (Jul 31, 2007)

Radio said:


> Gotta be Carhartt!!!!!!!



I hadn't thought about that. I have Carhartt Bibbs, jackets and a heavy waist coat. Is the material too ridgid or is it comfortable? They seemed a little stiff to me when I checked them out at the store.


----------



## Radio (Jul 31, 2007)

They make a Khaki jean in a light or a heavy weight, the lighter weight is very comfortable, they make great stuff!!!! Check out the Carhartt site for the pants.:thumbsup:


----------



## TedTheLed (Jul 31, 2007)

have you checked EDC forums - there's quite a comprehensive discussion there of work pants -- I don't recall who first posted these, but they're different; (hope 36/33 is OK?)

http://kilian.stores.yahoo.net/frisworclot.html

Swedish work clothes, Now available in the United States!
Unbeatable durability and features. Swedish work clothes combine tool belts, nail aprons and padding to make any worker's life easier.

Two loose-hanging, intuckable nail pockets reinforced with Cordura®.
Two roomy front and back pockets.
Folding rule pocket.
Pen Pocket.
Telephone pocket.
Tool pocket.
Leg pocket with a flap.
Two hammer holders, one adjustable.
Fastener for a sheath knife.
Knee pockets of Cordura® for optional foam kneepad insert.
Material: 100% Cotton navy twill. High wear pockets and knees reinforced with Cordura®.
Choose desired size from popup menu below.


----------



## chesterqw (Aug 1, 2007)

wear 2 jeans at the same time.

super strong


----------



## FlashSpyJ (Aug 1, 2007)

ahhh! finally something Swedish! 

This thread caught my interest, was curios about what kind of diffrent pants you guys would recommend...

Before I read what TedTheLeds wrote, I thought to myself that Im satisfyed with my fristads pant! Some of the most comfortable pants I have ever worn!

Get a pair of thoose! You really wont regret it! You have to wear and wash them a bit before they get maximum comfort!

There is also "bal klader" (blå kläder) they make simular clothes.


----------



## BIGIRON (Aug 1, 2007)

Cabelas 7pocket pants/shorts. Fairly light weight but still pretty tough. Inexpensive for what you get. Wearing a pair of the shorts right now.

Favorite work "tough" pants are Carhartt "Tool Pants". Heavy, lots of pockets and loops. Made in shorts for awhile, but no more. I was able to stockpile several pair of shorts before they disappeared.


----------



## Valpo Hawkeye (Aug 1, 2007)

Yeah, I'm not sure if the Cabella's "near" me is open yet. It's a good 45 minute drive, though, while Bass Pro is only about 30 min. I think I'm going to go to the Sears in my area as they have a large selection of Carhartt. Any other suggestions on where to go?


----------



## BIGIRON (Aug 1, 2007)

www.cabelas.com They have a good return policy - no questions asked and you're only out shipping if you don't like them.


----------



## Omega Man (Aug 1, 2007)

Columbia makes great jeans.
www.columbia.com


----------



## knot (Aug 1, 2007)

How about some kevlar jeans: http://www.dragginjeans.com/


----------



## mossyoak (Aug 1, 2007)

carhartt cotton duck single knee dungaree. the best damn pants made. there stiff at first but once you wear them a time or to they are better than anytihng else. tough as nail and look good.


----------



## BIGIRON (Aug 1, 2007)

Honest folks, I don't own stock in Cabelas. 

Last year they carried some kevlar reinforced dungarees. They apparently weren't good sellers cause they went on closeout for $9.99. 

They're not on the website, but I did see a couple of pair in small sizes when I was at their Austin store last month, so there may be some in other stores as well. 

I wear them when using chainsaw, etc. Haven't had a reallife test yet, but I did try a experimental cut and they did not cut easily with a sharp knife.


----------



## Burgess (Aug 1, 2007)

I've gotta' check out some of these . . . .



Thank you all for your suggestions.



And to *ValpoHawkeye* --


Good luck in your new chosen occupation !

Hope you find that it's a :goodjob:


_


----------



## CLHC (Aug 1, 2007)

Well, I was going to recommend the Carhartts as others here already stated. Then there's Skillers. . .

Enjoy!


----------



## Valpo Hawkeye (Aug 1, 2007)

I picked up a pair of Washed Duck Work Dungarees today. The 36/34's were a little long so I went with the 36/32's, and I'm 6'3". Anyone know if these things are pre-shrunk?

Burgess, thanks for the well wishes. I'm a little nervous leaving a good Plumbing/HVAC company. However, I'm taking a leap here since HD is hiring licensed specialists, and it was a good opportunity for me to get out of the field. The field is hard on the body with attics, crawlspaces, solder burns, sore knees, etc. As I said, I'm nervous, but excited. It doesn't hurt that the money is slightly better and the benefits are FAR better.


----------



## Valpo Hawkeye (Aug 2, 2007)

Seriously, anyone know how bad Carhartt Washed Duck pants shrink? They're perfect now, but if they're going to shrink, I need to size up.


----------



## BIGIRON (Aug 2, 2007)

Can't really advise. The Tool Pants/shorts didn't shrink much if at all. Couple of pair of other C'hart shorts (don't remember their "name")did shrink some.

Good luck.


----------



## mossyoak (Aug 2, 2007)

Valpo Hawkeye said:


> Seriously, anyone know how bad Carhartt Washed Duck pants shrink? They're perfect now, but if they're going to shrink, I need to size up.



buy them big cause they shrink about an 1 inch in all directions.


----------



## mossyoak (Aug 2, 2007)

i normally wear 36/34 but for carhartts i buy 38/34. because of the shrink


----------



## wpowell (Aug 2, 2007)

woolrich elite??

FWIW I started the thred on the swedish pants at EDC...i think...


----------



## chesterqw (Aug 3, 2007)

spartaaaa!!!!!! jeans.


----------



## Mike Painter (Aug 3, 2007)

Jeans tend to be cut like any other pants.
After two minutes in a pair of BDU's, I stopped wearing anything else.


----------



## InTheDark (Aug 3, 2007)

I'm a big fan of ****ies double knee work pants. They're cotton/poly blend, look a little more "dressy" than jeans, and a lot tougher than straight denim. After wearing these I can't go back to jeans. I only like the double knee version because the leg is cut straighter than the the standard pants, so they fit looser over boots. I tried carhartts, but the fit wasn't comfortable for me and the heavy cotton was too hot for my area.

I also have a couple pair of the blaklader pants, you can buy them here

http://www.thenewworker.com/index.asp?pageId=39

I tried both styles, and found out I didn't like the one with the nail pockets. I recommend the roughneck pants they're great, and you can get them in either cotton or poly/cotton


----------



## WDR65 (Aug 3, 2007)

I wear both the cotton 5.11 tactical pants and Carhartt pants. I've only had the 5.11's for about three months now but I'd rate them as tough as the Carhartts and I haven't worn a pair out yet. Plus the 5.11's have a flashlight pocket. 

The lighter Carhartts are very comfortable in most enviroments, but the heavier dungarees while tough are a bit much for the humid southeast, especially down here near Savannah.

These are the only two types I can comment on directly, I wear the 5.11's now because with the polo that I have to wear to work they look a bit better. I did wear the Carhartts in the freight industry for over a year and they held up very well except for the hammer loops which hung me up on the forklift once (I cut them off after that). Pricing is similar though, with Carhartts being a few dollars cheaper at most work supply stores.

Edit: realized you wanted denim.....though I would rate the 5.11's as tough as most denim pants. 

Also I ordered my last few pairs from LApolicegear.com


----------



## Valpo Hawkeye (Aug 3, 2007)

Canvas or denim or whatever is fine... Comfortable and lasting are my priorities.


----------



## Mad1 (Aug 5, 2007)

I've got a pair of these, they are possibly the best trousers ever! http://www.fjallraven.com/Products/Product.asp?ItemId=1248&SectionName=yes&Menu=menu1&SectionId=3785

They are great but a little pricey, but you get what you pay for!

$165 or there abouts.


----------



## flash_bang (Aug 5, 2007)

I like my Duluth Trading Co. med weight fire hose pants. I think they have cargoes too at duluthtrading.com
thanks,
flash


----------



## CLHC (Aug 7, 2007)

How about those Force-10 Legionnaire pants?


----------



## Ken 222 (Aug 15, 2007)

Valpo Hawkeye said:


> Seriously, anyone know how bad Carhartt Washed Duck pants shrink? They're perfect now, but if they're going to shrink, I need to size up.


 
I have a few pair of light and medium weight canvas Carhartts. They do not shrink. A little better for hot weather than denim when ya can't wear shorts. I can't say if Carhartt jeans shrink or not.
Sometimes you can find a good deal on work pants here:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Product.aspx?baseno=23917&cdf=AffinitySale

The last time I bought some they were $17.50 but that was only for a couple days as I recall. One half the price at local Carhartt store but you have to figure shipping costs into the deal. Sierra Trading has good deals on Wrangler brand also. Remember that these are 2nds or irregular or inside-out. 

Ken


----------



## Valpo Hawkeye (Aug 15, 2007)

By way of an update:

I picked up three pairs of the Carhartt washed duck work dungarees in various colors, a pair of Levi's carpenters and a pair of denim Carhartt work dungarees. I like them all, but am partial to the washed ducks.


----------



## JasonC8301 (Aug 16, 2007)

5.11 Tactical 74251 style cotton pants. I have 4 pairs of them and find they do tend to shrink after multiple washings (bought a pair 30X34 and had them tailor the inseam before I washed them, now they are only worn with 1 pair of boots (8" Danners.)) I am normally a 30X30 but buy 30X32 for 5.11 pants (due to shrinkage of the inseam, with the stretch of the waist I find 30 just fine.) I also have a pair of the 5.11 jeans but would not recommend them. I am in the process of sending it back because I think their fits sucks. 

I also have a pair of 5.11 boots, a a few of their professional short sleve polos, and under shirt (both performance and 3 pack t-shirts.) I also only wear their socks now with all my boots (6" level 1.) 

www.511tacticaldirect.com is where I purchase all my 5.11 gear. Sometimes items do tend to be on back-order a few weeks while 5.11 tries to keep up with demand. 

So yeah, I may be 5.11 loyal and some of their clothes are a bit finiky if you don't know what to look out for and knives will put a hole in any pants (had it sewn up and still performs well.) 

So 36/34 being your size, I would recommend 36/36 depending on your boots and how you like your inseam (after a few wahsings the 32 becomes a little more than 31 which falls nicely on my boots (5.11 6"Advance or Danner 8" Acadia or my other Danner deserts.)


----------



## flash_bang (Aug 30, 2007)

Rise from the dead, o thread of pants!!!
But seriously, I got some heavy weight Duluth trading co fire hose pants that I love, I'm glad I got two pairs!!!
duluthtrading.com

HAGO,
Flash


----------



## Coop (Sep 2, 2007)

What a coincidence, I was looking for a thread like this  Anyway, after reading I found that the 5.11 cotton tactical pants were the only pants that I can get at a decent price at this side of the pond (gee, and from the same company that does import for SF in the Netherlands). 
But unfortunately, they're backordered


----------

