Got a friend who works with his hands in a dirty job and he really likes Duluth Trading pants. Big dude too
this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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Dickies makes good pants. I don't know if you'll be able to find actual BIFL pants.
I'll second the Dickies. I used to wear Carhartt's for work because they held up well. But lately they haven't. The Dickies I'm currently rocking at work have so far held up really well, although I did just switch like 6 months ago. For what it's worth, my poor, carpenter grandfather wore Dickies everything. Exclusively.
I'll copy-paste what I put in that previous thread.
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.
In order for pants to stretch, the cotton (or whatever other blend of fibers) is essentially held together by spandex fibers. You might get the feel of the cotton, but the structural integrity of the garment is dependent on the spandex. Spandex wears out, especially if washed and dried a lot. In some cases, this results in the pants just getting permanently stretched out, but in other cases the fibers just come apart in a way that you can't really repair.
I really like pants with a crotch gusset, because that's where mine typically wear out. That gusset prevents the wear out, but it is also easier to repair if necessary. I have a pair of pants with a spandex blend gusset, and plain cotton throughout the rest of the pants, and ibthink that's a good combo of durability, repairability, and mobility.
My dad used the same pair Fjällräven pants for something like 15 years. Frequently used, often for day walks/hikes, and I don't recall seeing any signs of they were wearing out.
Now that I think about it, I should find out where that issue of pants ended up.
I have experienced that the quality of the classic fjällräven pants have dropped significantly over the past years. I have a pair i bought 2 years ago and already had to repair them 2 times because stitches suddenly broke and the pockets woren through. The belt strops seems to be next in line.
I'd much rather recommend Härkila since they are way more durable. They are ment for hunting and the fabric soft and light but also is super tare resistant and dries really fast if wet.
I picked up some Prana jeans recently that I really like, but I haven't had them long enough to make a BIFL recommendation. If anyone has experience with the brand, I would be interested in hearing about it.
I've had a fair amount of Prana clothing that I've worn extensively. It is some of the most comfortable stuff I own but most of the pants are starting to wear out. I'm not sure exactly how old they are but I would guess 3-5 years and generally heavy use.
Specifically I think I have Bridger jeans and Vaha pants but I could be mistaken about the branding.
I have a Prana zip up hood that I've had for like 3 years. Moderate use. Looks good still after a decent amount of wear but I don't really wash it much so I don't know about color fading from that.
Ben Davis has treated me well for work wear for a long time.
Unbranded Denim, specifically their salvege denim. It's owned by Naked & Famous but is better priced.
Go to the cowboy store and get some work jeans. Make sure the tag says 100% cotton. They can be stiff and take a while to break in, but when they do, they're comfy and durable. I usually get wranglers for $25-30 and they last years and years. I usually replace them because they're oil stained, not worn-through.
I'm not expecting great things from them, but my 511 tactical pants are decently durable, so long as you aren't doing really rough work on them.
Nábrók, the ultimate BIFL pants lol. That's just my silly answer because I want to keep track of this post.