Sturdy Work Pants Recommendations

I am badly in need of some new shop/work pants. The two pairs I have- a pair of Craftsman work pants I picked up when our local Sears closed like 8 years ago and a pair of Duluth Firehose pants that were retired from wearing to my actual work because the inside of the thighs were starting to wear through (i think from the scooter & my riding pants)- have so many holes in them in inappropriate places that they can’t be worn in public and one has the knee ripped completely out so I’m constantly having to pull the leg up so my bare knee isn’t on the ground. 

I’d prefer something that will hold up for a very, very long time. Being reasonably priced would be a serious bonus-but if I don’t have to buy another pair for another decade or so I’ll pay more for that sturdiness. Obviously it’s impossible to predict how anything is going to get damaged- but I want something that will hold up through the normal abuse of crawling around and under cars and in junkyards. 

Suggestions?

I have been impressed with these Carhartt Work Pants

If you want long-lasting, rugged clothing, Carhartt is hard to beat.   

Wait.  Pants are required?  Well, this is embarrassing.

I have 4 pairs of Carhartt dungarees.  3 navy blue and 1 duck colored.  They are now 10 years old and have held up incredibly well.  If you want to waste an hour of time google "Carhartt testimonials" and you will find dozens of instances where people claimed their Carhartt work clothing saved their life.  

wae said:

Wait.  Pants are required?  Well, this is embarrassing.

 

Only for welding.

Carhartt and Dickies Im pretty happy with. The Dickies were really cheap to buy too, but still sturdy and holding up really well. I also had a bunch of bullhead jeans that would not wear out, so I got fat instead. 

Do the Duluth pants have a lifetime guarantee?  Return for a replacement pair?  

Tyler H said:

wae said:

Wait.  Pants are required?  Well, this is embarrassing.

 

Only for welding.

How am I supposed to tan my legs if I wear pants while welding?

I wore Dickies work pants at my last job. Metal embers and sparks could burn pinholes in them, but they'd stand up well to everything else.

+1 for carhartt.  They last much longer than they should, especially if you get the double knee version in duck fabric. 

With carhartt watch the material and fabric weight if you are mail ordering or online ordering.  The "duck" or "canvas" are the stronger ones.  And you want double digit on the fabric weight.  Black is the choice for passing for regular pants.. you can probably even get away with black carhartts in an office or semi-formal setting.

When I was younger I used to buy jeans from regular retail stores that were about as good as modern canvas work pants.  Back then they were just called "jeans" but in 2018 99% of "jeans" are like pajama pants.  Seriously go feel the material at the mall..  I remember the old jeans being expensive, $40 to $60 when that was a lot of money.  But man I didn't know how good they were until they were gone. When I was a kid I used to get cuts and scrapes right through them and they wouldn't have a scratch.

We have a local work clothing shop that carries Carhartt stuff, so I’d be looking at and getting that in person and could find the heavier fabric pants. I believe my heavy insulated coveralls are Carhartt and I’ve had them at least a decade (but they get used only for a few months of the year and infrequently during that since my hands are usually the limiter in the winter). Thanks!

I just use cheap Kirkland brand jeans as work pants. When they wear out or get too nasty, I throw them away and get another pair. I'm more likely to get them grease and paint on them than actually wear them out, though.

Once you go Kilt, you'll never go back. 

The Duluth Trading Firehose pants are on sale right now, plus they have free shipping for orders over $50.

pinchvalve said:

Once you go Kilt, you'll never go back. 

That has all kinds of awesomeness written all over it.

Another +1 for carhartt. I only have one pair and they are well over 10 years old. Still my go-to wrenching/yardwork jeans.

Riggs workwear branded wranglers from rural king.

poopshovel again said:

Another +1 for carhartt. I only have one pair and they are well over 10 years old. Still my go-to wrenching/yardwork jeans.

About 10 years ago my folks bought me a Carhartt gift certificate.  I waited to buy until my next trip to the Midwest, as they don't have E36 M3 for variety here in FL.   In Rockford IL in Sept. the Farm and Fleet had 3 full isles of every kind of Carhartt clothing you could think of.  I found the exact jacket I wanted, in the right color / size / etc.    Living in FL I don't need it very often--- it gets worn maybe 2 weeks out of the year--- mostly when I travel North in the Winter.   For just over $100, it's the last Winter jacket I'll ever have to buy!   It's comfortable, warm and incredibly rugged.  I swear, I could fall down a 100 ft. hill of razor blades that this jacket would still be fine!  

If you have them near you, Ollie’s Bargain outlet and Gabriel Brothers occasionally have irregular Carhartts and other work pants at really good prices.

You can also get them at Walt's Used Workwear. Their brand name pants are Carhartt.

https://usedworkclothing.com/collections/used-brand-name-work-pants

Duluth fire hose cargo pants. Although I wouldn't want to wear them outside in the summertime. 

I'm Still a fan of the acid resistant double knee dickies. I started wearing them for work in 07 and still have 3 pair I purchased back then. The battery acid from filling motorcycle batterys at that job would kill jeans.

Another vote for The Duluth Fire Hose pants here.  Mine have been amazing.  

How long did it take you to wear the thighs out?