Junkdrawer Dog
Well-known member
Carhartt and Levi Strauss & Co have transformed themselves from work wear to fashion icons. Oshkosh transformed themselves into a retailer of children's clothing. Gotta look elsewhere these days.
Winter work jackets like Carhartt?
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justintendo
Well-known member
Carhartt makes plenty of tough work clothes..they are no where near levis...their full swing coats are fantastic. If they cost too mugh buy irregular, or the 40 percent off sale carhartt has every end of season.
If someone really wants old carhartt, ebay has tons...all sizes and conditions.
Dixie_Flatline
Well-known member
I have thought about waxing my Carhartt. Anyone give that a go?
Carhartt is definitely trying to target an upscale customer base with their “WIP” line. Just look at their manhattan store:
I’d like to try the double-knee pants someone posted earlier but otherwise my experiences with Carhartt have been underwhelming. Key and Walls still make sturdy, affordable items and I’d like to try Roundhouse some time.
Drunkonunleaded
Well-known member
Those are made with American SLAVE LABOR!
inmates making less than minimum wage sewing pants. Do not buy prison blues.
Mecha
Well-known member
Somewhat entertaining Carhartt history video, explains Carhartt WIP (which is older than you think).
Junkdrawer Dog
Well-known member
Do they come with a shiv in the pocket?
Dixie_Flatline
Well-known member
Nah, you keep that in your prison wallet!
I have Key, Berne, Dickies, Roundhouse, and Carhartt in the closet. Carhart is still, easily, the best made and best fitting overall. I do like Berne for jackets and coats. Not better than Carhartt, but they work in a pinch.Moved away from Carhartt and went to Berne several years ago. Been very happy not to pay the Carhartt tax and get equal quality. Also tried Roundhouse and very impressed.
Funny, they seem to make plenty of both even though the standard elastic waisted Carhartt "jacket" is the standard against which all others are measured.
justintendo
Well-known member
redwrench60
Well-known member
You should try the B01 double knee work pants. Heavy duck cotton, double front with riveted pockets and panels. These wear like iron and really hold up to bad conditions.Carhartt is definitely trying to target an upscale customer base with their “WIP” line. Just look at their manhattan store:
I’d like to try the double-knee pants someone posted earlier but otherwise my experiences with Carhartt have been underwhelming. Key and Walls still make sturdy, affordable items and I’d like to try Roundhouse some time.
Attachments
They get free room and board - due to their choice. Hardly slave labor.
What about the quality?
scooby074
Well-known member
Big Bill is good stuffBig Bill® Official Site
Big Bill® Official Site - Shop the entire Big Bill® Workwear Selection. Rugged workwear stitched to last since 1946. Shop premium workwear and outdoor gear made in Canada & USA, built for real workers.www.bigbill.com
made in Canada (at least the majority of their stuff is). For US customers, your order will ship from Vermont.
I can't believe you just said that. You are okay with exploiting prisoners for labor. Irregardless of what happened to them to be incarcerated they are getting paid less than minimum wage and cutting the bottom line from workers in the industry. It's a bad practice that should not be rewarded.
As is Tough Duck.
scooby074
Well-known member
I dont know how much TD makes in Canada these days. Big Bill makes a lot here
Drunkonunleaded
Well-known member
Quality is good. They're not fashion jeans. These are the jeans your dad wore to work.
I REALLY wanted to avoid politicizing something as trivial as workwear, but here we are. The workers get paid prevailing wage. A portion of it goes to cover incarceration costs, legal fees, taxes, child support, victim restitution, etc. It's a sought-after job with a multi-year waiting list.
Personally, I find it troubling (and a bit ironic) that people are so quick to call out a program like this as "slave labor" but have no qualms about purchasing imported goods made with actual slave labor.
Don't take my word for it regarding how Prison Blues operates, you can look it up yourself.
Not people, ME. I said that!
I do not support slave labor and I am very VERY vocal about that here.
Hey they can say with all honesty that they're made in America.
I don't see it as slave labor, they are incarcerated for a reason
Junkdrawer Dog
Well-known member
In other words, they're not forced to make jeans.
Irregardless of their incarceration they are undermining the seamstresses with inexpensive labor. That's no different than foreign workers doing the same thing. It has the same impact on the market.
You could say essentially the same thing about just about any skills-based program in prison.
Here are jeans made right here in NC. I doubt the prison jeans are going to impact them in any way.
(I have several pairs from Raleigh Denim - they're great)
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Yes.
scooby074
Well-known member
(I have several pairs from Raleigh Denim - they're great)
An $800 "chore" coat, $ 650 jeans and an $80 ball cap. Not exactly "Clothes for the workin man"
The trades pay big money is what I hear all the time.
scooby074
Well-known member
Im Trades lol. Aint nobody paying $1500 for work jeans and a shirt. Thats some yuppie ****.
Dagny
Well-known member
The heavy coats we were talking about are necessary if you have to work in crazy cold conditions. I have experience in minus 30 with 40 mile an hour winds. The work goes slow because you have to many clothes on the worst is trying to keep your hands working. Get what your working on going and get outa there till it gets above zero. On a normal winter day down to 5 below or so a thin wicker type next to the skin followed with some heavier wicker layers topped with a wool shirt. you can work in this. Those heavy coats just get you wet then you are done. They are best suited to ice fishing or other low activity chores.
For sure they're definitely not - that's my point: virtually all MiUSA jeans aren't in the workwear space. To make the math work, they're in the enthusiast/fashion space where they can get better price points. Even Gustin (which is cut/sewn in the USA) is well over $100 for just about everything they make.(I have several pairs from Raleigh Denim - they're great)
An $800 "chore" coat, $ 650 jeans and an $80 ball cap. Not exactly "Clothes for the workin man"
The "slave labor" thing for the Prison Blues is hysterics IMHO. It's a voluntary program that teaches them a skill, and they're not uncompensated. They're defraying the cost of their incarceration and earning some actual money too. I'd bet it's considered a good gig for those who get to participate. ~$60 for a pair of jeans isn't going to be considered affordable for a lot of people...
I wouldn't have a problem if it was the corrections system teaching skills, but this is not. Prison Blues is selling products made by inmates on the consumer market. That's what makes this different than inmates cleaning up road ways or other community services.
Prison blues said:
There are other paying jobs in prisons where inmates earn taxable income and are able to spend it at the commissary or canteen. Those jobs benefit the prison and inmates. Those in-house jobs can be teaching skills just the same as Prison Blues claims to be, but without the ethics concern of selling products in the consumer space.
I wouldn't call it hysterics, I call it unethical.
The fact that these guys volunteer and get put on a 3 year waiting list doesn't make this some honorable position. Their alternatives aren't great. Not much different than American slaves of the 1600s where some were paid wages and some were offered more desirable positions... It's all relative.
Basskiller
Well-known member
Take all the slave wage talks to pm’s. Keep the thread clean and on topic. This forum used to be really strict with any political talks. It was nice to come here and get away from all the political BS that people interject into everything.
It's not politics it's ethics. But sure it's off topic.
RTM
Well-known member
Nice heavy denim. Stitching is a bit off from perfect. One design feature I don't like is the cell phone pocket on the leg is further down than I like. Hard to reach without twisting at my core.
The cut may not be for everyone, so buy a solo pair first. I had to lose some weight for them to ride right.
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It's not political in any way, and the company in question was mentioned as an option for workwear, so it's on-topic. That said, I do think there's not much more to say on that particular piece of the discussion.
)They do still make quite a bit locally, although it's hard to tell which products. Still a large manufacturing presence in Winnipeg.
Big Bill and Big Al both do pretty much everything in Montreal. I like my Big Bill coveralls. Gostwear.com has good prices. But terrifically slow shipping.
Odd-job
Well-known member
Prison Blues quality seems to be on par with Round House. The raw denim wears well. Have to say a few other things to take into account, its pretty cool that they can be cut to length so I can get my funky 30X29 preferred sizing. The cut is super relaxed and baggy FYI. For better or for worse I have big cyclist thighs and am still swimming in the jeans after trying to shrink them down. Fine for work and around the garage, but am sticking with a better fit for me at least with other made in USA brands to the extent possible.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
European workwear is on a whole different level, especially the Scandinavian brands. Those folks know what works for cold and wet. I went down that rabbit hole and toyed with a bunch of different brands. I settled on Blaklader because I like how it fits and the variety of options. It was an investment initially but has outlasted any clothing I have ever worn. Their wool base layers are awesome when its really cold. I always try to dress in layers and find it works better. But when I do need that heavy duty extra warmth, my Helly Hansen waterproof breathable insulated winter work jacket is boss.In Europe we have a Swedish brand "Snickers" (It's called something else in USA because of the peanut/chocolate bar).
Carhartt is just another cool USA fashion brand for Skateboarding over here.
It gets down to minus 50 degrees Centigrade in parts of Sweden which is fairly cold (and it sometimes feels like your nutsack is going to freeze off in Northern England during January/February)
It's nice Quality/Expensive/Modern, but it is excellent gear if you wanna stay warm dry and comfortable
Innovative men's workwear for craftsmen in the UK
Snickers Workwear offers a wide range of quality workwear for men. Find your work trousers, work jackets, topwear, accessories and more.www.snickersworkwear.co.uk
Its absolutely miserable getting wet in Carhartt insulated duck bibs and coats. Been there done that. I do have a Carhartt insulated hood that is a separate piece designed to be worn solo. I dont think they make them anymore, but it is amazing in dry and cold conditions. Looks kind of goofy but works wonders.