Work/shop pants needed.

[2ndGearRubber]

Due to a beef with our uniform company, uniforms will not be provided "for at least" 2 weeks. So this is now my problem. It's early enough in the year old jeans will suffice, but as cold and wet weather comes in that won't work. In my typical fashion, I'm expecting a potential long and drawn out process from management.


What work pants are you guys wearing? Unifirst was our previous supplier. I'm looking for just basic black shop pants. No fire retardant or liners. Unifirst said me sized at a fairly snug 34 waist, but normally a 33 is loose.

Is the easy button to just buy a few pair of black dickies at Walmart or is their a superior solution here?

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Dickies will do fine. Haven’t worn them in a professional setting as Cintas provides our uniforms. But usually it’s them or jeans as my go to when working on stuff at home and my dad wore them for years as a truck driver because they were comfortable and didn’t feel bad about getting grease on them. That’s the ones I’d recommend.

 

[Hal]

Whatever is cheap at the thrift shop.

 

[CJM8515]

dickies.

unifirst *****, least the driver/whatever they had in our area. we would send uniforms in and get back like 2 pairs of pants and 1 shirt when you gave them like 5 pairs of stuff.

 

[Skyman]

Another vote for Dickies. Pants and shirts. Quality stuff, and more comfortable than jeans.

Steve

 

[Retroman]

I just bought a pair of Red Kap Modern Fit Industrial pants. Just for garage use and stuff around the house.
They work well for what I am doing and are available in Black.

 

[joe_padavano]

Another vote for Red Kap. I used to use Dickies, but apparently they no longer sell all-cotton. When I'm using a torch or welder, I don't want a spark to melt polyester to my skin.

 

[plinker]

We have Dickies at work thorugh Cintas, they're ok, but I dont care for them that well. 100% cotton Red kap is great, better fit IMO. Their shirts are nice too. Zoro has them reasonable with a coupon. For denim, Red kap is decent, but Carhart is a bit better/heavier.

 

[F-22]

I have some Carhartt suptuff that I like and would generally be my go-to clothes, but recently I was checking out the Patagonia work wear. Not quite ready to pay that much, does anyone have any experience with their hemp clothes? They have some nice denim and canvas pants and also bibs. I know that a large part of their price is for sustainability etc... But they do offer a good warranty too.

 

[crewchief888]

Whatever is cheap at the thrift shop.

i used to get all my FRC pants/jackets at the thrift store. personally i wouldnt buy any NEW clothes to wear at work. i split the cost of my uniforms with the company.

 

[PCustoms]

i used to get all my FRC pants/jackets at the thrift store. personally i wouldnt buy any NEW clothes to wear at work. i split the cost of my uniforms with the company.

I wonder what is in the OP contract/benefits?

Seems like work should cover the cost of a set of uniforms until they get their contract with the uniform company fixed.

Otherwise I'd buy the cheapest sweatpants I could find.

 

[iamhomeless]

I've been wearing black wranglers for work pants for years. Way more comfortable and better looking than tradition work pants, and they hold up really well.

 

[tyyost]

Dickes are as good a place to start as any.

 

[Snapped-off]

Another for Dickies. I wear them at home for work clothes. We have some Bulwark FR stuff supplied by Cintas at work. It's alright.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I wonder what is in the OP contract/benefits?

Seems like work should cover the cost of a set of uniforms until they get their contract with the uniform company fixed.

Otherwise I'd buy the cheapest sweatpants I could find.

Yeah...... they don't give a ****. I have a window made entirely of packing tape in one of my main bays. We're going into winter 2 or 3 now with that window I made. Their plan was to leave the 24x18 window open. Because **** me - "dress for the weather". They did give me 4 free company t-shirts to wear for the loss of service period. Take the wins you can get, that's a $30 value.




Still too hot for sweatpants, and they offer the same disadvantages as denim. Mainly sucking up water and not drying quickly. Normally in the winter I'll wear sweatpants under my work pants to stay warm. Planning on going to walmart this week to look around for dickies or similar.

 

[Sumboodie]

Carhartt has a line of work clothes. It's $$ though. Pants are about $90 a pair.

Work bought 3 pairs, I ended up buying a few more out of pocket. Sometimes I can run a set of pants for a few days, othertimes, I get back to camp looking like I used them for shop rags all day.

 

[Zewnten]

You're not usually a time waster so I expect Dickies at Walmart will be your best option or just keep the clothes from the uniform company and tells your boss to sit and spin if they have an opinion.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

You're not usually a time waster so I expect Dickies at Walmart will be your best option or just keep the clothes from the uniform company and tells your boss to sit and spin if they have an opinion.

Uniform company already reclaimed my uniforms. Somehow I have an extra pair they said they didn't have on paper so I could keep them. IIRC they value the pants at $16, so I'm basically making money at this point.

 

[propmaker]

I've been wearing these for about 2 years now. They are lighter weight than their "heavy" canvas / denim jeans. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SV3PVXW/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[propmaker]

I have some Carhartt suptuff that I like and would generally be my go-to clothes, but recently I was checking out the Patagonia work wear. Not quite ready to pay that much, does anyone have any experience with their hemp clothes? They have some nice denim and canvas pants and also bibs. I know that a large part of their price is for sustainability etc... But they do offer a good warranty too.

I haven't tried their work line as most seem too stiff and heavy since I'm in SoCal. But their stuff is pretty bombproof. I have many patagonia items that are over 20 years old and they are still going strong.

 

[richfinn]

Due to a beef with our uniform company, uniforms will not be provided "for at least" 2 weeks. So this is now my problem. It's early enough in the year old jeans will suffice, but as cold and wet weather comes in that won't work. In my typical fashion, I'm expecting a potential long and drawn out process from management.


What work pants are you guys wearing? Unifirst was our previous supplier. I'm looking for just basic black shop pants. No fire retardant or liners. Unifirst said me sized at a fairly snug 34 waist, but normally a 33 is loose.

Is the easy button to just buy a few pair of black dickies at Walmart or is their a superior solution here?

In Europe we have a Swedish workwear brand called "Snickers" who make everything from reasonably priced service line clothing to ultra high end Arctic grade stuff.

I believe they use a different brand name in the USA (because of the chocolate)

If I were to spend my own money they would be top pick

Work trousers for professional craftsmen | Snickers Workwear

A wide selection of comfortable and durable work trousers in many sizes and models for men and women. Find alternatives for every season.

www.snickersworkwear.com

 

[u2slow]

Sounds like it's a just a stop-gap till the uniform co sorts themselves out.

I do like carhart$ but I would go with some off-brand cargo pants or similar. Put on breathable (wool or synth) long underwear for warmth and to stay dry.

 

[PCustoms]

@2ndGearRubber

This an auto shop?

I'm having flashbacks to the unifirst garbage we used to get at the factory. All levels got the same cheap, scratchy poly cotton blend. Production got a "gas station" iron on patch with their name, management got "monogrammed" shirts.

Dickies are a step up.

Tractor supply house brand is a bit fancier, not sure on durability...I bought mine as I unexpectedly was traveling and needed a 2nd set of pants. I wear then in an office/light manufacturing area.

Wrangler makes some ripstop type pants, I have a pair and they've been bombproof in the home shop and yard, but also light

 

[tarbellb]

Dickies has a newer line out now that is stretch, as good or better then the old stuff for sure.

Double knee, lined (for the cold) pants from them is a win for the price.

 

[u2slow]

Almost forgot.... Ask your employer what they're willing to comp you for work clothes for the interim.

Otherwise I'm showing up for work as the Dude.

 

[65ranchero]

And any work clothes that is purchased for yourself could be tax deductible, like tools
Dickies would work especially if in a hurry.

 

[Wrench97]

Dickies or Carhart, Dickies are $30, Carhart $40 on Amazon.
The down side is having to wash them and catch heck for getting grease in the washer/dryer at some point...................
Just about all uniform companies ****, it all depends on the route driver and good ones are getting hard to find.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

@2ndGearRubber

This an auto shop?

I'm having flashbacks to the unifirst garbage we used to get at the factory. All levels got the same cheap, scratchy poly cotton blend. Production got a "gas station" iron on patch with their name, management got "monogrammed" shirts.

Dickies are a step up.

Tractor supply house brand is a bit fancier, not sure on durability...I bought mine as I unexpectedly was traveling and needed a 2nd set of pants. I wear then in an office/light manufacturing area.

Wrangler makes some ripstop type pants, I have a pair and they've been bombproof in the home shop and yard, but also light

Auto repair shop.

I'll look around at the ripstop pants if I can find them locally.

 

[M6erfan]

I do not care at all for Dickies, they don't fit me well and I find the fabric is uncomfortable. A few years ago I tried several different brands and decided on Duluth Firehose Flex work pants. I have 2 pairs in blue. They're very comfortable, have a bit of stretch which is nice, and they've been pretty damn durable. Mine are going on 3 years of nearly everyday wear and are just about ready for replacement.

 

[jpaw]

I know this doesn't help but I would find the loudest, brightest most obnoxious thrift store clothes I could get because fuckum if they can't run a professional business.

 

[Komet]

Wrangler tested well on Project Farm if I recall. I've started buying Carhartt gear lately and find the build quality and materials to be a bit better than Dickies. That seems to be reflected in the price as well. I scored some used fire retardant Red Kap coveralls off ebay for like $20 or something, they have been very durable.

 

[sparky 1971]

I wear the Duluth Trading flex firehose carpenters pants, which are available in black as are the cargo pants. Under normal circumstances I would suggest them, but since this may just be a temporary fix, the cost may be too high. If that's the case go for the Dickies, or maybe go online and get some Red Kap uniform pants. Red Kap uniform shirts are cheap so I am going to guess the pants are as well.

 

[richpa]

In Europe we have a Swedish workwear brand called "Snickers" who make everything from reasonably priced service line clothing to ultra high end Arctic grade stuff.

I believe they use a different brand name in the USA (because of the chocolate)

If I were to spend my own money they would be top pick

Work trousers for professional craftsmen | Snickers Workwear

A wide selection of comfortable and durable work trousers in many sizes and models for men and women. Find alternatives for every season.

www.snickersworkwear.com

Our company provides all our workwear which is made by Snickers (https://www.snickersworkwear.com/) it seems pretty durable, however in my garage shop I have dickies overalls and trousers which are great.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

I wear Kirkland Jeans for work ( Costco house brand ). They fit much better than Dickies do on me. I mostly buy them for the quality/price or value, they are very comfortable @ $12 a pair, or at least that was the price in the last year that Ive bought some. Wife seems to have no problem getting them clean. Im do mostly transmission/ T-case rebuilding.

 

[joel_400]

Wrangler Riggs are what we have. Very heavy duty and long lasting...a bit too much in the summertime.
Joel

 

[lardy1]

I wear Dickies brown duck in the winter. They last forever but not as comfy as cotton work pants.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

I have some Carhartt suptuff that I like and would generally be my go-to clothes, but recently I was checking out the Patagonia work wear. Not quite ready to pay that much, does anyone have any experience with their hemp clothes? They have some nice denim and canvas pants and also bibs. I know that a large part of their price is for sustainability etc... But they do offer a good warranty too.

I have a couple of their hemp pants. I really like them. Roomy, they break down some with a few washes and they are thicker than I thought but not Carhartt canvas thick. It takes some time getting used to the way they cut their pockets. My big beef was trying to find the right sizing since my REI doesn’t carry them so everything was via snail mail. Also, I’m in a machine shop so I’m not bringing holes in my knees like other tradies.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Carhartt is ok. The quality isn't on par with the price, IMO.

Wolverine used to have canvass work pants that were better than Carhartt, but cheaper. They had deep pockets and lasted for long time. They felt like burlap at first but after a 4-5 washings, they felt like jeans.

Red Kap and Wrangler are two other brands I like.

For a while, I was getting unifiorm pants from a uniform company, even though I was not part of the maintenance crew.

They ****. So. Bad. Uncomfortable, scratchy and poorly made. I opted out and got my own.

 

[bwringer]

I'm in the "thrift store" camp...

If you simply MUST buy new pants, have a peek at the house brands in the local discount farm stores (like Rural King), if any. Farmers are extremely cheap and extremely hard on their clothing.

I'm also in the "look for an employer that's not a complete clown show" camp, but I guess that's not the question you asked.

 

[RedneckWelder]

Dickies is what I wore for the month and a half it took the dumbasses at our uniform supplier to furnish my set way back when I started. They held up fine.

Red Kap isn’t bad