Spending too much money on DH's pants!

[taubel]

Hi - not sure if this is where I should be posted this, but here goes. My DH works in a fairly casual environment. He wears khakis/Dockers style pants with a button down shirt and hiking boots (no tie or jacket or anything like that). 

For some reason, the Dockers style pants wear out so quickly! They develop small holes in the crotch area, the seat, or the knees, and then he can no longer wear them to work. We have tried various brands - basically whatever we can find at Marshall's and Walmart, which are the only clothing stores close to us.

I am tired of having to buy new pants all the time! Any recommendations on a durable brand?! 

We are also going to try washing the pants less and having him change into jeans as soon as he gets home from work. That should help.

Thanks!

[motherhendoula]

Have you tried Old Navy?  My DH gets most of his pants there - and he is pretty rough on his clothes - he has a loooong commute including a subway ride, bus ride and plenty of walking, and is heavyset.   We can usually get 2 -3 years out of them ...for the little money they cost i think thats a good amount of time. 

[lynsage]

LL Bean is somewhat more expensive than store brands, but their clothes are VERY well-made and durable, and they back up their products and will replace anything that wears out before its time. My husband goes through jeans like you wouldn't believe and he has had the same two pairs of LLs for almost two years now, no holes or thinning in the knees and crotch. Try getting him relaxed fit pants with more room in the seat and legs as well.

Alternately, if you can find some at Salvation Army then it wouldn't matter as much if they wore out. My local thrift shops sell those types of pants for less than $5.

[freestylemama]

Dickies tend to last my DH a long time.  He gets his at Sears.

[SuzyLee]

We also get llbean ones for dh. They seem to last very well.

Changing pants as soon as he gets home helps but Honestly jeans cost just as much and then the jeans will just wear out faster plus I have more laundry.

[taubel]

Thanks for the advice! We'll check out all those brands. We do have an Old Navy, Sears and LL Bean 1/2 an hour from us. Guess we'll just have to drive a bit further!

[insidevoice]

I live in ranch country.  People here are rough on their clothes, and they often buy carhartt because it holds up.  DH does have one pair he uses occasionally, and the things will. not. die.  They are not, however, quite as dressy as some more traditional khakis.  

If he's really hard on them, the twill or the canvas may work if it's appropriate for his work environment. 

We have also had really good luck with LL Bean- again though, we tend to go towards canvas as twill gets destroyed quickly in our household. 

[Ruthiegirl]

Carhartt sells a line of work pants that my dh wears a lot.  They are not dressy, but a step above jeans and are appropriate for dh's work.  Might be worth a look.  

http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=10051&productId=136611&langId=-1&categoryId=10933

[Drummer's Wife]

I don't know brand names (would have to check) but DH started buying more expensive pants ($60+) and while they are obviously more than a $20 pair of George dress pants at walmart, they hold up a whole lot better.  Not sure if it's different if they are more dressy vs. casual (my DH pretty much wears a tie daily), but it may apply for more casual khaki pants, too.  I think sometimes you get what you pay for.

Also, do you wash them separately - or with only his other work clothes?  I do a gentle wash cycle and avoid washing them with things like jeans that have heavier zippers, snaps/buttons and such.  Seems like they get less wear that way.  Hanging to dry will extend the life as well. 

[littlest birds]

We have been around and around with this issue.  We have bought LLBean pants and liked them.  I have only seen poly blend Dickies around here.  We can't count on department-store pants to hold up to the physical wear and tear.  The last ones we got, though, we ordered online from a uniform company--I think it was Red Kap.  It is harder to find the 100% cotton, but we have been able to get cotton flat-front plain slacks and cargo pants that are very comfortable and simple.  They did a discount at five pairs.  I thought the prices were really good esp. for the quality because they are made for durability--I wasn't quite up for LLBean prices for the quantity we wanted at one time.

[mamalisa]

Eddie Bauer, Lands End and LL Bean all make good quality khakis.

[kristandthekids]

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Edited by kristandthekids - 1/16/13 at 7:32pm

[happysmileylady]

We buy Dh's work pants at Goodwill.  I simply can't bring myself to spend big money on pants, and he can still get high quality pants for the same price as low quality generic pants when he gets them there.

Also, if you are getting holes in the crotch/seat along the seams, it's really simple to sew them up.  If hand sewing is too intimidating, I suggest investing in a basic sewing machine.  My DH gets holes in the crotch of his pants ALL the time (what is it with men and holes in the crotch?)  and it takes nothing to drop it under the needle on the machine and stitch it back up. 

And, a way cool tip that I heard on another website:  When you buy a new (or new to you) pair of pants, get those iron on patches for jeans and iron them on the inside of the knees.  It provides the additional strength so that they don't wear out as fast, but no one can see them. 

Edited by happysmileylady - 3/15/11 at 6:42pm

[nadia105]

DH is *really* hard on his pants.  Land's End are the brand we have had the best luck with -- they last WAY longer than the ones we get at Target or Kohls.  The bonus to them is their guarantee -- if he were to wear through them really fast, we could have them replaced (we've never had to do this).  They do have sales a lot and free shipping for online, esp if you sign up for their emails.

[EFmom]

We have the same problem, compounded by the fact that dh takes a 36 inseam, but is not heavy.  Most places just don't sell that size.  His get holes near the front pockets because he carries his keys there and has a bunch on the keychain for work.

The Lands End pants do last us somewhat longer in terms of not getting holes, but they fade at about the same rate as the cheaper pants.  So, they end up looking pretty ratty after a few months.  I wash in cold water and am pretty careful.  I refuse to buy any pants that require ironing. 

[SubliminalDarkness]

I think you need to buy better quality pants. Look for sales. DH got a pair of black slacks at Banana Republic this weekend for $20, down from $89. Can't beat that. 

[NiteNicole]

Old Navy has pretty poor quality everything - except some of the guys khakis.  You can feel which ones are heavier and they last longer.  My husband has worn out so many expensive khakis from JCrew, LL Bean, Lands End, Eddie Bauer, Polo, etc - but the Old Navy ones seem to hold up longer.  You can often catch them on sale so when you do, stock up.  Just try on every single pair - even if they area ll the same cut and color - Old Navy is terrible about inconsistent sizes.

[mattemma04]

I see the dockers at our local resale shops for $5 or less .I would hit all those type stores. I am always so excited when I am able to get brand names jeans for $2 or less!

[BetsyS]

I'm watching this thread, too.  We used to get pants at the Vanity Fair/Wrangler outlet for 10 bucks.  And they were great pants--wore like steel, and they'd last 3 or 4 years of 1-2 times a week rotation.  They stopped making the line, though.  Wah!

We bought some Land's End pants in January that already have a hole near the pocket.  Grrrrr.

I love secondhand/thrift, but I have a really hard time finding pants for my dh that aren't already worn out.  He is big and tall, though, so I think that's a function of his size. 

[hibana]

Another vote for Lands End, especially if you can get them as overstocks or on sale.