Looking for a miracle: very rugged lightweight hot-weather pants
March 26, 2016 4:01 PM Subscribe
Pants, I need loose jean-like pants with pockets that are both lightweight and super-durable for working on a construction job in humid hot Georgia. The cloth needs to breathe; it also needs to be strong enough to protect me when I'm crawling around under a house or carrying nasty nail-full old wood to the dumpster. Flexible. Is there such a thing? Or is there cloth that I can buy and make me such a pair of pants? In men's or women's sizes. Please do not suggest any wool as I am allergic to it.
Best answer: Check out Duluth Trading Company, specifically their Armachillo line. TL/DL : too lazy, didn't link
posted by lobstah at 4:16 PM on March 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by lobstah at 4:16 PM on March 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
You might look into what motorcyclists wear for pants if you're really concerned about protection and comfort. There are all sorts of Kevlar and UHMWPE jeans out there.
However, wearers typically (though not always) report them to be a bit or a lot hotter than regular jeans.
posted by clawsoon at 4:26 PM on March 26, 2016
However, wearers typically (though not always) report them to be a bit or a lot hotter than regular jeans.
posted by clawsoon at 4:26 PM on March 26, 2016
All my relatives who work in the trades either wear Dickies or Carhartt. These are people who work outside in south and east Georgia.
You might also want to look at what are called "tactical" or "technical" pants to see if those would work for you.
posted by ralan at 5:31 PM on March 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
You might also want to look at what are called "tactical" or "technical" pants to see if those would work for you.
posted by ralan at 5:31 PM on March 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
I came here to mention Duluth Firehose Work Pants, which a buddy of mine absolutely raves about. They're more on the durable side of the cool/durable tradeoff (heavier fabrics are always going to be both stronger and warmer, all else being equal) but if you're in construction you might have to live with that to some extent. They're lighter than jeans and come in light colors. FWIW I am also in construction so I understand that you are likely going to absolutely kick the shit out of your pants and you need them to also be comfortable, functional, and presentable-looking in a blue collar kind of way.
I don't have a pair myself, but I am totally sold based on my friend's reports and will end up getting a pair eventually. The construction is top notch, with everything reinforced where you'd want it to be and some areas seriously over-engineered. They have numerous well-thought-out pockets which, depending on your trade, may even obviate the need for a tool belt at least some of the time. They provide plenty of room for movement, have some stretch to them, and have design features that make it easier to do things like bend, kneel, and crouch. And even when fully loaded with tools, they somehow manage to look like pretty normal flat-pocket cargo pants—it's uncanny.
They're available in several styles depending on your needs and preferences; the one I linked to above is the standard model, but you should check out the variants because you may find one that's more tailored (pun intended) to your type of work. If you do construction, are at least a little bit of a gear geek, and are looking for something that's a big step up from the standard-issue pair of Carhartt jeans, I'd seriously consider picking up a pair. There's a reason half the comments in here are recommending Duluth—they are seriously kicking ass right now as far as clothes for the trades are concerned, and their stuff is streets ahead of the traditional workwear brands. I've seen Duluth products of various kinds popping up on friends and around jobsites recently, and everyone who has them seems to like them. The quality is always excellent and the designs are always well thought out. Highly recommended.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:58 PM on March 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't have a pair myself, but I am totally sold based on my friend's reports and will end up getting a pair eventually. The construction is top notch, with everything reinforced where you'd want it to be and some areas seriously over-engineered. They have numerous well-thought-out pockets which, depending on your trade, may even obviate the need for a tool belt at least some of the time. They provide plenty of room for movement, have some stretch to them, and have design features that make it easier to do things like bend, kneel, and crouch. And even when fully loaded with tools, they somehow manage to look like pretty normal flat-pocket cargo pants—it's uncanny.
They're available in several styles depending on your needs and preferences; the one I linked to above is the standard model, but you should check out the variants because you may find one that's more tailored (pun intended) to your type of work. If you do construction, are at least a little bit of a gear geek, and are looking for something that's a big step up from the standard-issue pair of Carhartt jeans, I'd seriously consider picking up a pair. There's a reason half the comments in here are recommending Duluth—they are seriously kicking ass right now as far as clothes for the trades are concerned, and their stuff is streets ahead of the traditional workwear brands. I've seen Duluth products of various kinds popping up on friends and around jobsites recently, and everyone who has them seems to like them. The quality is always excellent and the designs are always well thought out. Highly recommended.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:58 PM on March 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Woman in construction here: you want Duluth's firehose pants.
posted by teslacoilswoah at 11:05 AM on March 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by teslacoilswoah at 11:05 AM on March 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'd also recommend you doing some research into a good pair of climbing pants. It's possible they'll be too light (IDK if they could stop a nail), but they could be worth looking into. They'll be quite durable (they have to withstand a lot of scraping against rock), comfortable (You have to be able to make that heel hook), and surprisingly light weight.
I have the women's version of the men's Belikos pant and they're surprisingly cool in the summer.
posted by FakePalindrome at 5:30 PM on March 27, 2016
I have the women's version of the men's Belikos pant and they're surprisingly cool in the summer.
posted by FakePalindrome at 5:30 PM on March 27, 2016
I am also a woman in construction and I just deal with heat in favor of Dickies/Carhartts and their abrasion protection. I'm currently in a mild climate but I"ve worked in both the Southeast and in other hot places- Eastern montana in 118F and building Burning Man infrastructure in the desert heat (which is not as bad as Georgia's heat+humidity combo). My strategy is tank tops- I can imagine that there are jobsites where this is unprofessional or considered provocative if you're a woman- but the difference between t-shirt sleeves and the cooling effect of bare underarms in a tank top is huge for me. It makes the pants part of my work clothes much less important for keeping cool.
If you're in a basement or other crawling job, you might be a bit cooler anyway, and can switch to Carhartt type shorts if you have to work in the sun. I know not all carpentry tasks are that consistent, but I sometimes spend days under a house when doing plumbing or electrical, and I've seen plenty of people dress for that specifically when they have a day of crawling, usually because it's gross/dirty/full of crap.
One carpenter I worked with owned a pair of those ridiculously expensive Blacklader work pants (something like $200/pair) which he would change into when we had a lot of time under the house on that one job. The reason was that they have knee pad pockets. I noticed that blacklader makes a cheaper more lightweight version (more like $100/pair I think) which might be more like what you're looking for.
I prefer Dickies because they're $26/pr on Amazon and the black duck ones hold up better than anything else I've tried. I always hear great things about Firehose fabric but haven't tried them yet.
posted by girl Mark at 5:52 PM on March 27, 2016
If you're in a basement or other crawling job, you might be a bit cooler anyway, and can switch to Carhartt type shorts if you have to work in the sun. I know not all carpentry tasks are that consistent, but I sometimes spend days under a house when doing plumbing or electrical, and I've seen plenty of people dress for that specifically when they have a day of crawling, usually because it's gross/dirty/full of crap.
One carpenter I worked with owned a pair of those ridiculously expensive Blacklader work pants (something like $200/pair) which he would change into when we had a lot of time under the house on that one job. The reason was that they have knee pad pockets. I noticed that blacklader makes a cheaper more lightweight version (more like $100/pair I think) which might be more like what you're looking for.
I prefer Dickies because they're $26/pr on Amazon and the black duck ones hold up better than anything else I've tried. I always hear great things about Firehose fabric but haven't tried them yet.
posted by girl Mark at 5:52 PM on March 27, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I'm going to try out the Duluth armachillo pants. Will report back.
posted by mareli at 10:55 AM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by mareli at 10:55 AM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: And so far Duluth armachillo pants are working. I feel cool in them, yay!
posted by mareli at 8:25 AM on May 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by mareli at 8:25 AM on May 17, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by taff at 4:11 PM on March 26, 2016