Work clothes opinions

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Southern Gorilla
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Work clothes opinions

Post by Southern Gorilla »

After more than ten years, my Carhartt jacket looks like I stole it from a bum. The bib coveralls I just bought two months ago at Tractor Supply are falling apart already. So I'm in the market for new cold weather gear for next year.

The problem is that I'm big and tall. All the B&T shops should really be called "big or tall" shops. They assume guys over six feet have narrowish waists and guys with big waists are stumpy. At 6'2", 320 with a 48-50 inch waist I have a really hard time finding clothes that fit right. Especially clothes that fit right while I'm working.

And I need durable clothes. I work for a living. I'm carrying raw steel, machined surfaces, timbers, and other hard/sharp objects. I'm always brushing against edges. I'm tough on clothing.

I'm not some fashionista who has to have the hot designer label. Off brands are just fine. Carhartt has been good to me, but I think they may be starting to slide. I've looked at Duluth Trading, but buying without trying worries me. I don't know what other brands are out there. I just need a heavy jacket and bib coveralls that fit and will last.

While I'm thinking about it, what do y'all do for rain gear? The company bought me one of those lovely yellow PVC suits. The coveralls don't fit (they never do with those suits). So my legs get soaked. The jacket is actually big enough I can wear it over my Carhartt. I think they had to special order a 5X to get it right. But I'm looking at maybe a duster/drover coat. Something I could wear on its own in the summer to stay dry or wear over coveralls in the winter.

And I still need a lighter jacket for those cool, windy days.

Any thoughts y'all have on the subject are welcome.
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jaber
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by jaber »

http://www.duluthtrading.com/

Check these guys out. I have been impressed with the couple of items I've gotten from them, just not sure on sizing. :-bd
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by chevelleguy »

The Walmarts over here carry Walls brand. I have the full coveralls but I think they also have the bib overalls you are looking for. They are pretty tough, like Carhartt, but only $69. I have a new pair that I got last year that is holding up well. I also have a pair from 8-10 years ago that is made of much thinner material that I still use sometimes.
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by BGW »

I've never had any problems with my Carhartt hear. I don't really think quality has slipped, they just make a larger line with a variety of materials. You just have to know what you're looking for. It might help to look at their website before you shop in person.
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jamesdart
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by jamesdart »

I work outside, really hard on clothes. Depending on what I'm doing sometimes I have to patch my clothes rather than replace because whatever I'm wearing can get destroyed the first day. I use a fabric glue and just glue patches on. I'll cut the whole back of the legs off a pair of worn out carhart jeans and glue it on the front of another worn out pair. I try to just buy carhart. I haven't found anything that comes close to it. Ive been buying some dickies only because sometimes there can be a huge savings. There stuff is ok, I did get a short hooded jacket that is really nice. Very warm. the material is comparable to carhart but it wasn't cheap. like 80$ on clearance. I looked at the Duluth stuff and it was too much cash especially not being able to see in person.
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REDONE
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by REDONE »

I go through coveralls about a pair a month. People think robot mechanics work this super clean space age environment, but it's still a factory. A ceramics factory. Every thing in here has it's weight measured in tons and is filled with hydraulic oil that pukes from a thousand different automated joints. Also, we have 20 kilns, all burn over 1600*C, so I sweat my butt off too.

Having worked heavy fabrication before this, I know what you mean by "tough on clothes". I get my work clothes from here, but like everywhere, B&T selection goes down the bigger and taller you are.
http://usedworkclothing.com/

By biggest gripe with Carhart's AND Duluth is they make a big stink about being "Made in the USA", but every single jacket, pants, socks, etc etc I actually FIND from either of them has a price tag appropriate for a made in USA garment, but the actual product is made in Honduras or China. I have never seen ANYTHING with a carhart tag that's made in the US in real life. I'd pay $120 for a Carhart jacket that was made here, but for made in China I'll pay made in China prices.

EDIT>> I forgot to mention that all the coveralls I got from walts link above have been made by Unicor, which is prison labor. They all have barcode tags on the back of the collar but I don't know if they're Cinta's, Aramark or what.
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Southern Gorilla
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by Southern Gorilla »

I bought a pair of Duluth's firehose pants once years ago. I remember being disappointed. But I don't remember why. That has me leery of trying them again.

Guess I'll find someplace I can check out more of Carhartt's line in person. Looking at the site, they do offer plenty of things in sizes that should fit. Looks like I'll spend about $400 or more by the time I replace all my current gear. Then probably another $400 to get some new stuff I'm currently lacking.

To go off on a bit of a tangent... I find myself giggling about this. I know the world needs cubicle dwellers, IT folks, and all the other types who work clean, comfy 9-5 jobs. But I'm just demented enough to be glad I'm not one of them. There's something about slinging chains in a 40* rain that speaks to my inner neanderthal.
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REDONE
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by REDONE »

Southern Gorilla wrote:
To go off on a bit of a tangent... I find myself giggling about this. I know the world needs cubicle dwellers, IT folks, and all the other types who work clean, comfy 9-5 jobs. But I'm just demented enough to be glad I'm not one of them. There's something about slinging chains in a 40* rain that speaks to my inner neanderthal.
times deuce. As usual I work directly with engineers. Well, I am an engineer but more in line with "train engineer" than "process engineer", haha! I love going into their offices to update them on things and shaking the dust and mung off my shoulders while I do. It's taken skill to learn to keep a straight face and keep talking while watching them cringe. I also like asking them for "engineer" things that todays engineers don't use. "Can I borrow some graph paper?", "Do you have a french curve?", "My TI96 crapped out, can use yours while mine charges in your window?". In the end though, if my actual day didn't involve sore muscles from man handling iron and busting rusty bolts that just won't turn, I wouldn't much feel like I earned my pay. ;)
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Southern Gorilla
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by Southern Gorilla »

REDONE wrote: In the end though, if my actual day didn't involve sore muscles from man handling iron and busting rusty bolts that just won't turn, I wouldn't much feel like I earned my pay. ;)
This! Yes!

Now I have to tell a story.

The other week they sent me out to the company ranch. It's a working cattle ranch they use to impress clients. I was tasked with loading 100 truck tires they no longer needed to hold down hay tarps. Well the ranch hands loaded the tires with a skid steer with a fork attachment. I started to tie them down and didn't like how they were behaving. So I climbed my oversize butt up on the trailer and proceeded to re-stack them so that I could confidently haul them back. I ended up moving roughly half the tires to get the load right. I had to start at the back of the trailer and work my way forward, breaking down a stack, moving tires back to the "new" stack, and creating a new gap for me to stand in so I could move on to the next row. I was sweating despite the cold, I was soaked in stale tire water (and "stuff"), and when I was done I felt like I'd earned my glass of rum for the day. And that was just the first three hours of the day.
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by 505Burro »

REDONE wrote:
Southern Gorilla wrote:
To go off on a bit of a tangent... I find myself giggling about this. I know the world needs cubicle dwellers, IT folks, and all the other types who work clean, comfy 9-5 jobs. But I'm just demented enough to be glad I'm not one of them. There's something about slinging chains in a 40* rain that speaks to my inner neanderthal.
times deuce. As usual I work directly with engineers. Well, I am an engineer but more in line with "train engineer" than "process engineer", haha! I love going into their offices to update them on things and shaking the dust and mung off my shoulders while I do. It's taken skill to learn to keep a straight face and keep talking while watching them cringe. I also like asking them for "engineer" things that todays engineers don't use. "Can I borrow some graph paper?", "Do you have a french curve?", "My TI96 crapped out, can use yours while mine charges in your window?". In the end though, if my actual day didn't involve sore muscles from man handling iron and busting rusty bolts that just won't turn, I wouldn't much feel like I earned my pay. ;)
:funnypost: LOL as a cube-dweller engineer-type myself, came up through the ranks from drafting using all that stuff and much more on an actual *gasp* drawing board! Blast from the past.

And you probably already know... alot of us white collar ladies LOVE the blue collar men! You have way cooler toys! :D (or we buy our own toys to work on :lol: )
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by carnuck »

I generally buy used from Cintas or whatever I get messed up and can't clean in regular clothes.
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by jamesdart »

There is some carhart that is still made here. Last time I bought carhart, they were either made here I Mexico. I have to say, this Last week I froze my butt off and at the same time burnt my hands up with lava hot innershield sparks, overhead galvanize welding, gloves only last 2, 3 days tops. Eating up clear lenses and respirator filters like they are a meal, after 16 cold winters of having a "manly" job, I'd trade it for a desk job.
I just got 4 pairs of dickies pants I ordered on sale. Not bad. I actually like the fit better than similar carhart pants. No they are not the same. Material is slightly thinner and the zippers look like die cast instead of brass. They were half the price. Im going to need some new carhart coats, mine are beat but right now I need a new welding leather more.

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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by Dirtmonkey »

Cabelas house brand stuff has been pretty good to me, and they actually have the 3xlt sizes I need in the insulated stuff. Work King out of Canada is even better than Carharrt but hard to get in the US.
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by Southern Gorilla »

Dirtmonkey wrote:Work King out of Canada is even better than Carharrt but hard to get in the US.
Never heard of them. But I see that Grainger carries it.
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by Dirtmonkey »

Southern Gorilla wrote:
Dirtmonkey wrote:Work King out of Canada is even better than Carharrt but hard to get in the US.
Never heard of them. But I see that Grainger carries it.
I bought a pair of their insulated bibs based on a cheap sale price about 7-8 years ago - I'm wearing them for graveyards tonight. Still holding up like they were new.
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Southern Gorilla
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by Southern Gorilla »

Dirtmonkey wrote:
Southern Gorilla wrote:
Dirtmonkey wrote:Work King out of Canada is even better than Carharrt but hard to get in the US.
Never heard of them. But I see that Grainger carries it.
I bought a pair of their insulated bibs based on a cheap sale price about 7-8 years ago - I'm wearing them for graveyards tonight. Still holding up like they were new.
Considering the conditions you work in, that's a pretty serious endorsement. I'll be looking into them more.
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by HOOT »

REDONE wrote:
Southern Gorilla wrote:
To go off on a bit of a tangent... I find myself giggling about this. I know the world needs cubicle dwellers, IT folks, and all the other types who work clean, comfy 9-5 jobs. But I'm just demented enough to be glad I'm not one of them. There's something about slinging chains in a 40* rain that speaks to my inner neanderthal.
times deuce. As usual I work directly with engineers. Well, I am an engineer but more in line with "train engineer" than "process engineer", haha! I love going into their offices to update them on things and shaking the dust and mung off my shoulders while I do. It's taken skill to learn to keep a straight face and keep talking while watching them cringe. I also like asking them for "engineer" things that todays engineers don't use. "Can I borrow some graph paper?", "Do you have a french curve?", "My TI96 crapped out, can use yours while mine charges in your window?". In the end though, if my actual day didn't involve sore muscles from man handling iron and busting rusty bolts that just won't turn, I wouldn't much feel like I earned my pay. ;)
I got wrote up at work because I hurt an engineers pride one day. After 3 failed attempts at making a beer machine run and customers in the next day for their test/performance run to accept the equipment, I asked the boss to let me wave my magic wand on the machine over night. I'm not an engineer but have had drawing classes and I've stayed in quite a few Holiday Inn's fixing said equipment over the years. That night I drew up on graph paper and fabricated all the parts with the help of another long time veteran. The design was simple but very effective and worked like a charm. When the engineer got there the next day his latest non-working contraction was laying in the floor and mine was installed. Customers arrived 2 hours later and approved the machine , and bought 2 more. My design is now standard on over wrap beer machines. It took one cross remark from the engineer when I arrived at work that afternoon for me to lash out on him. In front of a crowd of my people and one of his elder engineers I informed him I could do better with my graph paper and pencil than he could do with his computer and degrees. So I got wrote up for not being politically correct and hurting his feelings.. Big Wup was my reply. They fired him a year or so later.

As far as work clothes go I'm lucky they supply the shirts. I do buy the heavy duty Wrangler jeans now and they seem to wok fine. My environment is not as nasty as yours but sharp metal is a constant threat and what usually does my jeans in. Back a few years when I was welding and grinding alot my clothes were always trashed. I'm lucky to use a welder once a week now.
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csuengr
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by csuengr »

I do think Carhartt is slipping. Their jeans used to fit me well, then all of a sudden they are really tight, not in the waist or leg, but in the pocket area. They are baggy on my legs and the waist is fine, but I can barely get my hands in the front pockets. Unless I changed shape. I have since moved to cargo pants. I am not tough on my clothes since I drive a computer, but clothing quality has really gone down.
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by SJTD »

Let's see, computer driver, sitting all day. Maybe your ass has grown? :lol:
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Re: Work clothes opinions

Post by csuengr »

SJTD wrote:Let's see, computer driver, sitting all day. Maybe your ass has grown? :lol:
I've been losing weight actually. My old Carhartt jeans still fit fine. They are just too worn to wear.
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