Comment by irishcoffee
5 hours ago
> Carhartt makes some okay dressy dungarees. Their work pants are worthless these days though (in my experience). They've been pivoting to lifestyle for a few years now.
Carhartt are the most durable clothes I own. Whatever Levi’s did, their jeans went from lasting years to literal months before they would rip. Had the same 3 pairs of Carhartt work pants for half a decade with no end in sight.
Maybe something changed between 2020 and 2025, shrug
I used to swear by them but I ordered like half a dozen pairs of their standard double fronted work dungs and they fell apart in the washer after 2-3 cycles. This was 2022-2023. It was weird, seams weren't stitched properly, the fabric was lighter, etc. I saw comments on their site which shared my experience.
I think this around the time they shifted production outside the USA (memory is hazy). If you see a "helmets to hardhats" decal on the inside of your pants on the pocket lining, they're US production.
I've switched to Bailey's "Wild Ass" brand of denim work pants for my physical laboring needs, but you have to wear them with logging suspenders.
Commented elsewhere but you can still get the Union made USA pants; model B01. Avoid pretty much everything else
I will have to try these Baileys though, how do they fit?
Levis stuff has been made overseas for decades now. It's only with the more recent shift towards using cotton blends in nearly of their jeans that the longevity has suffered.
The Levis's brand doesn't mean much anymore. They sell the same style (model number) of jeans at completely different price points for different stores at varying levels of quality.
You can buy Levi's at $30 at Walmart, $40 at Costco, $80 at a Levi's store, or $100 at Nordstrom.
How Levi's Sells the Same Jeans at Different Prices | Levi's 505 Teardown | Industry Secrets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPdGhZHT7JU
> Maybe something changed between 2020 and 2025, shrug
It's my understanding that this is the case. I could be wrong; I hope to be.
I can’t believe I’m chiming in on HN about work pants… The B01 are the only pants still Union made in the USA. AFAIK they still are durable as hell, I’m wearing them now.
The rest (mostly stretchy but some normal ‘washed’ duck) are imported and the quality is traded for fashion/lifestyle