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Hebden bridge TC thread got me wondering again, I use chino's for work, as an techie I'm not wearing dress trousers to crawl under desks. That said none of the chino I've bought have lasted any real length of time without shrinking, fading (40C wash) & generally looking shabby, but at least there cheap... £145 pair of GVNR moleskin? (I'm not against spending cash if it's worthwhile)
What do you use?
Mankini and knee pads may work?
I'm not from newcastle, I need shorts at least! I do wear shorts as much as I can, but only got away with that so much this year, cause my bosses were WFH and didn't see me
Pair of Dickies or Carhartt work trousers? Reasonably smart, quite hardwearing.
something baggy and surplus.
I wear these as my general day-to day trousers.
yourguitarhero
Pair of Dickies or Carhartt work trousers? Reasonably smart, quite hardwearing.
That^ and some even come with knee pockets for pads while your crawling under desks. TBH if your in a job where your clothes are going to get ruined then the firm should either provide them or give you an allowance?
Gap Khakis from the outlet. Cheap, comfy, look decent.
Gramicci G Pants - my favourite trousers ever. There's an original fit and a slim fit.
Screwfix do loads of very hard wearing stuff. Not the smartest, but if you're crawling under desks surely function is more important.
Don't bother with the knee pads - if you want some cushioning buy a kneeling pad and carry that with you, after wearing knee pads for years (builder) it was a revelation when I bought one.
Newcastle.... we only wear Geordie Jeans (especially tight around the arse) NUFC shirt (short sleeved of course) and trainers.
Its a 4 seasons outfit.
TBH I don't do huge amount of crawling under desks, but it was more to suggest formal trouser would be ruined in the course of my everyday activities. So no, knee pads are not a necessity, one engineer has a set like that, and I'm not keen, as I want to be presentable/smart/comfortable but not ruining nice kit (or ahem needing to iron it for work).
Cheers for the suggestions, I've take a gander, through them.
as an techie I’m not wearing dress trousers to crawl under desks.
When I was in that position I wore £5 jeans from George and suggested that if work didn't like it they could buy me something different.
Which is why I've been using (cheapish & cheerful) chino's but I don't find jeans very good for work, though I might currently be wearing them (again bosses still wfh). Unfortunately as a contractor I don't get to demand anything from my employer, but they have expectations. With my job currently teetering on the edge, I could do with something better &/or potentially keep a new employer happy too.
When I was in that position I wore £5 jeans from George and suggested that if work didn’t like it they could buy me something different.
A phyrric victory though.
OP - check out Carharrt trousers, they do some Chino style ones which are very comfy, durable and - IMO - quite stylish.
Yeah Carhartt do something kinda similar to the g pants I recommended - they are also pretty nice and slightly cheaper I think.
All my work trousers are from H&M. Plain black, navy or grey. Nondescript straight chinos that used to be £15 and are now about £20. They survived years of greasy workshop duties and I don't cry when I damage them. Now I'm in an office they stay clean and last forever.
When I was in that position I wore £5 jeans from George and suggested that if work didn’t like it they could buy me something different.
Is this when you were hosting Top Gear?
Perhaps give Dunderdon stuff a look - mainly a workwear brand (as in mulitpocket woodworkers trousers and the like) but they also make quite casual looking chinos and jeans from a cordura mix fabric that is pretty tough without looking / feeling like reinforced fabric
I've got some of their trousers in a black denim, and you wouldnt notice the cordura is mixed in there - its just a nice, decent weight soft denim. Their 'P4' trousers are quite Carrhart-like in cut / detail. Their 'P49' are more like a conventional pair of jeans. The P19s are chinos but with subtle tool pockets that might come in handy for under-desk foraging.
Maybe also look at the Snickers range of 'Service' trousers - again they make a chino-like trousers (6400) that are durable and comfortable to wear but the fabric is intended for industrial washing and doesnt fade or lose its shape.
That said none of the chino I’ve bought have lasted any real length of time without shrinking, fading (40C wash) & generally looking shabby,
It may be the case thats because you're buying especially cheap and shoddy - but the biggest factor in wearing clothes out (if you don't spend excessive amounts of time crawling around on on concrete) is washing them too much
All my work trousers are from H&M.
I've always been let down by the pockets in H&M stuff - either stuff always fall out of them when you sit down, or they tear, or both.
Snickers 6903’s don’t have stupid flappy holster pockets and will last longer than 5 £20 pairs of trousers.
I used to wear some Helly Hanson trousers in black. They lasted for years and were comfy. Didn't look too bad.
Agreed with jeans not being the most comfortable trousers for work. There are plenty of slacks which won't break the bank and look presentable enough, I'm fairly partial to Finisterre Koerner trousers (love the cut and fit). Howies also make good stuff which is usually even cheaper.
On the subject of Dickies and Carhartt which was mentioned several times: I would definitely recommend trying them on as some cuts won't work for everyone. Dickies 731 has an oldschool high waist (think 1950s) and Carhartt Simple pant is quite wide and looks strange with shoes. Also, not a fan of polycotton used in Dickies 731 troursers and some other models - it may be durable but it feels unpleasant and doesn't look great, either.
There's also the moleskin or even cord option to consider, a bit leftfield but durable and looks good.
Have a look at the Mascot Workwear range. Pretty durable and actually human shaped so pretty comfortable to work in.
Chaps and a thong.
Have you tried Kuhl? I got a pair for walking, but they are so comfortable I wear them all the time. Not massively expensive, seem quite hard wearing and the ones I have (brown Rydr) look quite smart
A bit less than 145, but a bit more than some suggestions. Stretchy and cut for moving around, but look quite respectable.
Rapha Mechanic's Trousers (this is STW after all)? on sale at the mo https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/mechanics-trousers-relaxed-fit/product/MTO01RXBLK34L
Not tried them myself though, just happened to see them in a mag review...
Wow, wasn't expect this much response..
Have you tried Kuhl? I got a pair for walking, but they are so comfortable I wear them all the time. Not massively expensive, seem quite hard wearing and the ones I have (brown Rydr) look quite smart
I have three pairs and love them, but was after a more std black trouser, not sure Kuhl do any?
I needed some and all the shops are shut. I looked through Tesco's ranges and found that even though I'm bordering upon obese their "Slim Chinos" with a bit of stretch are spot on. Look reasonable, comfortable, easy to wash and I even did my online Pilates class in them this morning.