After trying lots of jeans over the 30 years I have come to the conclusion that Levis 501/505 are the best and probably only jeans I will buy even if I have to buy them someplace other than costco (they carry 514).

I never bought or tired the fancy designer crap jeans.

Mike

I grew up wearing Levis' and as far as I know, their quality has not dropped even though they are no longer made in USA. I have also worn Wranglers and am satisfied with them. I like Carhartts better though. But my pick is Duluth Trading Jeans. They come out of the wash looking better than any. They are comfortable. Not jeans, but their Foreman Flex Fire Hose pants have a zipper pocket on the right side and it's the most comfortable way to concealed carry that I have found. They are $65 and have 3 color options--and they're worth the price.

I wore Levis 501's in the 60s (button flap fly). I now only wear the Wranglers slim fit cowboy cut.Comfortable + some of the ladies says they like how my ass looks (cheeky lasses),besides at my age I'll take any compliment I can.

I have mine custom made by Omar the tentmaker.

My feeling is that if you aren't wearing Wranglers, you aren't really with it. I've worn them since I started buying my own pants.

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Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I have mine custom made by Omar the tentmaker.

Gato, this is the price you so bravely pay on our behalf to bring us your wonderful BBQ joint reviews. Gracias, mi amigo!



That said, I switched from Levi 501s back to the Lees I wore in the 1960s (with surfer T-shirts!), as they fit my skinny tookas OK and cost about half what a pair of Levis costs. Speaking of jean wear, I used to live in my Levi jean jacket, then wore out a couple of the old Lee Storm Riders with corduroy collar and wool blanket lining. Miss that article.

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I have mine custom made by Omar the tentmaker. Big Grin

Yes, Omar is the only one to offer a 56" waist!!!!!! :-)

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I never bought or tried the fancy designer crap jeans.

Mike

Mike, you still look best in your weekend sari! :-)

Omar gives me a discount because he is able to buy denim in larger quantities.

I used to be a Levis man, until they got all political in the Gay rights movement, and then moved to China or wherever..

Costco sells the Kirkland for $14. Levis for $35+. They both fade over a two year period, the thigh area where I wipe my hands especially; and I wear holes in them. So, I buy new Kirkland every other year, and my wife makes flannel on the inside baby blanket quilt looking things for the new family arrivals. The hip pocket makes a great place to stash a bottle.

I prefer Wrangler over Levis.I find Levis too stiff.I now stopped buying jeans and get Wrangler cotton pants instead-much more comfortable and cool looking.They cost around 20 bucks.I will not buy anything from Costco.All they sell is garbage.I buy my Wranglers online from Walmart.I get free shipping too.

I like cargo pants, much better than sitting on a wallet thick with cards and permits (but no money).
There don't seem to be any thick enough to last longer than a couple of years.

I just cannot wrap my mind around the concept of paying $80 or more for a pair of cargo pants so I don't have to sit on my wallet...

Shit. I can't wrap my head around spending $80 for any pair of pants.

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
After trying lots of jeans over the 30 years I have come to the conclusion that Levis 501/505 are the best and probably only jeans I will buy even if I have to buy them someplace other than costco (they carry 514).

I never bought or tired the fancy designer crap jeans.

Mike

Do you get them with or without the LBGT Ribbon stitched on? Just messing with ya.

I've worn Wranglers since corduroy went out of style. I used to wear cowboy cut but since I developed blood clots in my right calf from an old horse wreck, I wear relaxed fit now, they don't feel tight around my calf when it swells.

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Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
I just cannot wrap my mind around the concept of paying $80 or more for a pair of cargo pants so I don't have to sit on my wallet...

Walmart has Wranglers for a little less than half that much, but they're just a little thin. My back doesn't like sitting on a wad of permits and club cards, and I don't like putting my wallet on the dashboard (kind of fussy, eh?).

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Originally posted by TomP:

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
I just cannot wrap my mind around the concept of paying $80 or more for a pair of cargo pants so I don't have to sit on my wallet...

Walmart has Wranglers for a little less than half that much, but they're just a little thin. My back doesn't like sitting on a wad of permits and club cards, and I don't like putting my wallet on the dashboard (kind of fussy, eh?).

Get one of Will's front pocket money clip/wallet combos.

Love mine

Grew up between Lee's, Levi's, and Wranglers. Now just Wranglers Cowboy Cut and Dickey cargo pants. Dickey's are 1/2 the cost of Carharrt and just as good IMHO.

Oh, and how many here had at least one pair of Toughskins when they are little??

I have always been a Levi 505 guy. A year or so ago I went to Farm & Fleet or Kohl's to replace some worn out 505's. Tried them on, bought them and then got home. Something seemed different. It was then I noticed that there were only 5 belt loops on the new pairs versus 7 belt loops on the old ones. It does make a difference especially when carrying CCW.

I then bought a pair of Lee jeans. Not sure the model, but really like the fit and finish. Diamond Gusset also makes comfortable jeans. I have used their khaki jeans in RSA. That gusset in the crotch area really cuts down on binding when you are active.

It does all boil down to what you are used to. At the end of the day (being men) we are more concerned for functional comfort than fashion.

I just measured: my wallet is an inch-plus thick.

Translated that means the (very) relaxed fit version...

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
I used to be a Levis man, until they got all political in the Gay rights movement, and then moved to China or wherever..

Costco sells the Kirkland for $14. Levis for $35+. They both fade over a two year period, the thigh area where I wipe my hands especially; and I wear holes in them. So, I buy new Kirkland every other year, and my wife makes flannel on the inside baby blanket quilt looking things for the new family arrivals. The hip pocket makes a great place to stash a bottle.

We have a lot in common.I have worn Levi's most of my life. $65 a pair wasn't that bad considering how long they lasted. About the time they started to get real comfortable the wife would complain I looked like a bum in worn out jeans. So now I wear the $ 15 box store brand and they are pretty good. Four pairs of them go a lot further than 1 pr of Levi's. When the cook starts bitchin I just chuck em.

A little off the subject, I used to have hip problems constantly. I finally went to the doctors to get checked out.The problem was that I was always sitting on my wallet for most of the day. I started putting my wallet in my front pocket and my hip problems finally went away.Easiest doctors visit I ever had.

I'm a Lee guy, BTW I heard of a similar problem reported by a guy who carried his snubby in his waistband. Appendicitis

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Originally posted by 69deer:
A little off the subject, I used to have hip problems constantly. I finally went to the doctors to get checked out.The problem was that I was always sitting on my wallet for most of the day. I started putting my wallet in my front pocket and my hip problems finally went away.Easiest doctors visit I ever had.

I had hip issuse with my billfold as well so I just keep it in the glovebox + only take it out when I am going to the store,etc.

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Originally posted by RCG:Tried them on, bought them and then got home. Something seemed different. It was then I noticed that there were only 5 belt loops on the new pairs versus 7 belt loops on the old ones. It does make a difference especially when carrying CCW.

I had the same problem with my 'regular' jeans not seeming right. Then there was a thread on another site I frequent about the number of belt loops. Sure enough, 5 belt loops. I won't wear jeans with only 5 belt loops now.

I now wear some style of Wranglers, I think. I make sure they have 7 belt loops. I think they are between $15-$20. They don't wear all that long. Once they start showing stains they become my beekeeping jeans. Once they get thin enough the bees can sting through them while dry I toss them. You might be wondering why I wrote sting through them dry. Once you sweat through something it seems like bees have a lot easier time getting their stingers through it. At least, that's my experience!

Tom

I used to be a Wrangler guy... until I tried a pair of Duluth Trading Company Jeans. Man are they comfortable! and with HUGE pockets, and they are well made. Tough, like they were 40 years ago.

I doubt I'll ever go back to Wrangler or Levis'

"I grew up wearing Levis' and as far as I know, their quality has not dropped even though they are no longer made in USA."

I also grew up wearing Levi's, and they wore like iron. Lived in and loved my Levi's jacket, back in the day. Later, I tried some of the off-brand, cheaper X-mart jeans. The pockets were made of such thin material that they'd wear out in no time, with big holes and change dropping down my pants leg.

Being a male and not too handy with sewing stuff, duct tape wrapped around the front pocket inserts made a practical fix, except that it wasn't too comfortable and made my legs sweat. Kept my pocketknife in my pocket, though.

In disgust, tried some Levi's again, thinking the extra cost would equal the long-lived jeans of the 70's and 80's. Certainly, the pockets were made of heavy material, and I didn't wear holes in them any more.... Partly because they wore out prematurely from holes just appearing in them at random, in non-stress, non-wear areas (such as several inches above the ankle.) So, I then just gave up on jeans altogether.

Since hearing about the Duluth Trading Fire Hose Pants and jeans, I've resolved to give them a try. It's a shame when iconic, legendary brands like Levi's are cheapened and made with low quality just to make a quick buck.

But, that seems to be the way of things, these days.
John

I am going to try a pair of the Duluth jeans because of the favorable reviews here. Are their "made in the USA jeans" better quality than the other ones they sell? Worth the price difference?

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Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
I just measured: my wallet is an inch-plus thick.

Translated that means the (very) relaxed fit version...

I just measured mine less then a half inch about 20 years ago I went trough it and got rid of a lot of junk and kept it that way.

If I am making a large cash purchase I have other ways of carrying that.

They need to bring back the 500.00 dollar bill.

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Originally posted by Kensco:
My feeling is that if you aren't wearing Wranglers, you aren't really with it. I've worn them since I started buying my own pants.

Their cargo jeans are kind of thin, they only last a couple of years and I'm buying new ones. Somebody ought to make some thicker ones.

Like Idaho Sharpshooter, I was always a Levi guy. I came from a family of Boy Scouts. When Levi quit supporting the Scouts and went LGBT, I moved to Wrangler.

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came from a family of Boy Scouts. When Levi quit supporting the Scouts and went LGBT, I moved to Wrangler.

Now that the scouts are LGBT friendly what are you doing.

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Originally posted by p dog shooter:

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came from a family of Boy Scouts. When Levi quit supporting the Scouts and went LGBT, I moved to Wrangler.

Now that the scouts are LGBT friendly what are you doing.

I'm still trying to figure out what an LGBT is now.

I can still remember my outrage when I had to pay $5 for a pair of Levi's way back when. Now I buy Carhartts.

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
I just measured: my wallet is an inch-plus thick.

Translated that means the (very) relaxed fit version...

Rich,

Your comment about wallet thickness dredged up a chat I had with a chiropractor buddy quite a while ago. His educated opinion was a man should never carry a wallet in a back pant pocket. Sitting, whether car, chair, couch, or whatever, causes the lower back to be off-kilter, and with prolonged practice will most invariably lead to back injury. I had a close friend who carried a wallet more than double the thickness you admit. He complained of back pain all the 40 years I knew him. Sadly, I was not convincing.
My carry is driver's license, debit card, AAA card, and Kaiser card. Nothing more, and in front pocket. Been that way for decades. My last wallet I relegated to the trash around 1964.

Just trying to be helpful,

Stephen



Sadly, I was not convincing

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
I just cannot wrap my mind around the concept of paying $80 or more for a pair of cargo pants so I don't have to sit on my wallet...

I wear em for work and they're expendable. No extra allowance for "style".

Grizz

I keep my billfold in the glove box unless I'm shopping;thus I don't put my hip out of joint sitting on it. Besides we get used to the feel of the jeans we wear.