Toughest, Longest-lasting clothing brands?

O

oguruma

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Jan 3, 2010
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I am curious, what brands are considered the toughest and longest lasting? I have not been impressed with TNF's recent offerings, nor have I been impressed with the recent Columbia gear (though I have some older stuff that is excellent). It may have something to do with the fact that they have to offer a new lineup every season, and that most buyers buy it as a fashion statement rather than for actual tough use.

What brands still stand the test of time?
 
Dickies... Got IIRC 5 pairs of plain blue jeans. This is my default for pants.

Kirkland/Costco... Love the Head (brand) boot socks. White T's and jeans are nice too.

Carharrt... I've had a duck jacket for 3 years going strong. Thing is like a furnace.
 
Carharrt

I've had good luck with Cabela's and Eddie Bauer over the years too for every day wear, but for real work, they aren't even close to Carharrt.
 
Tad Gear. Mountain Hardwear. REI. Nike (I have clothes that I've worn daily and just rotated for over 3 years now from them and they don't have any holes or show wear at all) Carhartt.

I absolutely despise TNF.
 
jmaniac said:
Arc'teryx, all made in Canada. A lot of North Face's offerings are now made in Vietnam, so is Columbia's.

http://www.arcteryx.com
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Not all of their stuff is made in Canada. The stuff overseas is still very high quality though, since they pay them to make high quality. China will make fantastic stuff if you pay them to, same as America or Canada.
 
1066vik said:
Duluth Trading - anything made with "firehose" canvas.
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Concur with this, I have a few pair of the jeans and a pair of fire hose cargo style pants that just keep on going after almost 5 years of service, good stuff !!:thumbup:
 
Filson and Carharrt do last, but they don't fit me very well.

My TNF stuff is mostly older, and still wearing well. Mountain Hardware and Arc'terex are good too.

The stuff I wear the most, every day, never an issue, is underwear. (Uniforms they give us for free). For shorts nothing beats Ex Officio; I have pairs that I've been wearing for over 5 years (3 deployments) and they still have no pilling, no tears, no saggy elastic. I've tried everything else; literally. I've thrown out UA, Polo, REI, and dozens more in that time (I buy to see if they can replace the EO stuff as the price is high).

Which brings me to my favorite bitch; why can't any other makers of high end T shirts realize the market for military colors. UA owns this nitch, and that means they sell 3-4 MILLION T shirts a year to those of us who need them. Issue stuff is crap; everybody buys good shirts. You'd think REI (at least) would catch on to this, but no. They already make the shirts, they just need to add the colors. How hard can that be?

For a good canvas pant, I find Kavu does good, but they use "natural" dies, so expect major fading the first couple washes. Prana does some nice stuff too, mostly for climbers and yoga folks, but very comfortable and wears well.
 
IUKE12 said:
Pricey yes, but long lasting.... Patagonia.
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+1 for Patagonia.... not only do they last, but vintage stuff is STILL expensive.
Speaking of vintage, I have several Patagonia style JC Penney/Sears vintage winter coats from the 70s... you cant tell me that old Sears and JCP stuff wasn't made well!
 
+1 to Filson, L.L. Bean, Pendleton, and Woolrich.

Also, I haven't purchased any of their newer stuff, but my Barbour Beaufort is going on 15 years of rough usage.:thumbup:
 
eisman said:
Which brings me to my favorite bitch; why can't any other makers of high end T shirts realize the market for military colors. UA owns this nitch, and that means they sell 3-4 MILLION T shirts a year to those of us who need them. Issue stuff is crap; everybody buys good shirts. You'd think REI (at least) would catch on to this, but no. They already make the shirts, they just need to add the colors. How hard can that be?
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I have an olive drab wicking T from REI...not sure if they have tan though.
 
I have recently been ordering from Duluth. I am in construction sales and a pair of pants will last about 6-7 months - usually the victim of rebar, concrete forms, remesh, etc. I have been buying the firehose canvas pants - have had two pair for 2 years - with the exception of them fading, they look new. I've had a number of instances where I know the jeans, chinos, etc. that I've worn in the past would have been ruined. I also use them to cut firewood and typically the fabric on pants wears out on the thighs - I haven't noticed any wear on the Duluths. I purchased a heavy coat from them vs. Carhart because the firehose fabric softens up faster and I think its more durable - had it for a year and it still looks new. I do like Pendleton and Filson except for the fact that they have gotten a bit pricey - but you definitely get what you pay for. Woolrich has a great product at a good price point. Not as enamored with Bean as I used to be.
 
gulliamo said:
I'm about to try these:
http://www.us.craghoppers.com/

.
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I wouldn’t waste the time, I got a few items from them over the summer because they had a big sale going on and I wanted to try some more modern stuff. Their sizing is way off unless you are a hobbit. The stuff is still made in China and the quality was defiantly below what I was expecting. Messed up seams and loose threads everywhere.

I did get a thin fleece pullover from them that I really like except that the borders are already coming unstitched after a few light hikes and doing feeding chores here. It will make me take a harder look at some more modern clothes, just not from that vendor.
 
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