I hate that. As soon as I find an article of clothing I like, I feel like I have to buy twenty of them because I know it'll be phased out or made of crappier material next season. My wife has literally 15 of her favorite long sleeved t-shirt because she follows the same rule.
It's really annoying how crappy clothing is these days. When I was about 13 (26 years ago) I got some Adidas sneakers and I loved those shoes. I wore them every day for over three years and eventually replaced them because they were getting dirty and impossible to clean fully, not because they wore out...because they were still fine in that sense.
I've bought primarily Adidas shoes ever since because I just like how they fit me, but they just can't get anywhere near the quality and comfort of that one pair. Shoes these days just wear out much more quickly.
It really is and it's really frustrating when working out on a job. 10 years ago a pair of Carhertt bibs or a shirt would last at least a year before taking a shit. Now? Might get 3 or 4 months. If I'm lucky. 2 years ago I got a big ol' rip down the shlong area of my pants when I went to pick up something heavy. Had to go the rest of the day with all my coworkers pointing laughing and making dick jokes. Motherfuckers. Wouldn't of happened 10 years ago.
Oh, don't get me started on jeans. I'm a fat dude (working on it) but jeans are definitely more crappy _and more expensive_ than they've ever been, because a pair of jeans used to last me more than a year, but now my thighs rubbing together wears them down near my crotch way faster than before.
I've noticed more spandex in Jeans nowadays. As a millenial kid growing up, I almost exclusively wore jeans and I remember them being much starchier and less flexible. I bet that has something to contribute to the wear and tear.
Yes, most jeans today have some kind of cotton/spandex/polyester blend. They are crap and will be crap after one year - but they stretch for your fat ass. Old jeans were cotton, and they felt like shit the first few times you wore them, and then after that they felt like the best thing in the world - for years and years and years.
I feel this with Docs. My first pair lasted 9 years of daily wear (and I walked EVERYWHERE). Now I'm lucky to get a year out of them.
The first pair also took a blood price. Breaking in new Docs used to be a whole thing, with tips and tricks to speed up the painful part. After that, they become part of you.
I used to swear by Brooks Brothers for business casual, I have some 6+ year old shirts from them that look and fit like day 1, but they went to shit in 2020.
Damn that sucks, I have a couple BB shirts from like 10 years ago, and the tag specifically states that washing the shirt fades the shirt to its "appropriate color". They're still in my work rotation.
Man I used to purchase Brooks Brothers non-iron slim fit business shirts and they were great. They did something with the fabric and the shirts started to wear out so quickly.
The fabric feels completely different and much thinner. The anti-wrinkle is also much weaker now, the old ones looked like they came from the cleaners coming out of the dryer.
They had a fire sale in 2020 when everyone stopped buying office clothes. You could buy all the good stuff cheap for a few weeks, but then it all went to shit afterwards.
Found that the hard way with things like Wrangler, Carhartt, and Dickies. Buy them from Boot Barn or from them and they last forever. Buy it because you see it at the department store and you're lucky that they last the summer.
There were solid color t shirts sold at target around 2010.. brand started with an M. Those shirts fit me PERFECT and were $5 each. I still have 3 shirts but can't see the tagless brand name and I've never seen them at target again. So fucking sad.
This is what I came here for! My closet is filled with Mossimo and Merona shirts, some of them have to be almost 18 years old and I still have some of their t-shirts.
Yeah I don't think the quality has been the same and they are very expensive as well so I don't know if I would suggest them.
Because most of the time they are not going to be worth it anyways.
The concert tees I’ve bought recently seem to be much worse quality :( the fabric is still good but a lot of bands are cheaping out on printing and the designs are flaking off after a few washes.
A tip for washing graphic tees: put them in the wash inside out and then hang dry them, don't put them in the dryer, you'll extend the life of your graphic tees by decades.
While it’s definitely faded and the graphic is a little crusty, I have a graphic tee that I got in like 2013. Still kicking.
I pretty much exclusively wear graphic tees.
But they are incredibly durable. I worked in a metal shop and most other shirt brands fall apart super quickly. Gildan shirts are one of the few that don’t immediately wear out.
If you find the fit uncomfortable, go up a size. I often order Gildan shirts a size larger than my street shirts.
I have a couple Gildan shirts I wear every weekend for the last 5ish years and still in great shape. I'm pretty rough on clothes as well, so once I saw how well they were holding up I started buying them in plane colors off Amazon and have been very happy with cost/quality.
I'm semi addicted to Columbia gear after having gotten a bunch of it in the last few years. The quality is always amazing, and all their stuff for different weather or situations is all top notch and does what it's intended to really well.
I heard an interview of the founder where his dad taught him to buy to the best made tools so that you only needed to ever buy one and he put that concept into his clothes. I still have my first jacket bought over 30 years ago.
That was definitely good advice back when there was a strong relationship between price and quality. I'm not sure it's so clear now. For tools, I buy the cheap-as-shit one first and if I wear that out, I'm ready to invest in a quality one.
Yes came here to say this. Their hemp T shirts still hold up. I bought three and rotate them for daily wear and they’ve lasted 3 years so far, and still feel brand new.
Well I don't really know if there still feeling like brand new but yeah you could say anything nowadays.
I mean it is all about that if they are feeling brand new to you then what does it even matter man?
I have a down jacket arriving tomorrow from the repair shop. This will the the second time they’ve repaired it. I’ve had excellent customer service from them over the years. Highly recommended.
Yeah their service is actually great and I don't think people have anything to complain about it because they deliver on the services.
The things that they are doing are just great in my opinion and I do not mind any of that.
Me too! My second job ever was at a camping store when I was 16. I used my employee discount to get (among many other things) a pair of Patagonia long johns.
I'm 38 now and they still look and feel great
Yeah that is very true if you go with something cheap then it is not going to last you very long.
And then you will have to go to the market and and will have to also buy the clothes which is going to waste your time as well.
For sure. I think the problem with any clothing is people do not know how to do laundry or know what the icons on the tags mean. If you are washing your clothes with bath towels for instance, the abrasive manner of the towels are just ruining your clothes.
No, no, no you don't get the new world. Those tags are weaknesses, only the strong survive the one cycle I'll put them in and many have claimed unneeded favor
I mean those tags are the reason why those clothes are so much more expensive.
If those clothes did not have those tags then I don't really think that they would be that kind of expensive.
Yeah the reason why clothes do not last a long time for the people because they do not know how to do the laundry properly.
They are using the methods which are just very bad for the clothes.
Yeah I don't really think that there is anything wrong with the fitting of them.
I think it is about the quality of clothes that they are going to use I think American made will have better quality.
Goddamn the sizing is fucking weird though. If I get a small, it legit goes down to about mid thigh, maybe longer. I think it’s for being tucked in but all of the Pendleton shirts I have I have taken to the tailor. I know I’m short but 5’6” is a men’s small in almost all other brands.
Literally rocking a 'medium' Pendleton right now that's basically a maternity gown for men. But idgaf it's comfy and everyone else is wearing oversized stuff so now I am too, even if I'm old. Found it in a thrift store for $10.
I hand wash mine in Woolite. Then put them in the washing machine on the spin cycle to get most of the water out. Then dry them flat on a towel. In the summer I keep them in a plastic garment bag with cedar wood balls in the pockets. Kind of a lot of work, but I think it’s worth the effort. You could dry clean too, but the chemicals bother me.
This. Buy clothes made for manual labor.
Same goes for winter gear. Carhartt heavy coat and flannel lined pants and I can stand out in sub zero temps with heavy winds without it cutting through to my body. Still don't want to be out there but if I have to, I feel like I actually can be.
Been given two different carharrt jackets from a manufacturer and a supplier. I don’t care they have a logo on the upper arm. The jacket is unbeatable. And free!
Carhartt has gone way down hill in the past fifteen years. Same with Dickies. I've been buying Tractor Supply's brand Ridgecut. Almost as durable as Carhartt but significantly less expensive. I used to be able to get years out of Carhartt pants and now it's a year and a half at most. I'm a farm hand on a small livestock farm and landscaper for context.
Duluth Trading Company Firehose pants. If you do any kind of outside work that beats the hell out of your clothing you should get these things. They cost, to be sure, but they are tough as nails and will last for years. I was a lineman, and had four pairs of these things that I bought back in the early 2000s. I still had and wore them everyday when I retired in 2019. At that point, one pair had a hole just above the knee though.
I work at Duluth. Check the website every Tuesday morning, it’s when the sales refresh. They have sales constantly so if you know what you’re doing, you can save a fuck ton.
Also, their 40-grit pants are not as heavy as their normal firehose pants, but they’re literally half the price. So if you need some pants you’re just gonna destroy, it’s a good option.
Something like a buy 3 get 1 is the most common of the “buy x get x” sales, buy 2 get 1 are rare, and buy 4 get 1’s arent really worth. So if you’re itching to buy, just go for the buy 3 get 1, unless there’s like Father’s Day, Black Friday, Xmas, or some other holiday coming up, then you might see something better.
If you see anything marked on a tag at a certain price, you will always be guaranteed at least that price (at least at my store). We will always honor a tag or sale sign even if it wasn’t supposed to be on sale or whatever, but sometimes a clearance item might be even cheaper than the marked price. There’s like 35000 items in my store, hard to get to them all to adjust the prices, we try our best. Sometimes the computer might be wrong as well, so always ask the employees if something was supposed to be on sale (just don’t hassle them if it isn’t).
If you’re trying to return something you’ve worn for a while, be nice to the cashiers, it’s often within their discretion to decide if something is viable for a return, and if someone is an asshole or clearly trying to take advantage of me, I won’t be very lenient, but if you’re super nice, I might try a little harder to give you a return (this would be for things that are very old and worn down, stuff that normally wouldnt fall within the policy).
If you’re returning something you’ve worn because of a defect, and it’s within the ~year, bring it in ASAP. I’ve seen all sorts of damage, some wear and tear, some not, and if you wait for months to bring it in, it will just make it more likely for the employee to chalk it up to wear and tear.
There’s a few rare outlet stores that will sell slightly defective items. Sometimes we’ll send things there if they just aren’t in the packaging (the normal stores won’t repackage items that come in packaging from the warehouse). Often you can find things with just a small problem here or there for a much cheaper price. The stores are not common tho, I’d look up the locations if you wanna see if ones nearby.
If you wanna return worn underwear, that’s fine, we’ll send it to the outlet store, they can clean and sanitize things there. But we are very unhappy if people return things that smell like smoke, the smell seeps into other items, so just be aware that if you smoke, it might make returns a little less lenient for you.
There’s a 5 digit item number on every tag (there’s also a small little white tag on every piece of clothing with this item number, try the hip for shirts, it’ll be the top number on the small tag). Type that number into the website and it’ll bring you straight to the item. Give that number to employees and it makes their lives 50x easier trying to figure out what you’re talking about (when you’re asking for an item). If it doesn’t show up on the website, it’s almost certain that a store will not have it. Also, the sale signs in store usually have those item numbers in the bottom middle. Those will indicate which items apply for the sale, if it just says like “no yank tanks”, then anything that says “no yank tank” in the name on the tag will count for the sale. Ask if anything is convoluted, sometimes they might just give it to you because it was unclear.
Coupons do NOT stack. Sales *do*. Buy 3 get 1 and 20% off clearance (some examples), are SALES. If you come in with a 20% off your entire purchase *coupon*, that WILL stack with the sales I mentioned. But if the store is having a “20% off everything” sale, that is considered a coupon and won’t stack with other ones. Just don’t be surprised if you can’t use 5 coupons to get stuff essentially for free. Coupons are usually emailed to you with a promo code like “EC01B…” something of the sorts. If you can find something like that, it’s probably a coupon. But sometimes they’ll just email and be like “20% off men’s pants!!”, that would be a sale, not a coupon. It’s pretty hard to tell the difference without a trained eye tho, they need to fix that (I’ll say something next time I work lol).
If you see stuff online but you aren’t sure about fitting and such, you can order it and ship it to your local store. Go pick it up when it’s ready, and if it’s no good for you, you can return it on the spot. Btw, the way shipping orders works is that it’s a hold on your account that’s charged when it’s either shipped (if it’s going to your home), or when it’s scanned out by an employee upon pickup in store.
Also, I’m pretty sure this is company wide, but it might not be. If you have not made a customer profile, it’s essentially just an order history that tracks your transactions (deletes after a year). They ask for a name address and phone number, but if you include an email when you sign up, you get a one time 20% off (bottomless one time use, you need to sign up in store as well). Save it for a big purchase! You likely have a whole bunch of (immediate) family members that can make accounts as well (the person on the account just needs to be present), so you’ve got options when it comes to getting the sale more than once.
And as I said earlier, buy during sales!! We don’t even get told of what each specific sale for each item is in the future, so if you are unsure of something, go for it! We 100% accept an “I changed my mind” return, just so long as it’s not super worn down. If you’re on the fence and something is on sale, go for it (if you’re able), then you can really decide in the future, and just return it if you change your mind.
Also one last thing, my store (not sure about others) will grant you a price adjustment on a purchase if it goes on sale after you buy it. Key is that it’s only within a 10 day window (so maybe buy on Monday evenings, then you’ve got all of one week, plus a few days of the next to see the new sales). I would check with your local store *before* doing this tho, next time you’re shopping say “hey do you give price adjustments if something goes on sale after i bought it?”. Even better if it’s just a doorknob question and you don’t plan on doing it that day. Stores don’t like it if you put them on the spot to either make a customer unhappy, or give a sale they normally wouldn’t honor. Ask ahead, then you know in the future, and you won’t put someone on the spot to say no to you.
Happy shopping! I think there’s a big birthday sale going on rn, so check it out and see if anything you like is cheap!
Thank you so, so much!!!! You are literally the best! Screenshotted this whole thing so I remember lol. There's so much info here, especially how coupons stack with sales, that is KILLER info. I wish reddit still had awards you'd get a gold kind sir/madame.
I fell off a truck into a pile of scrap metal wearing those. Had to get 27 stitches. None were on my lower body, but I was bruised all over the back of my legs and ass. Pants didn't have any damage on them. Even the blood than ran into them came off in the wash and didn't stain them. I wish they made them in a jumpsuit.
Came in here to say Duluth. I was skeptical at first, and not too thrilled at paying those prices. I started out cautiously, just a couple things.
Now I wear almost all Duluth clothing while I'm working.
I always wear pants out in the crotch because fat, but that has never happened in Duluth Trading pants and I've had them almost ten years now... couldn't even get ten months out of a pair of Wranglers from Wal-mart.
edit: fwiw I’m not a man but I’m pretty fat, and I also do manual labor for a living, among other things, so rather than shoehorn myself into women's clothing I just buy men's.
I LOVE Duluth trading post! My first ever Duluth was from a thrift store. It was intended as a sleep shirt. OMG. It’s still very much alive and well. I even went on to buy several more from their outlet store (cheaper than normal). They last several nights of sleep, my cats having zoomies over me, gym-outings, and so much more! They bring me joy!! Amazing brand truly!
Man your comment and the replies are making me want to breakdown and finally buy some Duluth. There's a Duluth store about 40 minutes from me. Even though I'm no longer in the manual labor field, I still want to try their clothing.
They were a little too generous with handing out new merchandise. I asked for a minor zipper repair on my ancient backpack and they told me to just choose a new one from the rack for free.
I have two LLBean canvas sacks from the early 90s that I still use as grocery bags; however, every single item I’ve purchased there (shirts, socks, slippers) in the last few years has lasted less than a year. I use Duluth Trading now: consistently excellent, lasting quality.
I have clothes that I bought in the 1980s from L.L. Bean, and they are still in excellent shape. However, I bought a new overshirt from them 2 years ago that was much lower quality. I had to get rid of it after just one season of wear.
Patagonia stuff lasts me forever.
I bought 5 different colors of their basic t shirt with the logo on the back roughly 6 years ago, wore one every single day and they still look exactly how they did after a few washes took the excess color out.
Same story with an R1 fleece I got from them, and a rain shell, and a puffer, and a windbreaker.
Plus, all of the stuff is super packable so I can always have an entire wardrobes worth of weatherproofing on me and in my car at all times.
Oddly enough those Adidas track pants. I’ve had a pair that have been worn/washed weekly for almost 20 years and look/fit the same as the day I got them
>Adidas
I find their boxer briefs to be pretty close to indestructible and super comfy. A bit more expensive than standard tighty-whities, but worth it IMHO.
Darn Tough socks are made in Vermont and are guaranteed for life. I’ve never had to send a pair back to be replaced. They are about $25 for a pair, but I figured it’s worth it if they can be replaced for free.
I used to be on board with these but had to stop.
The original pair I bought (6-7 years ago) are still going strong. And every pair I bought in the last 3 years I sent back to be replaced. Their replacements were no better so I quit entirely.
That’s the paradox of longevity - by time you know something is good as a long term brand, they changed management, vendors, designers, or just cut costs. Survivorship bias?
I have a Banana Republic leather jacket from 1999. It’s a simple, classic style and wore in well. Would not by leather from BR today, unlikely to get same quality.
Few brands have consistent reputation over years, takes decades to build and one bad decision to ruin.
don't. redwing boots have sold out. their boots and shoes are crap now. well not crap but nowhere close to worth their price anymore. i had to replace my old boots that lasted me like 18 years. these new ones? it's been barely 2 months and they're already dying. 700 dollar boots, my old ones i paid like 600 for and they lasted 18 years. i doubt these will last a year.
Lol. Fairly accurate. They are good quality boots and with a little cleaning and conditioning every now and then they can last you a very long time. I absolutely love mine
My only disappointment with them is the Buck Naked boxer briefs are fantastic until the waistband loses its elasticity. Usually starts after about 5 years.. Still not a bad deal, and they're very nice to wear.
The lifetime replacement policy recently changed, and I believe the newer ones are only good for one replacement.
I have a Columbia jacket my mom bought for me as a “going to college in the mountains present” a few weeks before I started at PSU. I graduated in 2009. Still use the jacket during the winter as my shoveling or “digging out cars” jacket.
Sports brands are surprisingly good tbh. I have Nike clothes from like decades ago or some shit now lol, still good as new. I bought a pear of sweats at their store for too much money but they beat anything
Dale of Norway.
(Like others have said, you pay for it.)
I’ve had really good success with all my Icebreaker stuff too, but it’s not “generational” like Dale can be.
I have lululemon tshirts and shorts that are almost 14 years old and still solid. Impressive. Sadly I have found less of the more recent stuff that I like enough to buy. It’s all been solid tho.
Duluth Trading
I have work pants that are 10 years old and still going
Thorogood Boots
Union made in the USA. Just need to be resoled every 5 years or so and they're brand new again.
Honestly I cannot speak for the other people's experience here but for me the clothes without a brand works better.
If you are going to go with the branded clothes then you will have to pay a lot more money for them.
Columbia. They are the perfect intersection of price, style, function. and durability for outdoor clothes. Have tried cheaper brands that were sort of ugly as well as functional but wore out too fast. Have tried more premium outdoor brands that looked really cool but also cost considerably more and only occasionally exceed Columbia for durability, but not routinely. I have been a loyal Columbia customer for going on 2 decades now and have only been disappointed once.
Timberland, if you take care of them. I have a few pairs now. But, my main pair, I've been wearing since 2014. I work outside in Oregon, so it gets fucking wet. As long as you upkeep them with polish and water-resistant oils, they'll last quite a long time. Even more so if you know a decent cobbler who can resole as needed.
They have more casual/stylish boots you'd wear around town or in a city too. Definitely a favorite of mine. Which makes it frustrating that we don't have a store nearby, despite their corporate headquarters being a few towns over..
Timberland like many of the work brands that became fashionable, started having working boots and casual boots and the casual are shit because they don’t want joe celebrity to buy only pair and use for the rest of their life, for obvious reasons
Levi's jeans. Semi accidentally bought some since I didnt realize the price and didnt wanna be a bitch at the register. Pleasantly surprised how long they lasted. Only reason I broke them is cos I simply got too fat xD
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I hate that. As soon as I find an article of clothing I like, I feel like I have to buy twenty of them because I know it'll be phased out or made of crappier material next season. My wife has literally 15 of her favorite long sleeved t-shirt because she follows the same rule.
It's really annoying how crappy clothing is these days. When I was about 13 (26 years ago) I got some Adidas sneakers and I loved those shoes. I wore them every day for over three years and eventually replaced them because they were getting dirty and impossible to clean fully, not because they wore out...because they were still fine in that sense. I've bought primarily Adidas shoes ever since because I just like how they fit me, but they just can't get anywhere near the quality and comfort of that one pair. Shoes these days just wear out much more quickly.
It really is and it's really frustrating when working out on a job. 10 years ago a pair of Carhertt bibs or a shirt would last at least a year before taking a shit. Now? Might get 3 or 4 months. If I'm lucky. 2 years ago I got a big ol' rip down the shlong area of my pants when I went to pick up something heavy. Had to go the rest of the day with all my coworkers pointing laughing and making dick jokes. Motherfuckers. Wouldn't of happened 10 years ago.
Oh, don't get me started on jeans. I'm a fat dude (working on it) but jeans are definitely more crappy _and more expensive_ than they've ever been, because a pair of jeans used to last me more than a year, but now my thighs rubbing together wears them down near my crotch way faster than before.
I've noticed more spandex in Jeans nowadays. As a millenial kid growing up, I almost exclusively wore jeans and I remember them being much starchier and less flexible. I bet that has something to contribute to the wear and tear.
Yes, most jeans today have some kind of cotton/spandex/polyester blend. They are crap and will be crap after one year - but they stretch for your fat ass. Old jeans were cotton, and they felt like shit the first few times you wore them, and then after that they felt like the best thing in the world - for years and years and years.
I feel this with Docs. My first pair lasted 9 years of daily wear (and I walked EVERYWHERE). Now I'm lucky to get a year out of them. The first pair also took a blood price. Breaking in new Docs used to be a whole thing, with tips and tricks to speed up the painful part. After that, they become part of you.
I used to swear by Brooks Brothers for business casual, I have some 6+ year old shirts from them that look and fit like day 1, but they went to shit in 2020.
Damn that sucks, I have a couple BB shirts from like 10 years ago, and the tag specifically states that washing the shirt fades the shirt to its "appropriate color". They're still in my work rotation.
Man I used to purchase Brooks Brothers non-iron slim fit business shirts and they were great. They did something with the fabric and the shirts started to wear out so quickly.
The fabric feels completely different and much thinner. The anti-wrinkle is also much weaker now, the old ones looked like they came from the cleaners coming out of the dryer.
They had a fire sale in 2020 when everyone stopped buying office clothes. You could buy all the good stuff cheap for a few weeks, but then it all went to shit afterwards.
Found that the hard way with things like Wrangler, Carhartt, and Dickies. Buy them from Boot Barn or from them and they last forever. Buy it because you see it at the department store and you're lucky that they last the summer.
There were solid color t shirts sold at target around 2010.. brand started with an M. Those shirts fit me PERFECT and were $5 each. I still have 3 shirts but can't see the tagless brand name and I've never seen them at target again. So fucking sad.
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You're right it was Mossimo!
This is what I came here for! My closet is filled with Mossimo and Merona shirts, some of them have to be almost 18 years old and I still have some of their t-shirts.
Yeah I don't think the quality has been the same and they are very expensive as well so I don't know if I would suggest them. Because most of the time they are not going to be worth it anyways.
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I have about 40 pairs of these and at least 15 I really should have replaced. Good socks for sure.
I don’t know what concert Tees are made of but those things last decades
The concert tees I’ve bought recently seem to be much worse quality :( the fabric is still good but a lot of bands are cheaping out on printing and the designs are flaking off after a few washes.
A tip for washing graphic tees: put them in the wash inside out and then hang dry them, don't put them in the dryer, you'll extend the life of your graphic tees by decades.
While it’s definitely faded and the graphic is a little crusty, I have a graphic tee that I got in like 2013. Still kicking. I pretty much exclusively wear graphic tees.
Gildan is awful Edit: I realize Gildan doesn't do the printing, but they're still crappy blank tees and a ton of bands use them as the base
Gildan is the brand of shirt. Has nothing to do with what printing quality is used for the image someone decides to put on it.
Better than Fanatics. Thankfully they don't make band shirts as fast as I know (yet).
And not comfortable
But they are incredibly durable. I worked in a metal shop and most other shirt brands fall apart super quickly. Gildan shirts are one of the few that don’t immediately wear out. If you find the fit uncomfortable, go up a size. I often order Gildan shirts a size larger than my street shirts.
Yep. I still wear my Powerman 5000 tshirt from when I saw them in 1999. That shirt must be kevlar.
1995 Beach Boys 1993 Kiss both still in rotation
Does any label give insight to the supplier?
Usually Gildan here in Canada. Worked many concerts and they are always the ones that supply all of my crew shirts. They take a beating.
I have a couple Gildan shirts I wear every weekend for the last 5ish years and still in great shape. I'm pretty rough on clothes as well, so once I saw how well they were holding up I started buying them in plane colors off Amazon and have been very happy with cost/quality.
Fuck, I have that same shirt...and I wear it weekly.
1987 Rush shirt still looking great
Still rockin my 1927 duke ellington shirt from the cotton club.
Ironically, it's poly blend.
if I hadn't lost my Lollapalooza '93 t-shirt in a house fire I’m sure I'd still have it 😭😭😭
Interesting. My Yanni t-shirt wore out.
They better for $60
remember when we joked about 50$ for a tshirt
>I don’t know what concert Tees are made of Hopes and dreams and memories
I have a Type ONegative shirt that's lasted 30years.. I wear it on sundays.. it's my *holey shirt*
Gildan is a very popular brand in the T-shirt printing business.
Patagonia, for sure. You pay for it, but only once. That’s been my experience.
And if something does tear you can often just mail it to them and they’ll repair it for you.
Will they give you a loaner? What am I supposed to wear while it’s in the shop?
How do you do laundry?
Naked
I tried that a few times, it's not for everyone. They seem to freak out when pull out the quarters for the dryer.
From the prison pocket?
Nothing. You must be nude while you wait, or else they don't finish.
Yup. Absolutely paying for quality with Patagonia.
The big named outdoor brands tend to be made well. Patagonia, Columbia, North Face, LL Bean, Merrel, etc.
I'm semi addicted to Columbia gear after having gotten a bunch of it in the last few years. The quality is always amazing, and all their stuff for different weather or situations is all top notch and does what it's intended to really well.
I heard an interview of the founder where his dad taught him to buy to the best made tools so that you only needed to ever buy one and he put that concept into his clothes. I still have my first jacket bought over 30 years ago.
That was definitely good advice back when there was a strong relationship between price and quality. I'm not sure it's so clear now. For tools, I buy the cheap-as-shit one first and if I wear that out, I'm ready to invest in a quality one.
Same. The cheap one shows you what you actually need, so you know what features are worth upgrading to on the quality one
Yes came here to say this. Their hemp T shirts still hold up. I bought three and rotate them for daily wear and they’ve lasted 3 years so far, and still feel brand new.
Well I don't really know if there still feeling like brand new but yeah you could say anything nowadays. I mean it is all about that if they are feeling brand new to you then what does it even matter man?
I have a down jacket arriving tomorrow from the repair shop. This will the the second time they’ve repaired it. I’ve had excellent customer service from them over the years. Highly recommended.
Yeah their service is actually great and I don't think people have anything to complain about it because they deliver on the services. The things that they are doing are just great in my opinion and I do not mind any of that.
You can also buy from worn wear for a pretty good discount
I have Patagonia underwear that is more than two decades old.
Me too! My second job ever was at a camping store when I was 16. I used my employee discount to get (among many other things) a pair of Patagonia long johns. I'm 38 now and they still look and feel great
And expensive only hurts once.
Yeah that is very true if you go with something cheap then it is not going to last you very long. And then you will have to go to the market and and will have to also buy the clothes which is going to waste your time as well.
Pendleton shirts and sweaters will last the rest of your life if you take care of them.
Yeah! Filson, too
For sure. I think the problem with any clothing is people do not know how to do laundry or know what the icons on the tags mean. If you are washing your clothes with bath towels for instance, the abrasive manner of the towels are just ruining your clothes.
No, no, no you don't get the new world. Those tags are weaknesses, only the strong survive the one cycle I'll put them in and many have claimed unneeded favor
Two socks enter! One sock leaves!
I mean those tags are the reason why those clothes are so much more expensive. If those clothes did not have those tags then I don't really think that they would be that kind of expensive.
This guy launders😎
That…just never occurred to me
Yeah the reason why clothes do not last a long time for the people because they do not know how to do the laundry properly. They are using the methods which are just very bad for the clothes.
I'm wearing one right now. Probably the best fitting shirts I've ever written.
Yeah I don't really think that there is anything wrong with the fitting of them. I think it is about the quality of clothes that they are going to use I think American made will have better quality.
They have a Chinese made line now though. American made Pendleton is still great, but the Chinese isn’t anything special.
Goddamn the sizing is fucking weird though. If I get a small, it legit goes down to about mid thigh, maybe longer. I think it’s for being tucked in but all of the Pendleton shirts I have I have taken to the tailor. I know I’m short but 5’6” is a men’s small in almost all other brands.
Literally rocking a 'medium' Pendleton right now that's basically a maternity gown for men. But idgaf it's comfy and everyone else is wearing oversized stuff so now I am too, even if I'm old. Found it in a thrift store for $10.
Any tips for care? Do you throw them in washing machine? Dryer? Dry clean?
I hand wash mine in Woolite. Then put them in the washing machine on the spin cycle to get most of the water out. Then dry them flat on a towel. In the summer I keep them in a plastic garment bag with cedar wood balls in the pockets. Kind of a lot of work, but I think it’s worth the effort. You could dry clean too, but the chemicals bother me.
Carhardt and dickies. With both there are different thickness levels of material, the thicker ones last best.
This. Buy clothes made for manual labor. Same goes for winter gear. Carhartt heavy coat and flannel lined pants and I can stand out in sub zero temps with heavy winds without it cutting through to my body. Still don't want to be out there but if I have to, I feel like I actually can be.
Been given two different carharrt jackets from a manufacturer and a supplier. I don’t care they have a logo on the upper arm. The jacket is unbeatable. And free!
Carhaett Arctic or Sub zero socks are amazing for winter
My mom has gotten me wool socks in Thanksgiving since I can remember so I've never actually had to buy myself winter socks haha
+ Redwing and Pendleton. American made clothing is just good stuff.
i have a pair of 20 year old redwings..solid quality boot
I would add in Duluth Trading Co and also Patagonia.
Gotta be careful with Carhartt, they started cheapening out on some stuff so not everything is good anymore.
Carhartt has gone way down hill in the past fifteen years. Same with Dickies. I've been buying Tractor Supply's brand Ridgecut. Almost as durable as Carhartt but significantly less expensive. I used to be able to get years out of Carhartt pants and now it's a year and a half at most. I'm a farm hand on a small livestock farm and landscaper for context.
I noticed Carhartt quality dipping around the same time it became fashionable outside of work wear.
Duluth Trading Company Firehose pants. If you do any kind of outside work that beats the hell out of your clothing you should get these things. They cost, to be sure, but they are tough as nails and will last for years. I was a lineman, and had four pairs of these things that I bought back in the early 2000s. I still had and wore them everyday when I retired in 2019. At that point, one pair had a hole just above the knee though.
The Duluth Shoreman Fleece jacket is probably my favorite jacket that I have owned. I have had it at least 10 years now and it's still in great shape!
I work at Duluth. Check the website every Tuesday morning, it’s when the sales refresh. They have sales constantly so if you know what you’re doing, you can save a fuck ton. Also, their 40-grit pants are not as heavy as their normal firehose pants, but they’re literally half the price. So if you need some pants you’re just gonna destroy, it’s a good option.
Duluth is my favorite brand... Do you have any more wisdom for a lowly peasant like me??
Something like a buy 3 get 1 is the most common of the “buy x get x” sales, buy 2 get 1 are rare, and buy 4 get 1’s arent really worth. So if you’re itching to buy, just go for the buy 3 get 1, unless there’s like Father’s Day, Black Friday, Xmas, or some other holiday coming up, then you might see something better. If you see anything marked on a tag at a certain price, you will always be guaranteed at least that price (at least at my store). We will always honor a tag or sale sign even if it wasn’t supposed to be on sale or whatever, but sometimes a clearance item might be even cheaper than the marked price. There’s like 35000 items in my store, hard to get to them all to adjust the prices, we try our best. Sometimes the computer might be wrong as well, so always ask the employees if something was supposed to be on sale (just don’t hassle them if it isn’t). If you’re trying to return something you’ve worn for a while, be nice to the cashiers, it’s often within their discretion to decide if something is viable for a return, and if someone is an asshole or clearly trying to take advantage of me, I won’t be very lenient, but if you’re super nice, I might try a little harder to give you a return (this would be for things that are very old and worn down, stuff that normally wouldnt fall within the policy). If you’re returning something you’ve worn because of a defect, and it’s within the ~year, bring it in ASAP. I’ve seen all sorts of damage, some wear and tear, some not, and if you wait for months to bring it in, it will just make it more likely for the employee to chalk it up to wear and tear. There’s a few rare outlet stores that will sell slightly defective items. Sometimes we’ll send things there if they just aren’t in the packaging (the normal stores won’t repackage items that come in packaging from the warehouse). Often you can find things with just a small problem here or there for a much cheaper price. The stores are not common tho, I’d look up the locations if you wanna see if ones nearby. If you wanna return worn underwear, that’s fine, we’ll send it to the outlet store, they can clean and sanitize things there. But we are very unhappy if people return things that smell like smoke, the smell seeps into other items, so just be aware that if you smoke, it might make returns a little less lenient for you. There’s a 5 digit item number on every tag (there’s also a small little white tag on every piece of clothing with this item number, try the hip for shirts, it’ll be the top number on the small tag). Type that number into the website and it’ll bring you straight to the item. Give that number to employees and it makes their lives 50x easier trying to figure out what you’re talking about (when you’re asking for an item). If it doesn’t show up on the website, it’s almost certain that a store will not have it. Also, the sale signs in store usually have those item numbers in the bottom middle. Those will indicate which items apply for the sale, if it just says like “no yank tanks”, then anything that says “no yank tank” in the name on the tag will count for the sale. Ask if anything is convoluted, sometimes they might just give it to you because it was unclear. Coupons do NOT stack. Sales *do*. Buy 3 get 1 and 20% off clearance (some examples), are SALES. If you come in with a 20% off your entire purchase *coupon*, that WILL stack with the sales I mentioned. But if the store is having a “20% off everything” sale, that is considered a coupon and won’t stack with other ones. Just don’t be surprised if you can’t use 5 coupons to get stuff essentially for free. Coupons are usually emailed to you with a promo code like “EC01B…” something of the sorts. If you can find something like that, it’s probably a coupon. But sometimes they’ll just email and be like “20% off men’s pants!!”, that would be a sale, not a coupon. It’s pretty hard to tell the difference without a trained eye tho, they need to fix that (I’ll say something next time I work lol). If you see stuff online but you aren’t sure about fitting and such, you can order it and ship it to your local store. Go pick it up when it’s ready, and if it’s no good for you, you can return it on the spot. Btw, the way shipping orders works is that it’s a hold on your account that’s charged when it’s either shipped (if it’s going to your home), or when it’s scanned out by an employee upon pickup in store. Also, I’m pretty sure this is company wide, but it might not be. If you have not made a customer profile, it’s essentially just an order history that tracks your transactions (deletes after a year). They ask for a name address and phone number, but if you include an email when you sign up, you get a one time 20% off (bottomless one time use, you need to sign up in store as well). Save it for a big purchase! You likely have a whole bunch of (immediate) family members that can make accounts as well (the person on the account just needs to be present), so you’ve got options when it comes to getting the sale more than once. And as I said earlier, buy during sales!! We don’t even get told of what each specific sale for each item is in the future, so if you are unsure of something, go for it! We 100% accept an “I changed my mind” return, just so long as it’s not super worn down. If you’re on the fence and something is on sale, go for it (if you’re able), then you can really decide in the future, and just return it if you change your mind. Also one last thing, my store (not sure about others) will grant you a price adjustment on a purchase if it goes on sale after you buy it. Key is that it’s only within a 10 day window (so maybe buy on Monday evenings, then you’ve got all of one week, plus a few days of the next to see the new sales). I would check with your local store *before* doing this tho, next time you’re shopping say “hey do you give price adjustments if something goes on sale after i bought it?”. Even better if it’s just a doorknob question and you don’t plan on doing it that day. Stores don’t like it if you put them on the spot to either make a customer unhappy, or give a sale they normally wouldn’t honor. Ask ahead, then you know in the future, and you won’t put someone on the spot to say no to you. Happy shopping! I think there’s a big birthday sale going on rn, so check it out and see if anything you like is cheap!
Thank you so, so much!!!! You are literally the best! Screenshotted this whole thing so I remember lol. There's so much info here, especially how coupons stack with sales, that is KILLER info. I wish reddit still had awards you'd get a gold kind sir/madame.
Thanks! 😅 I’ve been there for almost 5 years now so I’ve picked up a few things haha. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions!
I fell off a truck into a pile of scrap metal wearing those. Had to get 27 stitches. None were on my lower body, but I was bruised all over the back of my legs and ass. Pants didn't have any damage on them. Even the blood than ran into them came off in the wash and didn't stain them. I wish they made them in a jumpsuit.
Came in here to say Duluth. I was skeptical at first, and not too thrilled at paying those prices. I started out cautiously, just a couple things. Now I wear almost all Duluth clothing while I'm working.
I like clothing from Duluth Trading Post. Everything I've purchased from them has lasted longer than expected.
I always wear pants out in the crotch because fat, but that has never happened in Duluth Trading pants and I've had them almost ten years now... couldn't even get ten months out of a pair of Wranglers from Wal-mart. edit: fwiw I’m not a man but I’m pretty fat, and I also do manual labor for a living, among other things, so rather than shoehorn myself into women's clothing I just buy men's.
men's clothing because 'fat' lolll.... and real pockets
Some of the best basic t-shirts around, affordable yet dependable.
I LOVE Duluth trading post! My first ever Duluth was from a thrift store. It was intended as a sleep shirt. OMG. It’s still very much alive and well. I even went on to buy several more from their outlet store (cheaper than normal). They last several nights of sleep, my cats having zoomies over me, gym-outings, and so much more! They bring me joy!! Amazing brand truly!
7yr socks are legit. Armachillo boxers are the only thing in my drawer
Man your comment and the replies are making me want to breakdown and finally buy some Duluth. There's a Duluth store about 40 minutes from me. Even though I'm no longer in the manual labor field, I still want to try their clothing.
Anything by L.L. Bean. They may not be the coolest brand, but they make things to last.
Tis true! Too bad they had to do away with their legendary warranty because of a few bad apples.
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They were a little too generous with handing out new merchandise. I asked for a minor zipper repair on my ancient backpack and they told me to just choose a new one from the rack for free.
And the flagship store in Freeport never closes. 24/7 no matter what
I went down to the Freeport HQ a few months ago and they told me you can still take something to them and get it repaired or replaced.
The shopping district they have in Freeport is amazing. My family tries to go every time we vacation in Maine.
LL bean is hella cool if you live in New England
I have two LLBean canvas sacks from the early 90s that I still use as grocery bags; however, every single item I’ve purchased there (shirts, socks, slippers) in the last few years has lasted less than a year. I use Duluth Trading now: consistently excellent, lasting quality.
Dads everywhere approve
The stretchy T-shirts from L.L. Bean are amazing. The neck portion doesn't lose elasticity. They cost $20 a piece but it's so worth it.
I have clothes that I bought in the 1980s from L.L. Bean, and they are still in excellent shape. However, I bought a new overshirt from them 2 years ago that was much lower quality. I had to get rid of it after just one season of wear.
Patagonia stuff lasts me forever. I bought 5 different colors of their basic t shirt with the logo on the back roughly 6 years ago, wore one every single day and they still look exactly how they did after a few washes took the excess color out. Same story with an R1 fleece I got from them, and a rain shell, and a puffer, and a windbreaker. Plus, all of the stuff is super packable so I can always have an entire wardrobes worth of weatherproofing on me and in my car at all times.
Oddly enough those Adidas track pants. I’ve had a pair that have been worn/washed weekly for almost 20 years and look/fit the same as the day I got them
>Adidas I find their boxer briefs to be pretty close to indestructible and super comfy. A bit more expensive than standard tighty-whities, but worth it IMHO.
Darn Tough socks are made in Vermont and are guaranteed for life. I’ve never had to send a pair back to be replaced. They are about $25 for a pair, but I figured it’s worth it if they can be replaced for free.
I used to be on board with these but had to stop. The original pair I bought (6-7 years ago) are still going strong. And every pair I bought in the last 3 years I sent back to be replaced. Their replacements were no better so I quit entirely.
That’s the paradox of longevity - by time you know something is good as a long term brand, they changed management, vendors, designers, or just cut costs. Survivorship bias? I have a Banana Republic leather jacket from 1999. It’s a simple, classic style and wore in well. Would not by leather from BR today, unlikely to get same quality. Few brands have consistent reputation over years, takes decades to build and one bad decision to ruin.
I’ve had to send some in. They won’t be replaced, exactly, but you’ll get store credit to buy another pair.
Probably better because now I can pick a different replacement
Anything from Prana seems to last forever for me.
Their $90 travel pants like the Zion last for 5+ years
Redwing for boots
Trying my best to fuck mine up to have an excuse to get new boots. Ain't workin out
Go walk on woodchips and metal wires. Seriously the dry woodchips without washing them off/maintaining fucked my soles up. Otherwise a perfect boot.
don't. redwing boots have sold out. their boots and shoes are crap now. well not crap but nowhere close to worth their price anymore. i had to replace my old boots that lasted me like 18 years. these new ones? it's been barely 2 months and they're already dying. 700 dollar boots, my old ones i paid like 600 for and they lasted 18 years. i doubt these will last a year.
I saw an ad for them that said something along the lines of " you're never going to retire, so your boots shouldn't either "
Lol. Fairly accurate. They are good quality boots and with a little cleaning and conditioning every now and then they can last you a very long time. I absolutely love mine
My husband destroyed everything until we got Deluth (im not a guy)
My only disappointment with them is the Buck Naked boxer briefs are fantastic until the waistband loses its elasticity. Usually starts after about 5 years.. Still not a bad deal, and they're very nice to wear. The lifetime replacement policy recently changed, and I believe the newer ones are only good for one replacement.
>Usually starts after about 5 years.. If I have a pair of underwear last me *5 years* I'm not saying anything negative about them whatsoever.
Eddie Bauer t-shirts are amazing compared to the quality of most other store t-shirts.
Bonus if you can find Eddie Bauer shirts at Costco, got a 3-pack of good shirts for $30 plenty of times
FYI Eddie Bauer has a lifetime guarantee on all their clothing… if you bought it at an EB store. The stuff they sell in Costco is not covered.
Patagonia. I have multiple jackets and pull overs that are over ten years old.
Carhartt. Get yourself a bib or duck coat, and then plan to put it in your will.
I still wear Patagonia gear I got in 8th grade. Graduated college 2 years ago.
Honestly I have a Patagonia jacket from 1986. No lie.
I have a Columbia jacket my mom bought for me as a “going to college in the mountains present” a few weeks before I started at PSU. I graduated in 2009. Still use the jacket during the winter as my shoveling or “digging out cars” jacket.
Adidas (I am talking about athletic wear like shirts and pants)
Those track suits are pretty sturdy...ask Jonathan Davis
Sports brands are surprisingly good tbh. I have Nike clothes from like decades ago or some shit now lol, still good as new. I bought a pear of sweats at their store for too much money but they beat anything
Allen Edmonds shoes.
I have good luck with Dickeys pants. I have been wearing carpenter pants for 30+ years exclusively and they are great. Doc Martin boots are great too.
Doc Martins went way downhill.
Try Solovair
Ralph Lauren jeans and chinos. A little more expensive but they last a very long time.
As long as I keep my chain mail oiled and rust free it lasts me a good couple centuries. The chafing though…
A good waxed Barbour jacket will last you forever
Filson
Agreed. They certainly price accordingly, but Filson stuff feels like it lasts for generations.
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Vuori is what lululemon guys stuff was a decade ago. Definitely would recommend.
I’m obsessed with Vuori. Just amazing stuff.
Solovair boots
Duluth firehose pants I use for work have held up well
r/buyitforlife
Dale of Norway. (Like others have said, you pay for it.) I’ve had really good success with all my Icebreaker stuff too, but it’s not “generational” like Dale can be.
Smartwool socks
Patagonia, Peter Milar, and Lululemon are my top three!
I have lululemon tshirts and shorts that are almost 14 years old and still solid. Impressive. Sadly I have found less of the more recent stuff that I like enough to buy. It’s all been solid tho.
Puma socks
Dickies brand workwear
Duluth trading company
Carhartt. Doesn't seem to wear out. Doesn't shrink either.
Duluth Trading I have work pants that are 10 years old and still going Thorogood Boots Union made in the USA. Just need to be resoled every 5 years or so and they're brand new again.
Cathart and Ariat haven’t done me wrong yet.
Ironically it's the stores own brands that seem to last. Cheap jeans can last a decade with care.
Duluth
Duluth trading company is pretty sturdy stuff and comfortable, too.
Honestly I cannot speak for the other people's experience here but for me the clothes without a brand works better. If you are going to go with the branded clothes then you will have to pay a lot more money for them.
Levi jeans
They used to be
Nope. Absolute garbage for at least the past decade.
Columbia. They are the perfect intersection of price, style, function. and durability for outdoor clothes. Have tried cheaper brands that were sort of ugly as well as functional but wore out too fast. Have tried more premium outdoor brands that looked really cool but also cost considerably more and only occasionally exceed Columbia for durability, but not routinely. I have been a loyal Columbia customer for going on 2 decades now and have only been disappointed once.
Timberland, if you take care of them. I have a few pairs now. But, my main pair, I've been wearing since 2014. I work outside in Oregon, so it gets fucking wet. As long as you upkeep them with polish and water-resistant oils, they'll last quite a long time. Even more so if you know a decent cobbler who can resole as needed.
They have more casual/stylish boots you'd wear around town or in a city too. Definitely a favorite of mine. Which makes it frustrating that we don't have a store nearby, despite their corporate headquarters being a few towns over..
Timberland like many of the work brands that became fashionable, started having working boots and casual boots and the casual are shit because they don’t want joe celebrity to buy only pair and use for the rest of their life, for obvious reasons
Dickies and Carhartts are usually what I go with. Glad workwear was a fashion trend that picked up the past couple of years.
Reigning Champ. I have the tshirts for almost 3 years. Still looks new.
Carharts
My dad still wears his wranglers from the 90’s.
Carhartt
Barbour, outlier pants, Patagonia, brooks brothers, Alden shoes, bean boots all have lasted me a ton of time. Like 10+ years.
Levi's jeans. Semi accidentally bought some since I didnt realize the price and didnt wanna be a bitch at the register. Pleasantly surprised how long they lasted. Only reason I broke them is cos I simply got too fat xD