Fragility of wool trousers

[Anva]

Hi,

I am going to start this off with a somewhat psycho quirk of mine: I have over the course of my addiction to classic men's clothing developed a certain fear, the fear of trousers ripping, wearing through, developing holes etc. It is especially apparent to me when sitting down. Whenever I do, I check for the seat of my trousers being still intact.

The internet tells me that wool is very flexible and hard-wearing, but then it is full of people complaining about their trousers wearing off quickly etc.

What is your opinion/experience on this matter? Do your trousers last?

-Anva

 

[Nick D]

I have only ever had one pair of trousers go foul in any way, worn through in the crotch. They were not vintage, a rather loose-woven blend, not sturdy. Never had any trouble with any vintage, 70-80 years old. Unless your trousers are very tight, you probably have nothing to worry about at all.

 

[JackieMatra]

Assuming, of course, that you behave like a proper gentleman while wearing them and don't do anything that would get your hands dirty, (so to speak, knees dirty would actually be more to the point), while wearing them, such as crawling around on the ground at estate sales and the like.

 

[Dinerman]

It all depends on the wool, the weight, the weave. But wool can be incredibly durable. I work in a woodshop and am fairly hard on my pants. I've had modern production levis wear through in a few months. I have Australian battledress pants that have lasted years with daily abuse, and '50s Pioneer brand wool work pants that have seen more than their fair share of wear at my hands with no problems.

 

[Two Types]

To help your trousers last longer it's worth remembering a few points:

Avoid cycling. It's a good way of wearing out the seat and crotch.
Don't wear the same trousers every day. Allow them time to rest before you wear them again.
Don't wash them any more than they need - washing will help them wear out.

 

[Dreamofgilgamesh]

The image of hilariously ripped trousers looks good in an old comedy film but in reality it's as rare as hens teeth, they'll be fine.

 

[Rudie]

I have a pair of rousers made from 13 oz. Dugdale cloth that shows quite some wear in the crotch area due to cycling. I had it made about four or five years ago. On the other hand I have some German 30s trousers that I have had for 25 years that show no wear in the crotch at all.

 

[Eddie Derbyshire]

I have had this problem - but NOT on older/vintage trousers. As I might have posted on the Lounge before, I have had trouble with the tweeds and flannels from Abraham Moon, where in a matter of a few wears the crotch thins, and in the instance of tweed, eventually wore right through. There were low thread and low oz and were a mistake to begin with. But I echo the remarks earlier - don't wear them day-in-day-out. As I've seen in an old advert, alternating two pairs of trousers will far outlast three consecutive pairs worn every day. If that makes sense.

But stay vigilant against moths!

 

[Anva]

Thanks for your replies! It seems to be a common notion that older/vintage pieces are superior to recent ones. What might be the reason? I gather that if you don't go for Super 5000 suits the material can't have changed that much since it's still wool?

 

[Eddie Derbyshire]

I think a lot of it is down to the newer cloths being lighter-weight, in line with the demands of the 'modern man'. You can most CERTAINLY get quality cloths that are just as good as the vintage ones, it's just that they aren't as common and aren't as in demand as the papery stuff you describe. The problem with the cloths that I selected for my suits/trousers was that they were clearly designed to look 'vintage' or 'heritage', but with none of the weight and durability.

I'm no expert really on what weight to go for though - the other gents and ladies on this forum can tell you more.

P.S. - I have had success with poly-wool blends (low poly, high wool) for durability. I know that's sacrilege to some, but there you go!

 

[brendanm720]

I bought a pair of Carhart 15 Oz jeans in new in 2007, and abused them and finally wore the seat/crotch area through in 2014. I still have them, in case I wear out another pair that I can use for patching material.

I ended up getting another pair for Christmas this past year, and they are still making them the same way.

My grandpa has some "vintage" (he's the original owner) wool work pants that have lasted for decades with only the odd gusset replacement and mending stitch where he caught them on something.

 

[Inusuit]

I'm a fan of wool pants. I have Filson, Woolrich, and some German army surplus for Wyoming winters. All three are tougher than barbed wire and will last longer than I will. But they aren't vintage "trousers." I have no experience with those. I wear a lot of wool, and the only fabric that wears as well is hemp.

 

[Claudio]

remember that in the old times the cold was always a problem, people didnt have too much money to spend on clothes so they used the same trousers over a longer time-frame, thus they were made heavier weight with a tighter weave. Times change and so that means technology kicks in thus heating, cooling results in a fix/milder temp all year through (indoors). Also so many people travel now for a number of reasons and they want to be comfortable when doing so. Lighter weight wool is thus much more practical (for most).

ONe thing is to rotate, and thus aas TT has already said give your trousers a break, and also do not wash them unless really necessary. Dry clenaing ruins clothes. Good quality wool expels the dirt particles by itsself, just needs airing and a nice brush down - and it will last much longer

 

[andy b.]

I'm not sure how durable thin dress wool pants are (I have never worn a pair out), but I only own one pair of Civil War wool uniform pants and after beating the crap out of them for five years of reenacting, they were barely getting broken in. I would expect it takes a long time to wear out wool pants unless they are made of cheap wool.

 

[Nyah]

This past Winter I wore the same pair of vintage 18oz wool serge trousers every day. Yes, every day. I never washed them and they always looked, felt and smelled the same as the day I bought them. The only issue I have with them is a strange crease that was already there when I bought them. Right now, I'm wearing some newly-made 12oz wool serge trousers, which I treat the same way as the 18oz (can be worn on consecutive days, indefinitely).

 

[Edward]

remember that in the old times the cold was always a problem, people didnt have too much money to spend on clothes so they used the same trousers over a longer time-frame, thus they were made heavier weight with a tighter weave. Times change and so that means technology kicks in thus heating, cooling results in a fix/milder temp all year through (indoors). Also so many people travel now for a number of reasons and they want to be comfortable when doing so. Lighter weight wool is thus much more practical (for most).

ONe thing is to rotate, and thus aas TT has already said give your trousers a break, and also do not wash them unless really necessary. Dry clenaing ruins clothes. Good quality wool expels the dirt particles by itsself, just needs airing and a nice brush down - and it will last much longer

I think central heating is part of it.... (I often see the opposite at this time of year; I'll be in linen but you'll see so many guys still in the same wool suits they wore in Winter. This time it's the aircon doing the same job as the central heating.... Bending the environment to suit their wardrobe rather than t'other way around. Humans, eh? :lol:

I tend only to dry clean suits when they've had something wet or sticky spilt on them, as the dirt in that case (I think) 'eats' them. Definitely agree, though, that washing / cleaning too often doesn't help.

 

[Eddie Derbyshire]

I've just a pair of Abraham Moon fabric flannels wear-out on me (in between the thighs) after only maybe 20 wears? They were expensive. I'm very disappointed! It's a lesson into doing research about your cloth, and considering weight and thread-count.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

Depends on the weave and the blend. Worsted wool, especially whipord, wears well. Old hunting pants were often made of wool, and they stood up well against thorn and brush, but I don't know how well they would do with sitting and wearing in the seat. I suspect that they'd do just fine, but I can't say for sure. M-1951 Korean War surplus trousers are tough as nails.

 

[Nyah]

Depends on the weave and the blend. Worsted wool, especially whipord, wears well. Old hunting pants were often made of wool, and they stood up well against thorn and brush, but I don't know how well they would do with sitting and wearing in the seat. I suspect that they'd do just fine, but I can't say for sure. M-1951 Korean War surplus trousers are tough as nails.

Right on, Ernest. Whipcord and serge are each really tough worsted wool twills. I believe whipcord is essentially denim made out of wool instead of cotton but, can't be sure since I'm not an expert on weaves. It does seem to have a harder 'cord' than denim though (which might even make it tougher than denim).


I would love to be able to buy high-wool-content yardage of these fabrics in the USA but can't find much of any opportunity to do such. If anyone has some leads on this, I'd appreciate knowing about them.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

I would love to be able to buy high-wool-content yardage of these fabrics in the USA but can't find much of any opportunity to do such. If anyone has some leads on this, I'd appreciate knowing about them.

Last summer, I got this ridiculous idea of a poncho project that I hoped to make out of thick wool like a Hudson Bay or Pendleton trade blanket. I didn't necessarily want the trade stripes, so I called Pendleton Woolen Mills, the place that sells Pendleton's bulk materials. They no longer make a 100% wool, super heavy-weight fabric. They sent me samples of several ideas they had for my project, and not a single one of them felt like Pendleton quality to me. The heaviest weight had 20 or 25% nylon in it, and the pattern options were extremely limited. I was fascinated with Pendleton in my youth, and that entire experience was a rude awakening to where woolen mills are today. Maybe you'd have better luck than I did. They were very friendly and happy to send out a package of samples.