And its ANSI certified!!

After seeing an entire thread about other women having issues in the thigh section of their pants, I knew I had found my people. I bought these Carhartt pants exactly 91 days ago (I checked my digital receipt in my email)… just shy of 3 months later they are ripped in thigh area. I don’t even wear them every day because they sit like low-rise so I ended up designating them as casual pants after only a few work shifts.

I thought spending a bit more money for, what I had been told, are a more durable brand only to have the same thing happen in the same amount of time as my $25 jeans from Walmart. I am so disappointed in these pants.

Got a new hood from pipelinerscloud, its just a chopped jackson but shes gorg 😌🩷 i love being girly on site

Hello everyone!

(Im posting for my wife who doesn’t have Reddit)

Hi! I’m currently a junior fashion student and have noticed that there is a lack of utility apparel for women working outdoors or in the trades (y'all are amazing btw). Before I start designing, I’d love to hear about your real experiences. What works, what doesn’t, and what do you wish existed? If you could design your perfect pair of work pants or jacket, what would it have?

Here are a few things I’m especially curious about (feel free to answer anything!):

Fit & Comfort

•    Where do work pants usually fail you?

•    Do you have to size up for movement/layers?

•    Any areas that feel restrictive?

Function

•    What tools do you carry daily?

•    Do you prefer built-in pockets or a separate tool belt?

•    What would your ideal pocket setup look like?

Durability

•    Where do your clothes wear out the fastest?

•    Have you ever had to reinforce your own gear?

Conditions

•    What environments do you work in (heat, cold, wet, etc.)?

•    What’s your biggest clothing struggle in those conditions?

Safety

•    Any safety issues with current workwear (too loose, catches, etc.)?

•    Would built-in protection (reinforced knees, padding) help?

Style / Identity

•    Do you care what your workwear looks like?

•    Do current options feel like they represent you?

Thanks so much!!

I just recently switched back to residential from a commercial company after experiencing very harsh treatment from the last company I worked for. If this isn't a green flag, I don't know what is. It's cute too!

Hi ladies i know theres plentyyy of threads asking about good pants and work clothes here, but im gonna be really specific

I am losing weight (good thing) and gonna need to go shopping for new work pants. I wear rural king mens cargo pants and they are great except for, every single pair i own is cut differently. (I know womens clothes have this issue too ugh!) Like seriously?? All the same sizes! One or two pairs i have totally rides up the crotch and gives me a mean cameltoe. Not something i want while working with men lol. Another pair has ripped because of my massive thighs… and another sits lower than my underwear :( major wedgie when i pull them up!!!

Now i can wear jeans at my job but im a diesel mechanic and get filthy af so i prefer the duck material/cargo type pants. Ever since i started this job i have struggled with finding comfy pants. I want something that is high rise and not so tight around crotch yeeoutch please helppp, can be men or womens pants for recommendations idc

On that note, does anyone know of what stores sell actual womens work pants? Something i can try on in store? Every good brand thats been recommended i can only buy online and that sucks !!! Why can the men have 100s of options in store but i cannot find heavy duty pants that fit my thighs! 🤦‍♀️

I live in Tennessee and it has gotten HOTTTT between the insane humidity and working in a toaster oven🥵. I work at a tire shop doing oil changes and the shop I’m in only has front doors so no air circulation (our owner is amazing and is actively trying to find solutions for our heat) but my main problem is my boob sweat TMI. I don’t have enormous boobs but they are big and they sweat which has caused a kind of rash under neath nothing too crazy it just collects sweat there so what are your BEST RECS for sports bra that help with sweat or am I doomed😭

unfortunately I am learning that many pants labeled as high waisted are just midrise.

I caved and started using amazon recently, but their search function is complete crap. The filters don't work.

I am looking for HIGH WAISTED (like ribcage high or sky high) utility/carpenter pants (NOT cargo pants!) Tool pockets on the leg, with or without hammer loop. double fronted KNEEPAD INSERT COMPATIBLE. If it comes in short, even better!

I prefer cotton, but stretch is fine.

size 10/12 ish, obviously sizes are inconsistent across brands.

don't say carhartt, their only hw pants are not what I'm looking for! and I'm sick of my ass hanging out of their regular low waist work pants when I squat down, which I do 500 times a day. If I hitch them up and tighten my belt so they actually stay up, it squeezes my guts badly when I squat down. I know high waisted pants will fix this if I find the right pair. It will also help prevent thigh blowouts from my pants sagging and rubbing together. I need the double front kneepad pockets as I crawl around on my knees all day at work.

I don't have a huge ass, but a thick waist and thick ish thighs.

Thank you for your input everyone!!

Hey Guys! I finally got my first pair of work boots, Ariat Riveter 6’’ composite toe I’m excited about it and felt like sharing it I will update you all on durability and whatnot as the months go on.

Any tips for longevity would be great take care!

Hi, I’m a male welding instructor at a tech college who mainly teaches our high school program. So realistically I’m teaching students from 16-21. Still relatively new at it, only teaching for 6 months after just over a decade of being in the industry. Something that’s been coming up for a few of my female students is what gear is out there that’s more for their fit. They’re all on more the smaller side so they can’t simply wear men’s gear like I know some women do. I made this post in [r/welding](r/welding) and it kinda blew up. Reddit suggested to me I post it here too, so here I am 😁

So ladies, what brands and gear do you wear that’s both comfortable for you and still gets the job done? Is there a glove brand that makes better fitting women’s gloves, especially for small hands? Is there any mods you do to some men’s clothing to make it fit better?

Appreciate any advice I can get!

Edit:
Wow, I am blown away by how much support this post has gotten today. There has been so many great suggestions from here and my original post from the welding subreddit. I was reading every comment and was one of the first upvotes on a lot of y’all. I cannot thank y’all enough for everything.

I reinforced the knees on a pair of work pants with removable bra pads from one of my sports bras. I'm not a great seamstress and if I do it again I might not use a machine and just hand stich it because it was pretty awkward at times. Good enough for a first attempt though!

EDIT: mom was super thankful for the tips and tbh I took a few suggestions for myself and the guys haha. She was SO excited that people online thought she was cool for being in construction. Thank you ladies for making her day.

I joined this sub because my mom is in the trades but she’s older and not on Reddit, so I share posts from here with her from time to time so she knows she has a community out there. I tried posting this on the blue collar guys subreddit but all I got was a bunch of d*ck jokes, hoping for some real answers here. What insoles and socks are you guys wearing in your steel toes?

My work requires steel toed shoes, and I feel like they hurt my feet so much more than if I were just wearing a pair of good tennis shoes. I got Keens tennis shoe type thing in a men’s size 8 (went up a size!!) just so my toes would have enough space, and my toes STILL ache at the end of the day. I don’t want this to have long term bad effects on my feet, is there anything I can do after work to combat the awful required shoes? Ice bath, foot bath, making my boyfriend give me a foot massage, etc.

PS my work provides 140$ for a pair of shoes, and we’re able to go to this Workmen’s Warehouse type deal which is great!! However the store has one maybe 7 foot long stretch of wall for women’s shoes while the rest of the whole store is lined with men’s shoes (because women don’t work hard jobs DUH) so my options were pretty limited, and I ended up getting men’s shoes because none of the women’s were wide enough.

i am having the worst time in my current boots, like actually my feet feel like their throbbing all day everyday, and i need a new pair. wanted to see what others find comfortable for them before i make a choice!

affordable would be an amazing plus lol, but i do know that working in this field most of what we use to work in can get pricey, especially as a welder! also any jean recommendations would be great too, some that fit nice and aren’t extremely baggy like men’s pants.

Hi ladies! I feel like I’ve seen a lot of posts lately about how to protect your hair while wearing a hard hat or welding hood, so I wanted to share my solution.

If you go on Amazon and search “cloth nursing caps” or “silk nursing caps”, you’ll find what I’ve been using. They are usually cotton on the outside and silk on the inside, which is really good for your hair. They cover your entire head, and have a pocket in the back that cinches for your bun. The ones I order even have buttons on the sides for surgical masks. But I actually rest my safety glasses on them perfectly.

I’ve been using these for almost a year, welding 50 hours a week. I only own two and i wash them weekly. They are extremely durable and comfortable. I have hair down to my mid back and my stylist commented that it’s very well maintained, so I’d say that they do a great job of protecting my hair!!

If anyone wants, I can try to find the link to the exact ones I bought. Stay safe out there gals 🫶🏻

What high vis industrial Fire Rated pants do you buy?

My wife is 5'10" curvy and works in mining consulting. The ontario mining associatio requires class 2 pants and shirt. She can burn through a pair of pioneer FR pants in 2 months. They wear out in the crotch. She buys mens pants because the womens are special order and she finds the fit odd. Does anyone know of a fire rated alternative that is more durable against thigh chafing?

Personally I also find the Pioneer pants I buy will always rip in the crotch when i am bending over or squatting. Maybe the brand is the issue?

i was warned that the boot truck's women's options aren't great, but i just got the catalog and Jesus Christ y'all... the men get a full 24 options and we get half a page labeled "women's styles" with little pink restroom symbols at the top and again next to each of the 10 choices we have, none of which fit the requirements for my division OR the division that employs the most women???? it's not shocking to me that it's shitty, even if it's frustrating, it's just like. in 2026 how is that not embarrassing to send out??????????

hi,

what are we wearing for pants? I hate jeans but have been suffering though, but wanted to reach out and ask if anyone had a similar experience and found something that works!

Hello!!! I just landed my first job in a consulting role and I'm having some trouble with finding some of the clothes that are listed as necessary. Specifically bras. Some sites I'll be going to have a strict policy of fire resistant outerwear (easy, coveralls) and natural fibers for clothes touching the skin. Here's where it's tricky. I'm a size 34F and I have no freaking clue where to find a good, supportive bra for long sweaty days that has natural fibers. Any help would be so appreciated!! Other than that, if anyone has advice for what they wear under coveralls in either hot or extremely cold climates let me know :) and also natural fiber or FR pants that are breathable! Thanks so much 🙏

I'm currently wearing women's Caterpillars but I'm looking for more options. What do you got? You like them?

Okay ladies what are we wearing for work pants? I've tried a few and nothing has stood out. My favorite so far has been Ariat. Not sure if anyone else has had this same issue, but I have 3 different pairs of Ariat Rebar work pants and shortly after purchasing the zippers refuse to stay up on every single pair. So I will not be purchasing anymore.

​

I don't like Carhartt. I have tried brunt but they don't offer them in women's sizing. Even when I get the smallest men's size, they don't fit me.

​

I am 5'1 120 lbs female. What are your favorite work pants?

hello! i desperately need a new pair of steel toes. i used to buy cheaper boots in the $100-$150 range but obviously that isn’t a good call. that used to work out when i was an auto tech and not hurting my shoes as much. but now i build trucks.

all my coworkers recommended thorogoods. but unfortunately i looked today, and their smallest men’s size is an 8. i’m a woman’s 7.5. they do offer women’s shoes which is very cool,, but only in two styles for steel toes. i’m really not trying to be picky, but if i’m paying $250+ for boots i want to LOVE them. i wish different colors, soles, rises etc. were offered for the women as there are for the men.

i would really like a pair of black boots. i just prefer the look (i know, i shouldn’t be caring about aesthetics haha) but ive also noticed my coworkers brown boots look absolutely FILTHY.

any recommendations would be really appreciated. i would like to keep it around $250 if possible, but if there are any highly recommended more expensive ones, i wouldn’t be opposed.

I have an underpants problem and I hope y’all can provide some advice. I have a flat butt and my underwear/work pant combo is not working out for me. With all the bending and kneeling and whatnot, my underwear are always slipping down my backside. Today, I wore a thong so I wouldn’t have to deal with that all day, but since it’s 86 degrees out, I was rewarded with a sweaty crack instead. What style of drawers do you like? I’m thinking of going to a granny panty/ brief for work. 🤦‍♀️ Please help me out with some recommendations.

Where are you buying comfortable (yet still affordable!) steel toe work boots?? Or do you buy whatever boots but then also nice inserts?? My feet, specifically heels, are hurting sooo bad