Subscriber Discussion

Shoe And Pants Recommendations

JR
Jeff Russo
Dec 03, 2016
IPVMU Certified

May seem like a silly question but I have had some bad luck with these lately. 

Two pairs of shoes blown out in a year, then I bought some really comfy tan pants from gap that are flexible so they are easy to move or crawl around in but then I washed them and they got so tight they felt like leggings. 

Any suggestions on workwear?

JH
John Honovich
Dec 03, 2016
IPVM

Joe, excellent question. I'll leave recommendations to others but wanted to cross reference one related post: What Company Branded Clothing Do You Have Your Techs Wear?

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Ari Erenthal
Dec 04, 2016

Good question.

There's basically three schools of thought when it comes to pants: jeans, cargo pants, and classic poly/cotton work pants.

Me personally, I always liked jeans. They feel good, they last, and they're the cheapest option. For about $20 USD, you can pick up a pair of Levi's Carpenter Jeans at any Walmart. They're loose around the leg and seat, so you can climb and bend easily while wearing them, they have extra pockets and loops and things for tools, and they're little thinner than normal denim jeans so you don't die of heat exhaustion in the summer while being a little heavier than normal pants so you don't die of hypothermia in the winter. Jeans have saved me from splinters and things more times than I can count.

Some people prefer cargo pants, also called pocket pants or BDUs. I prefer Dickie's Canvas Tactical cargo pants, which are fairly long lasting and have all sorts of neat pockets and things. They should run you around $40-$50 USD in a uniform supply store or on Amazon. Other people swear by Carhartt or Duluth Trading Company, but most surveillance installers don't work on job sites with harsh enough conditions to justify the added expense and discomfort. I've worn Carhartt duck pants when working outdoors in terrible weather, and they were extremely warm, but that's literally the only nice thing I can think to say about them. They were much less flexible than my jeans.

Still, a lot of people love Carhartt duck pants (and coats, and jackets, and overalls). I used to wear a Carhartt duck jacket myself. Duck cargo pants from Carhartt should run you about $50 USD or so.

The third option is poly/cotton. The good thing about this option is that these pants are cheap and are essentially indestructible. The bad thing is everything else. They're uncomfortable, they don't breath, they don't bend or flex, they don't keep out the cold, they trap the heat, and they don't protect you from splinters or sparks. They also look dorky as hell. They're cheap, usually less than $10 USD a pair. I recommend Dickie's. Your mechanic probably wears these.

You can rent uniforms from places like Cintas, and they'll handle laundry and clothing repair. They'll also customize uniforms for you so that everybody looks the same. In my opinion, outfitting your workforce in a uniform makes you look more professional. A quick Google says that it usually costs $300-$350 per employee per year to set that up. If you do go this route, you'll get poly/cotton pants.

As far as shoes goes, a lot of people swear by Red Wings, but personally I never made enough money to afford fancy boots when I was an installer. Instead, I bought Caterpillar or Timberlands. Red Wings cost about $250 are said to last for ten years. Cats cost about $75 and Timbs cost about $100, and they both last about 3 years. This is the boots theory of economic unfairness.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Dec 04, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Are employee named shirts "in" or "out" these days?

As an end-user, I prefer named. Especially when embroidered in red script. Even if I don't use it, I usually remember it, for some reason.

And it beats saying "you're not that guy who came last time, are you?"

Prosumer Tip: Always choose the tech with the darkest clothes; they don't mind getting dirty.

Red Wings cost about $250 are said to last for ten years. Cats cost about $75 and Timbs cost about $100, and they both last about 3 years. This is the boots theory of economic unfairness.

Cats seem to beat the theory here. Just as cheap, $25/yr. Look new every 3 yrs. Add in the time-value of money and they come out ahead.

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Ari Erenthal
Dec 05, 2016

Yeah, but Cats are too goofy looking to wear after hours. Red Wings look good enough that hipsters buy them to look tough and manly. So if you buy Cats, you'll need a pair of sneakers or something. But a pair of Timbs is all you need.

As far as name tags go, some people hate them but I always liked them.

U
Undisclosed #1
Dec 05, 2016
IPVMU Certified

...Cats are too goofy looking to wear after hours. Red Wings look good enough that hipsters buy them.

In prehistoric times, a hipster *was* a cat.

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Joseph Parker
Dec 09, 2016

We switched to Unifirst about a year ago and never looked back. Techs look great, the repair stained or damaged clothing at no additional cost, and we have tons of options including multiple pants, shorts, and shirt styles from high tech polos to poly mechanics shirts. We pay about $50/wk for around 14 techs.

On the shoe front, I can tell you that I spent about $180 on a pair of brand new work boots years ago and they lasted about 9 months. I'm hard on shoes, but that wasn't even twice the life of my $60 boots so I didn't see much value. I remember them being about the cheapest ones in the store, so that may have been the problem. Also, I didn't like that they didn't have velcro closures ;).

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Brian Rhodes
Dec 05, 2016
IPVMU Certified

There is a plumbing company near me whose techs wear Red, White, & Blue pants like these everyday:

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Ari Erenthal
Dec 05, 2016

I would quit on the spot.

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KL
Keefe Lovgren
Dec 05, 2016
IPVMU Certified

i would hire them on the spot...

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Brian Rhodes
Dec 05, 2016
IPVMU Certified

I used to wear steel-toed Doc Martens. Maybe it was vanity. They lasted forever.

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Brian Rhodes
Dec 05, 2016
IPVMU Certified

In a previous job, I was tasked with managing a uniform account for about 30 people. It changed between Aramark, Cintas, Express, and a handful of local companies.

My impression of all of them is they are a colossal rip off.

The billing never matches what is actually handled. Employees turn in 7 sets of pants and shirts but they only get 5 sets back, meanwhile the company charges you for 12 sets. They don't fix anything unless you fill out a ticket, then they charge you some crazy repair fee that essentially equals the cost of a new garment.

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Jon Dillabaugh
Dec 05, 2016
Pro Focus LLC

I wear Carhart brown pants. They don't wrinkle easy and are very durable. The dark brown ones I wear hide stains too. Haven't shrunk yet.

As far as boots, I am on my second pair of Timberland Pros. They are under $200 and last a full year. I don't really want to wear the same pair of boots much longer than that. They get beat up and stinky. It's like a toothbrush, you should buy a new one, even if the old one still works fine.

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Sean Nelson
Dec 05, 2016
Nelly's Security

lol, wow it must be a slow time of the year if we are talking about topics like this.

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Joseph Parker
Dec 09, 2016
Nope, uniforms are an important part of any successful company. Those of us who care about our image think about these topics when we are slow or slammed.
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Paul Grefenstette
Dec 05, 2016

red wing for boots and we do long and short tshirts from carhart with our company logo - pants guys can wear jeans or pants but most wear jeans

DW
Dennis Widdows
Dec 05, 2016

As far as boots..let me suggest Allegiance footwear out of Tennessee...They are American made and well built and reasonably priced comparatively...I and others in my company have owned just about every type pair they sell and they are excellent...I have a pair of the 800 gram Hunting boots < Ultimate Pony> they sell that are over 9 years old and still in decent shape...I have had a pair of Freedom Black Battalions last me 6 years and they were worn a LOT...I am on another pair of those that are over 2 years old now...The 6 inch Heritage is popular with some of my Techs...all water proof and they will stand by their product...Website is not great but functional...http://www.afboots.com/

Also I have had a few pair of the US made Danners..Super rainforest 200G < Expensive and Heavy but the best built boot I have ever owned> and also the East Ridge 400 Gram boot which is much lighter but great for colder weather and water proof as well...you can shop for those < Eastridge> and get them under 200 bucks sometimes on line at Gander Mountain or retailers...

http://www.danner.com/catalog/product/view/id/508/category/298/

The Super Rainforest are much more expensive but worth it if you have the money and the need

http://www.danner.com/product/work/super-rain-forest-8-black-200g.html

I have owned several of the China made boots they do not compare...

ARAMARK < Used to be Wearguard> for us for uniforms...whatever they have on clearance as we already spent all of our money on the boots lol

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Kyle Folger
Dec 10, 2016
IPVMU Certified

I bought a pair of Danner boots that are made in the US for everyday non-work use.

Then I bought a 2nd pair or Danner boots with the NMT for working in. However, they are so comfortable (to me) that I practically wear them everywhere. Unfortunately, this is my 2nd pair of them and the 1st pair didn't last a year. I haven't had a moment to send them back. On the other hand, they were very comfortable. I looked at Red Wing and they didn't have any boots with NMT that were made in the USA. The NMT Danner boots aren't made in the USA either.

My first pair of Danner boots lasted over a year but took way too long to break in which is why I took a chance on the above mentioned Danner boots. These are also made in China :( but then again so are most of the cameras I install.

As fair as pants are concerned, I just wear jeans.

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Ethan Ace
Dec 05, 2016

The best pair of work boots I ever owned were Wolverines. They seem to be the "other" brand when people talk about Timberland and Red Wings. Their Durashock boots were so easy to wear for extended periods. No other boots I've had have come close. I'd say I got 2-3 years out of them, if not more. I used them as hiking boots after that.

I switched to a pair of steel toe Doc Marten shoes when I was 80% office/20% field later, which looked good, but were so heavy I still kept Wolverines in my car in case I needed them.

MP
Miriam Prussman
Dec 07, 2016

What an odd question for this site , i didn't think a clothing question would be posted here, cute but I cant not give you any advice since I happen to not wear gentleman clothing

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UE
Undisclosed End User #2
Dec 07, 2016

I think it's a worthwhile topics as uniforms are part of a tech's gear. This topic transcends genders.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Dec 11, 2016
IPVMU Certified

This topic transcends genders.

You should have no problem then with this riddle ;)

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Ari Erenthal
Dec 11, 2016

When I first started in this business, I destroyed a lot of clothing because I didn't understand how to choose boots or pants that would stand up to work site conditions (shirts last a lot longer, and are cheaper/easier to replace). I just figured I'd pass along my knowledge, and give people the information I wish I'd gotten when I started out.

U
Undisclosed #1
Dec 11, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Full disclosure: Ari is a gentleman in every sense of the word :)

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Ari Erenthal
Dec 11, 2016

Voted 'funny'.

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DH
David Harrison
Dec 12, 2016

As far as boot you cant get any better then Red Wings, I have never had a pair last nearly as long. I have had coworkers just resole theirs after 8 or so years.

For pants, Duluth Trading, the Fire Hose pants are above all the most comfortable, durable, and useful pants. They have the same pants in the lightweight that I would wear during the summer, the fleece lined for the winter, and the regular ones for everything else. I have heard they are guaranteed, if you get a hole in them, you can send them back and they'll send you a new pair. I'm not sure if this is true, because even after years of use, I have never had a reason to send them back.

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Kyle Folger
Jan 15, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Thanks to all for making the recommendation for Duluth. I got a few pairs now after hearing about them here and looking at their website. So far, I'm really liking the Fire Hose pants.

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UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Dec 13, 2016

Try Duluth Trading.

Underwear, pants, shirts, sock, boots, coats, all built for folks that don't necessarily set behind a desk all day.

Excellent products, excellent fit for those that can't purchase the fitted stuff, good Big/Tall selection and from my take,

excellent value with a general good look.

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