501s

Is it for casual wear, work, formal, or a mix of all of the’ above? As for work pants I bought a pair of Carhartts to try them out, only got a small tear from a razor sharp piece of metal. Definitely buy larger than your size, cause definitely shrinks.

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Nudie jeans. Their selection is a bit more limited but they are durable and come with free lifetime repairs so you know they stand behind their product

My BIFL jeans are all either Vivienne Westwood (Anglomania collection has the best quality denim, Logomania is more about the outlandish prints) Levi's (classic jeans, not quite as durable as some of the VW jeans, but much less expensive)

NUDIE jeans - absolute best IMO. Been wearing them for over a decade

1620 workwear

TCB 505’s are currently my favorite.

Zero jeans or pants. You cannot ask about comfort online as that's a personal metric. I could also recommend black licorice as a tasty treat and since its a personal metric, you'll hate on my because you think the black licorice taste sucks.

This is BIFL where longevity rules. If you want comfort, you need to wear pajama pants 24/7.

The question you want to ask is what are the hardiest jeans? Those are jeans of the heaviest denim you can find/afford. Denim comes in weights by weight of a yard of fabric. Heavyweight jeans are 16 ounces and up. Get some. And don't fall for marketing as there's a deep pool of hipster bullshit with heavyweight jeans.

I stopped buying jeans that aren’t 100% cotton (so, no stretch). They are definitely lasting longer

Diamond Gusset.

I have 5 pairs I bought four years ago with no major issues.

Comfort is subjective, so I won’t say much about that. However, coming from a man with thigh thighs and cheeks, I can say, without a doubt, that the fit is the single most important factor in pants longevity. If you are getting crotch tears/blowout, then you need a pair with a higher rise and wider thighs. Measure your best fitting pair, and add a few inches to the rise and thigh. And look at sizing charts to find a pair.

Steer clear from skinny fits, or look for pairs with wide thighs and a taper from the knee down.

In terms of brand suggestions, check r/rawdenim. Some people have suggested nudies, but tbh they’re known for using material on the thinner side, which is good if you’re looking for comfort. But none of their cuts are necessarily ones I’d say have a wider thigh, some do have a higher rise tho. My biggest gripe with them is their price. There’s a lot more brands out there at that price range that most would consider higher quality in terms of fabric and construction.

I would suggest Sugarcane 1947 cut. Iron Heart 888 cut (most bifl option but $$$), or check certain retailers and their sizing charts to compare. For retailers, check r/rawdenim buying guide.

For some people the opposite is true. It all has to do with the fitting. If you are slightly pulling on some parts when you are walking for instance, stretch could actually make it more durable.

this sounds great but from what I can tell only really applies if you live within reasonable distance of one of their repair shops/partners of which there are very few. I'm in Baltimore and the nearest one is NYC

Patagonia has limited but solid denim selection with lifetime repairs/replacement for free.

Unbranded denim is amazing, it takes a while to break them in but you can wear them comfortably for years and years. If i only had one pair of jeans they would be these.

Also, look out for vintage Levi’s at the thrift shops, the old stuff was made better, I’ve had a couple of vintage pairs outlast brand new 501’s

Nudi jeans are very liable to give out at the crotch. I'd suggest Kato. They're Japanese material but made in America. Big fan.

I've worn wrangler 13mwz jeans my entire life. The fit is a bit odd at first if you're used to low rise, but they are extremely comfortable. Durable as all hell, and they are cheap as hell when you look around for a deal. I've worked in them, dressed them up, and laid around in them. The best jeans on the market.

I like Duluth Trading Company jeans. Not sure yet if they'll truly be BIFL, but they wash up looking as good as when I bought them and all DTC clothes are designed to be tough, so I think they might!

I destroy the pockets and crotch. They last a couple years for me.

I'm female. Not sure how much that impacts where / how they wear, but the ones I've been wearing for 3+ years still look great and I work with dogs.

Interesting how different of experiences people have with the different clothing brands.

They also have different versions. I think the ones I bought were the flex version which is slightly stretchy. I think different versions may wear better.

Why not just get a 20 or 30 pair every time. Lately I am founding amazon brand. Athletic brand has been ok. But slim fit was the worst. The wranglers has been the best. But all of them are are giving pockets that are hard to get your hand in and out of. My old favorite was a boot cut old navy jeans.

501s are the best Levi’s.

Carhartt is great. I wanna try Patagonia jeans, I am sure they're great and they have an awesome warranty unlike most clothes.

I have Levis 100% and 99% cotton jeans. After a few years they seem to have basically the same durability, the 99% cotton ones were just more comfortable right from the start when new.

I recommend a Finnish shop Varusteleka and their own Särmä brand jeans and work pants. They deliver over the world and they are truly amazing quality. Though not cheap they are worth the money I think.

I bought two pairs of Särmä worker pants for work and I use them daily and change for the clean pair from time to time. I am crafts/wood working teacher in primary school. I have used them for three years! I dont think they are worn at all now that I think about it. So they are quite amazing. Fully recommend. They also have women cut jeans as well.

Edit. I also recommend Särmä leather belt. Its as awesome.

You could also look at the Levi's "Premium" line. They are a bit pricier but well worth it.

Used to be better than they are now (up until about 10(?) years ago they used a different US made denim and made them in the US).

Seems like all brands these days are like this. I am so willing to pay for quality. Shame.

Can you say anything about the quality they offer nowadays?

Japanese selvedge denim takes a while to break in. I would recommend doing some research before buying. I wore through many Levi's. I bought a pair of Momotaros and had them altered by my tailor. About 3x as thick as Levi's and get more comfy with wear. Be warned though, it's a deep dive when you go with Japanese denim.

Great question. Tbh I find that the length and sizing varies more now than it ever has. I tend to buy the same style jeans in multiple colours and denim types but lately have noticed they aren't always fitting EXACTLY the same. Often the leg length is slightly longer when ordering short lengths (30"). All in all I am still very satisfied with nudie products.

Awesome! I'm trying to get into raw denim and nudie is pretty much the only brand I can try on in a store. Thanks for the answer!

Good luck! I'm a big fan of the thin Finn and the steady Eddie 2. Everything else is a touch too tight for me.

I 2nd this. Stay away from other wrangler denim, but the 13mwz's that you find at western wear/farm stores is awesome. Used to wear shrink to fit levi 501's but got tired of the crotches constantly wearing out after 3 years or so. wranglers are way cheaper and last way longer. Not as stylish, but this isn't a style subreddit. The denim will wear nicely and fade over time like 501's, but a little different hue of blue.

Starch em and it lasts even longer

My husband and i swear by Mavi Jeans. Its a Turkish brand, you can buy them online worldwide but i tend to buy them in Turkey where they are very cheap, about 20Euro. Lots of different wash and fit, usually contain some lycra. Both ours have lasted 3+ years so far with moderate wear, they keep their colour and shape beautifully. Thats a lot longer than my ethical organic jeans, which is all washed out and beginning ro wear thin round the bum