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I mostly wear jeans day to day. I have an office job and jeans are accepted there (t-shirts are not).
But blue jeans are not good survival wear.
First, this time of year they will get wet and cold - being made from cotton. Second, they are too lightweight for moving through brush, especially brambles which are common in the western sides of Oregon and Washington - the bramble thorns poke right through most common casual weight jeans. They also tear easily. If I had to walk home from work in these, and had to detour through any brush, I would at least be pretty miserable, regardless of the season, especially late fall, winter into early spring.
A goretex or other synthetic "waterproof" covering is okay, except that most of the lightweight outer gear doesn't hold up for very long in brush - probably long enough to get home, but going through brambles it will get caught and torn up. Once home it won't last long for working around the property in the woods - generally that is not what it is made for.
Patagonia and Arc'teryx make some heavy duty outerwear, but both are pretty expensive, especially for everyday workwear at the BOL.
Carhartt and Dickies makes some okay workwear (I have some of both), but I have found something better; Riggs ripstop cargo pants made by Wrangler. I was in Bimart this summer and they had them on sale for $28 per pair. They were heavier cloth than the Carhartt and Dickies and they were ripstop and available in loden green (a darker version of OD green that I like). They have some variations of them - a Ranger and Carpenter pants - which have slightly different pockets but are similar, use the same 10oz. ripstop material, are cargo pants and have the double layer knees.
The pants are similar to military cargo pants, but in some ways better. The cargo pockets don't bulge out and catch on brush like some military pants. There are reinforcements are various places on the pockets. No noisy velcro. Seem to be heavier weight material than most BDUs. I used them this summer for brush clearing and I was happy that the brambles didn't poke through them. Also, you can get them flannel lined.
The downside - pure cotton, so once wet they will not dry quickly.
I am going to probably take one pair and do the "tin cloth" treatment on them; a mixture of turpentine, beeswax and linseed oil. The main downside is that the pants will become rather flammable, so I will have to be careful when burning brush or sitting near the woodstove to not wear them. Otherwise I think this may make them near indestructible and waterproof. If one pair works, then I think I will get the flannel lined pair and do those too, making those my winter work pants. If that works I will do the same thing to my Carhartt insulated bibs.
I have a Filson Tin Cloth cruiser hat and I like it - although with its wool lining it is too hot to wear 99% of the time on this side of the Cascades, especially if you are doing any work or exercise - without the lining it would probably be okay.
I wish there was a better way to waterproof the pants, but from my research the spray on or wash-in treatments just don't work.
I know some people like wool pants, but because of my Aspergers I can't tolerate them against my skin, and most are too heavy. When I was in college I had some heavy German Army wool pants with cargo pockets and the plastic lining in the knees and butt, and they worked well, but were way too heavy and irritating.
But blue jeans are not good survival wear.
First, this time of year they will get wet and cold - being made from cotton. Second, they are too lightweight for moving through brush, especially brambles which are common in the western sides of Oregon and Washington - the bramble thorns poke right through most common casual weight jeans. They also tear easily. If I had to walk home from work in these, and had to detour through any brush, I would at least be pretty miserable, regardless of the season, especially late fall, winter into early spring.
A goretex or other synthetic "waterproof" covering is okay, except that most of the lightweight outer gear doesn't hold up for very long in brush - probably long enough to get home, but going through brambles it will get caught and torn up. Once home it won't last long for working around the property in the woods - generally that is not what it is made for.
Patagonia and Arc'teryx make some heavy duty outerwear, but both are pretty expensive, especially for everyday workwear at the BOL.
Carhartt and Dickies makes some okay workwear (I have some of both), but I have found something better; Riggs ripstop cargo pants made by Wrangler. I was in Bimart this summer and they had them on sale for $28 per pair. They were heavier cloth than the Carhartt and Dickies and they were ripstop and available in loden green (a darker version of OD green that I like). They have some variations of them - a Ranger and Carpenter pants - which have slightly different pockets but are similar, use the same 10oz. ripstop material, are cargo pants and have the double layer knees.
The pants are similar to military cargo pants, but in some ways better. The cargo pockets don't bulge out and catch on brush like some military pants. There are reinforcements are various places on the pockets. No noisy velcro. Seem to be heavier weight material than most BDUs. I used them this summer for brush clearing and I was happy that the brambles didn't poke through them. Also, you can get them flannel lined.
The downside - pure cotton, so once wet they will not dry quickly.
I am going to probably take one pair and do the "tin cloth" treatment on them; a mixture of turpentine, beeswax and linseed oil. The main downside is that the pants will become rather flammable, so I will have to be careful when burning brush or sitting near the woodstove to not wear them. Otherwise I think this may make them near indestructible and waterproof. If one pair works, then I think I will get the flannel lined pair and do those too, making those my winter work pants. If that works I will do the same thing to my Carhartt insulated bibs.
I have a Filson Tin Cloth cruiser hat and I like it - although with its wool lining it is too hot to wear 99% of the time on this side of the Cascades, especially if you are doing any work or exercise - without the lining it would probably be okay.
I wish there was a better way to waterproof the pants, but from my research the spray on or wash-in treatments just don't work.
I know some people like wool pants, but because of my Aspergers I can't tolerate them against my skin, and most are too heavy. When I was in college I had some heavy German Army wool pants with cargo pockets and the plastic lining in the knees and butt, and they worked well, but were way too heavy and irritating.
