I remember a thread (or a post) about jeans that fit multiple purposes such as (office) work, social settings, hiking, camping etc but I can't seem to find it. Can anyone provide a link or remember the name? They came in beige color (and maybe black I think) and proved to be very durable.
I have decluttered my clothes section so much I can't believe it. A full wallcovering closet used to be filled up but now I can fit all my clothes into a large backpack! I'm not done yet though. Trying to have a system where one piece of clothing can be used for multiple settings, which is a challenge because a) I am a very different person at work vs away from work, b) I have hobbies that require different clothes (e.g. outdoor running, indoor boxing, outdoor camping) and c) we have 4 seasons in my country. Maybe I should do a minor decluttering of the amount of hobbies as well...
How do you go about minimizing here?
Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
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sterlingarcher
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Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
There was this thread - viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5473&p=85443&hilit=clothing#p85443
Was it this brand? Not denim, but might suit your needs.
http://shop.bluffworks.com/
I have recently minimised my wardrobe considerably too, but find cross-over clothing rarely looks very good, or functions well for all tasks I require, so I still require dedicated active wear, mostly for cycling and running which is ok for me as my wardrobe doesn't have to fit in a backpack.
I'm intrigued to try some cycling jeans/chino's as arriving at the supermarket in lycra makes me self-conscious, but now summer is nearly here, wearing regular shorts does the trick. The only issue with cycling jeans is the tend to be expensive, and I'd hate to drop £100 on those simply to get oil all down the right leg
Was it this brand? Not denim, but might suit your needs.
http://shop.bluffworks.com/
I have recently minimised my wardrobe considerably too, but find cross-over clothing rarely looks very good, or functions well for all tasks I require, so I still require dedicated active wear, mostly for cycling and running which is ok for me as my wardrobe doesn't have to fit in a backpack.
I'm intrigued to try some cycling jeans/chino's as arriving at the supermarket in lycra makes me self-conscious, but now summer is nearly here, wearing regular shorts does the trick. The only issue with cycling jeans is the tend to be expensive, and I'd hate to drop £100 on those simply to get oil all down the right leg
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sterlingarcher
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Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
Thanks! That's the pants (bluffworks) I was looking for. Seems like they would work well in several settings: social, at work and some of the outdoor activities. Normal jeans are ok, but falls short on some of the outdoor activities.
I have come up with 7 categories I need clothes for:
1. Social
2. Work
3. Physical exercise
4. Indoor
5. Outdoor
6. Formal wear
7. Specials/accessoire
I try to combine 1-2 and 3-4 as much as possible (e.g. the clean version of what is used for physical exercise can be worn during any indoor activity). And keep 5-7 to a minimum of what is needed. Winter is a bitch
My clothes don't NEED to fit in a backpack, but knowing they do has a certain feeling of freedom to it. Plus it saves a lot of space and keeps me conscious about the whole thing. I tried to make a list and came up with 43 items in total so far. That's excluding underwear and socks, but including shoes, gloves, scarf etc and any pair = one. I'm sure I forgot something in the list but its starting to look good.
I have come up with 7 categories I need clothes for:
1. Social
2. Work
3. Physical exercise
4. Indoor
5. Outdoor
6. Formal wear
7. Specials/accessoire
I try to combine 1-2 and 3-4 as much as possible (e.g. the clean version of what is used for physical exercise can be worn during any indoor activity). And keep 5-7 to a minimum of what is needed. Winter is a bitch
My clothes don't NEED to fit in a backpack, but knowing they do has a certain feeling of freedom to it. Plus it saves a lot of space and keeps me conscious about the whole thing. I tried to make a list and came up with 43 items in total so far. That's excluding underwear and socks, but including shoes, gloves, scarf etc and any pair = one. I'm sure I forgot something in the list but its starting to look good.
Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
I am a fan of catching Levi's on sale. I think they hit your 1, 2, 4, and 5 well. Not great for exercise and not very formal, but I've hiked in them and gone out to "nice jeans and a nice shirt" establishments in them as well. It's pretty easy to find them on sale for $50-60, and even with heavy use you'll get a few years before needing to either patch or get a new pair.
I have two pair, a blue and a gray, that I rotate. In retrospect I should've gotten teo pairs of the blue, because I wear them far more than the gray, which means my blues are showing signs of wear and my grays look brand new. I think having two that you rotate equally would prolong the life on each. As it stands, I will definitely need a new blue pair at around the two year mark, and the grays will last 5-10 given how often I wear them.
The Bluffworks would make a nice pair of formal pants that could be used for outdoor and social stuff, provided you don't ruin them in the outdoors. I would honestly just keep them formal and fancy-social, at nearly $100 a pop.
Here's a way you could do it with three pairs:
Levi's blue jeans - 1, 4, 5
Bluffworks - 1, 2, 6
Prana Brion or Zion - 3, 4, 5
I have no idea what 7 is for. Cold weather? Get a merino base layer bottom to wear under any of the other pants. The Prana, which I got for free as a hand-me-down from my dad, are fantastic outdoor and lounging pants. They do stain, but they're super comfy and robust. My brother builds fences for a living, and he uses the Prana Zion five days a week as work pants without any tears or split seams so far.
I have two pair, a blue and a gray, that I rotate. In retrospect I should've gotten teo pairs of the blue, because I wear them far more than the gray, which means my blues are showing signs of wear and my grays look brand new. I think having two that you rotate equally would prolong the life on each. As it stands, I will definitely need a new blue pair at around the two year mark, and the grays will last 5-10 given how often I wear them.
The Bluffworks would make a nice pair of formal pants that could be used for outdoor and social stuff, provided you don't ruin them in the outdoors. I would honestly just keep them formal and fancy-social, at nearly $100 a pop.
Here's a way you could do it with three pairs:
Levi's blue jeans - 1, 4, 5
Bluffworks - 1, 2, 6
Prana Brion or Zion - 3, 4, 5
I have no idea what 7 is for. Cold weather? Get a merino base layer bottom to wear under any of the other pants. The Prana, which I got for free as a hand-me-down from my dad, are fantastic outdoor and lounging pants. They do stain, but they're super comfy and robust. My brother builds fences for a living, and he uses the Prana Zion five days a week as work pants without any tears or split seams so far.
Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
I bought a pair of the bluff works pants and would recommend them. Went with black ones. I'm actually wearing them right now.
I have some jeans from Duluth Trading that I like, but they are heavy (have that firehose material in them). I don't think cotton is really a very good "outdoor activities" material, unless its dry most of the time where you are.
I bought some REI synthetic long underwear for cold weather camping, but found it to be useful under a lot of different pants -- obviously, it would need to be cold where you are for that to make sense, though.
I have some jeans from Duluth Trading that I like, but they are heavy (have that firehose material in them). I don't think cotton is really a very good "outdoor activities" material, unless its dry most of the time where you are.
I bought some REI synthetic long underwear for cold weather camping, but found it to be useful under a lot of different pants -- obviously, it would need to be cold where you are for that to make sense, though.
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jacob
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Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
Forget about jeans!
Based on having lived all 4 seasons in Denmark, Switzerland, Indiana, Illinois, and NorCalifornia, khakis are the only kind of pants that have ever worked year-round, sun or rain, hot or cold, dry or humid, office or hiking or biking.
Khakis are the universal and global pants. Like jeans, khakis pair well with damn near everything as well. Jackets, shirts, tshirts, ... I don't really want to recommend specific brands because it's hard to acquire the same consistency as it is with jeans. Cuts go in and out of style and may not always be available. You can always get 501s ... not so with khakis.
However, you can pick your khakis to fit more closely to your preferred image/activity/"uniform", e.g. business, outdoor, tacticool, workwear, ... yet still have them mostly pass in the other environments.
Based on having lived all 4 seasons in Denmark, Switzerland, Indiana, Illinois, and NorCalifornia, khakis are the only kind of pants that have ever worked year-round, sun or rain, hot or cold, dry or humid, office or hiking or biking.
Khakis are the universal and global pants. Like jeans, khakis pair well with damn near everything as well. Jackets, shirts, tshirts, ... I don't really want to recommend specific brands because it's hard to acquire the same consistency as it is with jeans. Cuts go in and out of style and may not always be available. You can always get 501s ... not so with khakis.
However, you can pick your khakis to fit more closely to your preferred image/activity/"uniform", e.g. business, outdoor, tacticool, workwear, ... yet still have them mostly pass in the other environments.
Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
Definitely agree on the khakis. I buy from dockers.
Still a decided to buy a pair of jeans because khakis are not as sturdy for light handiwork or outdoor activities. For those, I bought a heavy fabric (18 oz if I remember correctly)
Still a decided to buy a pair of jeans because khakis are not as sturdy for light handiwork or outdoor activities. For those, I bought a heavy fabric (18 oz if I remember correctly)
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ArkTinkerer
- Posts: 24
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Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
I like ones like these:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas- ... 540&rid=20
I have not found this style in any fabric like heavy Carhartt or Duluth's firehose material. The lightweight stuff is great for travel but the zippers are poor quality and the material wears out. The features I like are the large number of pockets, especially pockets that zip or snap closed, and the zip off legs. The example has "boot" zippers so you can take the legs off over your shoes but I find that to be more of a problem as the zippers get damaged at the bottom. If I decide to take the legs off, I either do it before putting them on or I can always take my shoes off and then remove the legs.
For working, I like the heavy Carhartt overalls but without the quilted backing. I'm too far south to need the warmth and hate the extra weight and bulk.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas- ... 540&rid=20
I have not found this style in any fabric like heavy Carhartt or Duluth's firehose material. The lightweight stuff is great for travel but the zippers are poor quality and the material wears out. The features I like are the large number of pockets, especially pockets that zip or snap closed, and the zip off legs. The example has "boot" zippers so you can take the legs off over your shoes but I find that to be more of a problem as the zippers get damaged at the bottom. If I decide to take the legs off, I either do it before putting them on or I can always take my shoes off and then remove the legs.
For working, I like the heavy Carhartt overalls but without the quilted backing. I'm too far south to need the warmth and hate the extra weight and bulk.
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sterlingarcher
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- Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2014 4:48 am
Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
Many good tips here. Thanks, will check out all the links and do more research 
I live in Norway for the record, which means snowy winters and comfortably warm summers. I'm counting on long underwear to keep me warm during any outdoor activities in the winter. I've never owned anything but jeans, so what would you say is the main difference between jeans, khakis and bluffworks? As far as I can tell, it sounds like jeans are more sturdy than khakis, but khakis fit all kinds of weather. How does bluffworks compete with this? I have 2 jeans already, so I'm thinking of going for a pair of khakis or bluffworks, or possibly one of the other ones suggested.
Here are most of the activities I do atleast monthly:
- Work in office environment (work)
- Commute 4km x 2 everyday on bike/foot (work/outdoor)
- Relax indoor (indoor)
- Light handywork (indoor/outdoor)
- Hiking and running in all kinds of weather, occasionally camping (outdoor/physical exercise)
- Cross-country skiing during winter (physical exercise)
- Boxing in a gym (physical exercise)
- Weight lifting (physical exercise)
- Visit or going out with friends/family for dinner/drinks/concert/other entertainment (social)
So my formal wear (suit) is for those rare occasions (xmas, funerals, weddings etc). And that last category I had ("specials") is simply stuff I keep separate from the clothes closet, like belts, swimming shorts, scarf and gloves.
Had a fun discussion with my wife this week and she does not like the idea of keeping only 2-3 shirts for work purposes. She'd like me to have a bigger variety (atleast 5-7 shirts and 2-3 pants) and her main argument was that not changing clothes much at work may stand in the way of promotion and makes me abit socially weird at work. "You don't want to be the guy who looks like he can't afford new clothes". I partly agree with this because statistically speaking, looks matter and I don't want to be out of the picture for a promotion. My counter argument against her is that variety has nothing to do with looking good, so 2-3 well-fitting, nice shirts should do. Who's right?
Btw, promotion is not a necessity for me to do ERE, but it would speed it up.
I honestly didn't think people paid much attention to what I wear as long as I fit in somehow, because I hardly notice if other people at work have a small or big variety of wear. I mean, at some point you will end up reusing the same shirt as you did last week/month anyway right?
Let me also add that I want to keep 2-3 sweaters for social stuff and 1-2 sweaters for exercise. Some of these can be used at work, but I'd prefer sticking with shirts there. I'm starting a new job in August, so I want to have a do-over in keeping my private stuff completely separate from work, including clothes - hence why I've started decluttering already. I'm retiring at around 37, I'm 30 now.
I live in Norway for the record, which means snowy winters and comfortably warm summers. I'm counting on long underwear to keep me warm during any outdoor activities in the winter. I've never owned anything but jeans, so what would you say is the main difference between jeans, khakis and bluffworks? As far as I can tell, it sounds like jeans are more sturdy than khakis, but khakis fit all kinds of weather. How does bluffworks compete with this? I have 2 jeans already, so I'm thinking of going for a pair of khakis or bluffworks, or possibly one of the other ones suggested.Here are most of the activities I do atleast monthly:
- Work in office environment (work)
- Commute 4km x 2 everyday on bike/foot (work/outdoor)
- Relax indoor (indoor)
- Light handywork (indoor/outdoor)
- Hiking and running in all kinds of weather, occasionally camping (outdoor/physical exercise)
- Cross-country skiing during winter (physical exercise)
- Boxing in a gym (physical exercise)
- Weight lifting (physical exercise)
- Visit or going out with friends/family for dinner/drinks/concert/other entertainment (social)
So my formal wear (suit) is for those rare occasions (xmas, funerals, weddings etc). And that last category I had ("specials") is simply stuff I keep separate from the clothes closet, like belts, swimming shorts, scarf and gloves.
Had a fun discussion with my wife this week and she does not like the idea of keeping only 2-3 shirts for work purposes. She'd like me to have a bigger variety (atleast 5-7 shirts and 2-3 pants) and her main argument was that not changing clothes much at work may stand in the way of promotion and makes me abit socially weird at work. "You don't want to be the guy who looks like he can't afford new clothes". I partly agree with this because statistically speaking, looks matter and I don't want to be out of the picture for a promotion. My counter argument against her is that variety has nothing to do with looking good, so 2-3 well-fitting, nice shirts should do. Who's right?
Btw, promotion is not a necessity for me to do ERE, but it would speed it up.
I honestly didn't think people paid much attention to what I wear as long as I fit in somehow, because I hardly notice if other people at work have a small or big variety of wear. I mean, at some point you will end up reusing the same shirt as you did last week/month anyway right?
Let me also add that I want to keep 2-3 sweaters for social stuff and 1-2 sweaters for exercise. Some of these can be used at work, but I'd prefer sticking with shirts there. I'm starting a new job in August, so I want to have a do-over in keeping my private stuff completely separate from work, including clothes - hence why I've started decluttering already. I'm retiring at around 37, I'm 30 now.
Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
The main advantage of the bluffworks is their anti-creasing properties, never owned a pair so can't vouch for their durability or comfort. Personally, a pair of standard chinos/khaki's/wool pant will last me a full week without a wash unless they get dirty, I doubt very much that the bluffworks are dirt-proof in that respect, though someone please correct me if I'm wrong!
My standard H&M pants are shuttled to and from work rolled up in a plastic bag in backpack and they don't crease at all if packed properly. The only disadvantage of my pants are I cannot cycle in them as they are too tight in the crotch to get over the saddle, but they are perfectly ok for dog walking in the local trials.
For me, they bluffworks don't seem worth the pricetag, as creasing just isn't an issue!
My standard H&M pants are shuttled to and from work rolled up in a plastic bag in backpack and they don't crease at all if packed properly. The only disadvantage of my pants are I cannot cycle in them as they are too tight in the crotch to get over the saddle, but they are perfectly ok for dog walking in the local trials.
For me, they bluffworks don't seem worth the pricetag, as creasing just isn't an issue!
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ArkTinkerer
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Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
Bought a pair of the zip off legs from there a while back. They were the similar to the ones I posted but I notice they no longer have the boot zippers. Material is still all nylon. I don't think the material is that sturdy and the zippers were not great quality.
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startbyserving
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Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
sterlingarcher . IMO Jeans are superior to Khaki's for the most part. Because of their design I feel like Jeans hold more water. Otherwise functionally I think Jeans have the upper hand.
I think a big difference is Khaki can be worn places where Jeans may not be expected. In my position I can get away with wearing Jeans on occasion because I work at a very lax company. In general I need to wear a khaki or dress pant. Similar with going out to certain places.
So what works best for more than 1 purpose will depend on your occupation, friends, hobbies, etc.
I think a big difference is Khaki can be worn places where Jeans may not be expected. In my position I can get away with wearing Jeans on occasion because I work at a very lax company. In general I need to wear a khaki or dress pant. Similar with going out to certain places.
So what works best for more than 1 purpose will depend on your occupation, friends, hobbies, etc.
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sterlingarcher
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Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
Oh, I can get away with jeans pretty much everywhere (work and social settings). I keep a suit for the most formal occasions e.g. weddings, so I guess my question can be rephrased: Is there any reason for me not to get jeans?
In my case its all about finding a pair that is solid, long-lasting and can function in a variety of environments. Jacob suggested Khakis are good in a 4-season climate like I live in. I never tried khakis, might give it a try and compare with the jeans I have.
How many shirts do you guys keep for work? Is 3 shirts too little for variety? I'm starting in a new job in August; government job in a big office environment.
In my case its all about finding a pair that is solid, long-lasting and can function in a variety of environments. Jacob suggested Khakis are good in a 4-season climate like I live in. I never tried khakis, might give it a try and compare with the jeans I have.
How many shirts do you guys keep for work? Is 3 shirts too little for variety? I'm starting in a new job in August; government job in a big office environment.
Re: Allround jeans and minimizing clothing
If space is a premium why not just buy one pair of each style so you can mix and match.
Jeans are great for me in temperate UK, I use them for dog walking etc. Not great in the rain, as they get heavy and cold, but nothing a quick change of clothes cannot sort. I have two pairs of jeans, one light one dark, and 3 chinos/khaki style pants in yellow/mustard, dark blue and dark grey. Also have two pairs of wool pants that are only used for work or ultra formal social gatherings and a suit for weddings/interviews.
A good pair of Levis, not washed too often will last a long time (my two pairs are in their second year and going strong, worn most evenings and weekends). Subscribe to a mailing list and pick them up when on sale.
Jeans are great for me in temperate UK, I use them for dog walking etc. Not great in the rain, as they get heavy and cold, but nothing a quick change of clothes cannot sort. I have two pairs of jeans, one light one dark, and 3 chinos/khaki style pants in yellow/mustard, dark blue and dark grey. Also have two pairs of wool pants that are only used for work or ultra formal social gatherings and a suit for weddings/interviews.
A good pair of Levis, not washed too often will last a long time (my two pairs are in their second year and going strong, worn most evenings and weekends). Subscribe to a mailing list and pick them up when on sale.