Gear for your protection and comfort

Picture the traditional construction worker and their gear, and what do you see? Blue jeans are part of that description for most of us, having been the hard-wearing pants of choice for as long as there has been construction in the country.  But are they still the best solution for something to last the rough treatment your clothes always get? As with almost every aspect of our lives, technology claims to have brought us something better, but is it a reality?

Jeans are the traditional work pants, they have endured for almost the entire existence of construction as the cost-effective, hard-wearing solution, but they have never been without issues. They take a while to dry if they get wet for any reason, even using over trousers in the rain doesn’t always stop it. There are other issues too, but overall the traditional jeans have been the best option available.

Today there are options available from several manufacturers that use the latest lightweight materials and designs to create pants designed specifically for workers in the industry, but do they really improve on the reliable jeans?

There are a number of areas that they do, and while there are many variations, the designs available are mostly an improvement for the modern worker, they have inbuilt knee protection for safety and comfort for instance, so there is no need for extra equipment as would be the case with jeans. That is not all, with water-resistant, tear-proof material, these new options are actually harder to wear those jeans, and also much better onsite, especially in wetter weather. Options with spate linings offer cold weather protection without the need for cumbersome over trousers as well, in many ways the designs and materials really have made all the difference.

Design changes do not stop there, with larger pockets and more accessible pockets, often at the side of the leg for ease of access even if sitting, there has been a lot of thought with these modern options into what industry workers need, and here modern fabrics and construction really has paid dividends too. Where once pockets were small and inaccessible, and a tool belt was often required for anyone who needed to carry a few things around the site, today we have pants with fold-out waist pockets that are in essence built-in tool belts. The strong materials and construction mean that they can hold all the things you need for a day on-site without requiring extra tool belts, bags, protective wear or anything else, all in one package.

It may not seem like much, what pants you wear, but after a long day on-site in damp jeans, a bit of extra comfort can seem very important indeed. That is without taking into account the harder-wearing material, better design, and added comfort and protection.