Levi's...just not the same.

[copelandcaver7]

I have been usung softball pants, they are polyester, flexible and really work quite well.

[erebus]

I tried to buy a pair of coveralls at Sears once ...:-)

They do make them in smaller sizes; my wife is your height, and we got some for her. The Dickies coveralls have a higher cotton content than the work pants, though.

[Rick Brinkman]

I've been wondering how motocross pants would work. They are a little pricey though.

[anndr0id]

I really like BDU's. They are cheap, hold up well, and have good pocket space.

[Ralph E. Powers]

I really like BDU's. They are cheap, hold up well, and have good pocket space.

Ditto on that... though I got lucky once and found a pair that not only had a heavy duty brass zipper (instead of buttons) they wore like iron. I wore them to every-single-caving-backpacking-hiking-camping-anything outdoors trip for over 8 years and only then did they start wearing thin around the knees and seat. I've not found any pair like them since. Just one of those lucky purchases that paid for itself for years to come.
MAN! what I wouldn't give to have a pair like those again. On wet caving trips they got soaked but once I was out of the water for over 10 minutes they dried up... totally amazing. A reservist friend of mine saw those and was jealous of the zipper and said: "...they're probably an officer's special order issue..."
But I have two pair of new (used) ones and look forward to caving in them here in TAG... I've stopped liking jeans for caving due to they're just not as tough as they used to be... and that's sad.

[Bobatnathrop]

Hm I dont really wear jeans at all. I wear a pair of off brand Carharts what work really good, they are about half the price and seem to hold up better than the brand name Craharts. After about a year and half of wearing them to work and caveing they are starting to get some holes in the seat, but they should be good for at least 6 more months.

[YuccaPatrol]

This is a sad reality not only with our general clothing manufacturers, but also with those companies that manufacture the gear we take into the outdoors and trust our lives with.

Typically, someone clever starts a business building very high quality gear. THey make a name for themselves because of the quality and design of the gear they make themselves. People who need this gear spread the word that this is good stuff. Then the brand name becomes "cool". Manufacturing gets shipped overseas and the gear produced becomes a shadow of what once was. . . ..

Good examples of what was once quality American made gear but is now nothing but a fashion statement label on the same old Chinese junk:

Patagonia
North Face
Mountainsmith
Mountain HardWear
The list goes on and on. . . .

I have some quality vintage pieces of gear from all of these companies which continue to serve me well, but probably won't ever purchase gear from them again.

[graveleye]

This was really the point of my first post- Levis used to be a high quality product. They were consistent and durable and now they are pretty much cheap junk.
I wear blue jeans - maybe not always in a cave, but that is my preferred pants to wear. I hate it, but I have to find something else to wear now because I can't put up with poor quality.

[Komebeaux]

I wear polypro pants and t shirt under a pair of cotton Dickies-like coveralls. I sewed velcro to the cuffs of the arms and legs to I can close them up tight to my wrists and ankles.

More on topic, I know exactly what you mean by the Levis. I had a pair of the US made ones that I wore for about 5 years. When they finally became too threadbare to wear anymore I bought a new pair at Sears. Same style, same size, but made in Mexico. They fit ok and eventually broke in and are close to what the old ones felt like. I little later, I cashed in my points at Dicks Sporting goods on another pair of Levis. Once again, same style, same size, but made in Indonesia. Despite being the same size, the legs are a good 1.5 - 2 inches shorter than the other pair.

[JoeyS]

This is a sad reality not only with our general clothing manufacturers, but also with those companies that manufacture the gear we take into the outdoors and trust our lives with.

Typically, someone clever starts a business building very high quality gear. THey make a name for themselves because of the quality and design of the gear they make themselves. People who need this gear spread the word that this is good stuff. Then the brand name becomes "cool". Manufacturing gets shipped overseas and the gear produced becomes a shadow of what once was. . . ..

Good examples of what was once quality American made gear but is now nothing but a fashion statement label on the same old Chinese junk:

Patagonia
North Face
Mountainsmith
Mountain HardWear
The list goes on and on. . . .

I have some quality vintage pieces of gear from all of these companies which continue to serve me well, but probably won't ever purchase gear from them again.

I know what you mean but I think North Face leads the way. They were bought out several yrs ago by a larger umbrella corporation. Funny, they sell tenfold the amount of clothing now, at the same price, but now it costs them half as much to produce (it may still be rugged, I don't know, but seeing it on every tweenie at the mall sure makes it look less tough )

[NZcaver]

I don't have any North Face stuff, but my Mountain Hardware tent seems to do me just fine...

I probably still have a pair of Levi's somewhere too - I just don't wear jeans much, if at all, any more. Must be a climate thing.

[gillip]

If you are looking for incredibly tuff jean type pants, try the jean type Royal Robins. I think that they may beat Carharts. I used to were them when I did land surveying and they held up very well to briars, barbed wire and the like. I still have and wear every pair that I have owned. The drawback is that they are quite expensive.

[anndr0id]

Ditto on that... though I got lucky once and found a pair that not only had a heavy duty brass zipper (instead of buttons) they wore like iron. I wore them to every-single-caving-backpacking-hiking-camping-anything outdoors trip for over 8 years and only then did they start wearing thin around the knees and seat. I've not found any pair like them since. Just one of those lucky purchases that paid for itself for years to come.
MAN! what I wouldn't give to have a pair like those again.

I have a pair just like that. Try ebay or froogle and you can probably find them again... a quick search brings up ultra force, which I am pretty sure the brand of mine.

[jamesraykenney]

how bout polyester in caves? I found some pants at goodwill, that are polyester like running pants on the outside, and on the inside they are like a men's swimming suit, which i thought was weird, but anyway, i thought i'd give them a go at caving, figured they would be good for wet and muddy caves. jeans and cotton pants get heavy when wet and don't dry quickly

I haven't found polyester to be the most durable. One time my boyfriend and I were in a cave and when my pants ripped right down the back. We were only half way in and we decided to keep going, but the whole time I was terrified we'd see other people and they'd notice my totally exposed backside

Thankfully we didn't see anyone else, but by the time we got out of there my butt was freezing. and muddy and gross.

Two people alone in a cave That's a no-no you know...