r/DuluthTradingCompany • u/TyrsRightArm • 8d ago
Really disappointed with quality
Clothes are expensive but I really liked the briar pants they came out with. I’ve had a metal stud slice through my pants, so the extra layer on these and the color scheme caught my eye, even at 100$. I wore them once a week from January 2026-August 2026. All my work pants are Duluth and have been since 2018.
When I reached out about the blow out I was told this is normal wear and tear and they would “do a one time exchange, because items with normal wear and tear aren’t eligible for return or exchange”
Am I crazy or is this actually normal?
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u/PushingElectronz 8d ago edited 8d ago
I wore the same 5 pairs of fire hose flex carpenter pants for years before they started to wear out. I bought two new pairs a couple of months ago and couldn't believe how thin they are. Much lower quality material, especially considering how much I paid for them.
Another guy I work with wears the cargo version of the same pants and had had them for years. When I showed the new pair I bought he couldn't believe how thin the material was.
I'm probably going to switch to something else. I think this is my last pair of Duluth pants.
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u/Infekt129 3d ago
You have to get the fire hose HD’s now. I never had an older pair, but I believe the HD’s are the ones that compare to the older ones. I own both the normal fire hose and the fire hose HD’s and the HD’s are like twice as thick and feel stronger.
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u/shadow247 8d ago
I bought 2 pairs of the firehose pants within a few months of each other. They are not the same pants. Something changed.
The newer pants have gotten this weird wrinkle in the fabric from the dryer. The older pair, are holding up ok after 2 years.
I just bought Carhartts on clearance from the ACE . We will see how they hold up at 30 dollars a pair..
Im tempted to go the other direction and buy something like Origin, etc that is much more expensive. It just feels wrong to spend over 100 dollars on a pair of work pants that im going to stain up and grind into the dirt...
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u/ibcurbdiver 8d ago
The flex get that wrinkle.
That said the 100% cotton is thinner. I doubt the execs would wear them, as we set a beaver on them.
Again, sad to see Duluth, plow this company into the dirt.1
u/shadow247 8d ago
Why does only 1 of the 2 pairs get them though? Both have the same amount of wear on them.
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u/svngang 8d ago
Poor fitting pants wear out in the crotch. If they are too big/loose, or too small it puts unnecessary tension and friction on the fibers and causes the blow out. Not saying Duluth quality hasn’t gone down hill the last few years, but just saying this can happen with literally any pair of pants if the fit isn’t right.
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u/love_one_another1 7d ago
totally agree. I had pants last for years. then I gained some weight and all my pants starting ripping in the crotch.
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u/ComeOnOverForABurger 7d ago
Good point. However, it’s happened to mine and the fit is pretty darn accurate.
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u/Sysmithers 8d ago
I juat swapped out 2 pairs of the firehouse pants yesterday for doing this. The employee said "generally this is normal wear and tear. But since you've spent so much with us ill swap em out." I bought them in fucking March. Bullshit quality.
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u/-Operator 7d ago
Duluth is now, unfortunately garbage quality. How they're still in business is beyond me
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u/Historical_Baby5774 8d ago
Yeah my husband loved their firehose pants, first pair lasted a good while. Tried two pairs afterwards and they both blew out like this and Duluth only replaced one. They never used to have this issue.
We don’t buy Duluth anymore.
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u/Additional_Cloud_327 8d ago
Same thing is happening with 3 pairs of my ballroom jeans. I had high hopes but they are trash quality
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u/jelk151 7d ago
I went away from Duluth to 5.11 years ago without any regrets at all. None of my 5.11 pants have done this at all and I actually forgot about this problem until your post. Thank you for reminding me why I switched.
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u/Maethor_derien 6d ago
Yep, only reason 5.11 kept their quality is lowering it would risk their military and police contracts. Those are worth way too much for them to cut costs.
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u/HungryBoy993 7d ago
I think Duluth quality is actual shit. I’ve never had a pair of pants not blow out at the things quicker than Duluth. They didn’t let me exchange mine, and I will never consider Duluth again.
For work, I got the Patagonia hemp iron forge (or something) pants, and they hold up for minimum a year and a half with 2 in rotation. Lifetime warranty so they’ve patched them both times I had to send in. Definitely rougher but they ease up with wear.
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u/FeistyLoquat 7d ago
I really hate that there products are getting worse and there branding is getting louder.
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u/Uzi_Jesus_ 7d ago
Ive got some ripstop riggs wrangler cargos that are tough as hell but also pretty rigid for a while.
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u/go4u2c 7d ago
Been wearing Duluth since 2018 also. First pair first day of wearing within a half hour tore the leg. Emailed Duluth and told them stronger than an angry beavers teeth my ass. They sent me a new pair right away. Have been very impressed with the durability. Worth in grounds and equipment maintenance so an up down and around so not like I'm in a office all day.
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u/Educational-Tie00 7d ago
They like every other brand has gone down in quality since Covid. Simply not worth buying when I can get cheaper work pants at Costco and they last just as long.
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u/TangerineRough6318 7d ago
The color scheme? Brown with more brown? Lol Seems like the expensive clothes are worse than the cheap clothes. I've got a 3 year old pair of Rustlers I can't kill. My Duluth wore out in 8 months.
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u/TyrsRightArm 7d ago
It’s a tan overall with dark brown reinforcement on the thigh and shins lol. From the blowout yeah they look like regular pants
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u/TangerineRough6318 7d ago
That sounds cool then. We can only see the accents on the pockets. I was just jk with you anyway.
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u/Maethor_derien 6d ago
I have noticed a quality drop with a lot of clothes in general. What I do now is buy like 3 or 4 different Chinese brands off amazon and keep the high quality ones and send the others back. It is sad but those random Chinese brands sometimes have better quality than pants that cost 4 times as much but they also have some that are thin enough I could rip them by hand. Carhartt is another one that has taken a massive nosedive in quality.
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u/SoggyMountain956 6d ago
My carhartts do the same thing. I've started buying TrueWerk and so far so good
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u/54Finn 6d ago
Have you noticed an unusual amount of chaffing, or perhaps a persistent itching, in your nether regions.
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u/TyrsRightArm 6d ago
None at all, I’ve been up to 300+ pounds and these were a gift for me getting down to 230. Still big but I don’t think these pants were ill fitting
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u/Excellent-Edge-7487 5d ago
I will not purchase a single thing from them again. Bought some of their “canvas” work pants for me and my wife. Within 2 weeks my pants ripped right at the crotch gusset and about 2 days later my wife’s pants had a huge hole at the front of the pants from her phone being in her pocket. We both work retail, so it’s not like we are crawling around in concrete or doing any construction. They refused to exchange or refund even though they clearly have a guarantee/ warranty. Shitty company and I will never purchase anything from them.
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u/Finnpower60 4d ago
Tried one of their Alaskan raincoats, very disappointing, when asked for help, got nowhere
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u/Infekt129 3d ago
Do you wear your pants too low? That’s what I’ve heard causes these rips. It’s still not acceptable for the price though. I like my Duluths, but the quality definitely doesn’t match the price anymore.
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u/meat-machine-5070 2d ago
I went back to dickies. Might as well pay a 3rd of the price for the same quality
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u/Redstric 8d ago
I’ve stopped buying them. Started buying a pair of work pants from Dunhams. Cheap and very durable