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DFPyne

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This is a relatively embarrassing topic, but I need advice and consolation. After all, we are all friends here, right?

For as long as I can remember I have been plagued with holes in the crotch of my pants. I am not terribly overweight (though it would probably do me some good to lose weight) but my thighs always rub together whenever I walk and thus my pants rub together. After a period of time, a hole starts to form in the crotch - rendering the pants unserviceable.

My primary daily pants are khakis. I used to wear Brooks Brothers Advantage Chinos, but those only lasted me a few months. I then decided to spring the extra money for Bills’ Original Twills; after all I always read “they lasted forever”. When I first got them I thought this may be the answer, the 8.5 ounces seemed pretty hearty. Yet after about 6 months of service, this morning my nemesis, the hole, appeared.

What am I doing wrong? Are my pants too small? Are my pants too big?

I also have the bad habit of wearing the same pair of khakis a few days in a row. Is this hurting the lifespan of the pants? Must pants be washed after every wear to retain their strength?

Am I destine to a life of Dockers that I can throw away after a couple months with relatively little heartbreak? Is there a way to reinforce the crotch of pants?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
buy enough pants so that you only wear each one once a week or less. that way, they will last a few years. plus, you get the added bonus of not smelling like swamp ass come the warmer months. also, wash the pants on delicate and hang dry. be as kind to the fabric as possible.
 
Look for trousers that have a crotch linner. That is a small extra fabric that is placed inside the trousere crotch area. My BB "Clark model" has this. But I generally buy these at the retail BB not the outlet. Also look at a different BB model.
 
Not out of the norm.

You can have the crotch rebuilt by a good tailor on suits/flannel trousers if this happens.

To reinforce; with khakis your best bet is while the worn area is still not torn to use an iron-on shirt patch on the interior to help stabilize.
 
If it's a hole at the seam, just have someone skilled at sewing repair it.
 
Best thread title ever.

Other than that, I'm not much help. Sorry.
+1

Sounds like you may have an affliction similar to that of our 36th President. Sounds like you may need a little more "stride" in the crotch, as Mr. Haggar would say.

https://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/prestapes/lbj_haggar.html

Its always worth finding a reason to listen to this tape.
"My pants are always a little too tight where mah nuts hang"

"I could use another inch (BURPPPPPPP) back by the bunghole"

Mr Haggar: "And where would you like these sent, sir"
LBJ: "White house"

What a wonderful recording of Brother Johnson!
 
As I played ice hockey for many years and have thighs that are a bit disproportionate to the rest of me, I've had this occur, too. The problem, of course, is one of abrasion. That is to say, the cloth adorning the inner thighs rub together sufficiently to cause a hole (not a rip or a tear). As such, "extra" material or crotch linings don't really help. A big step in the right direction, though is to rotate as many trousers as you can (at least five or six) during the week. This gives the cloth of your trousers time to "recover" and spread the abuse over time. If you often find yourself wearing the same trousers several days in a row, try to anticipate which trousers in your wardrobe will see the most service and buy several, perhaps as many as four, then have them tailored as you prefer them. While this might be expensive at first, especially with Bills, consider that you are spending the money anyway. More to the point, I'd be surprised if four pair of Bills, rotated such that none were worn on consecutive days, only lasted two years.

Some other tips that may help prolong the life of your trousers:

Wash or dry clean them as infrequently as you can. Cotton trousers are best washed inside out and hang dried.

Use a clothes brush after each use, especially on the inner thigh. This may help you shave off some of those washing machine visits, and it removes dirt or other substances that could contribute to the abrasion effect (think of those little specks of whatever in some facial soaps).

Try wearing your trousers higher on the waist, if you don'y already do so. I don't know for sure that this helps, but I know when I switched to braces and a higher rise, the problem hasn't occurred. Perhaps if there is less material gathered at the inner thigh, then there is less friction.

Avoid non-iron trousers, I am fairly sure they deteriorate quickly.

Of course, if none of this works, I would wait until LE had a larger than normal sale (40%) and buy as many legacy chinos as I needed (seven). I doubt it would run more than one and a half Bills.
 
Stop rubbing your crotch and the thigh holes will go away. Sorry. Saw the title and couldn't resist.
Would a "long rise" pant give you more fabric where the problem is? Maybe one of our MTM experts could suggest a solution. Sounds like a small area of the upper leg is getting a lot of friction where the hole appears. Loosening things up would spread the friction over a larger area, prolonging the time it takes to wear through.
 
Just to clarify, my observation has been that the friction occurs on the outside of one's trousers. Cloth rubs against cloth from the opposing leg.
 
Get Some Professional Help - Two Remedies Readily At Hand

I certainly understand your frustration. I have worn out several pairs of trousers in the same manner you did over the years, including my favorite pair of Majer grey cavalry twills over the holidays. After twenty years, I guess I finally needed a new pair.

Not to worry. Take the garments and any remnant material to a reputable tailor and ask him to put a "Vee" in the crotch. If feasible, this should do the trick on the already damaged trousers.

To mitigate the problem in the future, have your tailor line the crotch of your trousers. This is usually a longitudinal fix. In the event you wear through the lining, which I did once, have them relined. Its a much easier and economical alternative to a "Vee"

PS - Always get all of the remnant material from your new purchased trousers after they are tailored. You never know when you might need it for a repair.

Good Luckk
OSP
 
I've never gotten crotch holes.

(Lord, that sounds dirty). At the risk of being boorish, which I no longer fear as that famous LBJ quote has been used already, I present to you a joke, no doubt acquired here on this forum.

"These pants are like a cheap hotel!"
"How's that, Grandpa?"
"No ballroom!"

I'll be here all week.
 
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