Does Anyone Else Find Jeans Uncomfortable?

[Brian556]

I don't understand why everyone else loves jeans. I have found them uncomfortable since I was a little kid. When I was a kid, I refused to wear them. As a young adult, I somehow managed to tolerate them. Now that I'm getting older, like what Celine Dion said, Its all coming back to me now. They are just too thick and stiff, and feel uncomfortable on your knees when you walk.

I prefer the flexible black pants that have pockets and belt loops. They are made of mostly polyester, I think. They are very flexible and comfortable.

Is anybody else like this?

[Max Rockatansky]

I wear cargo jeans since I have to carry a lot of gear, so I find them quite comfortable.  The problem is actually finding them at stores because skinny jeans seem to be what sells nowadays.   

[crt08]

I've found the newer stretch type jeans to be very comfortable. I've also had a few pairs of jeans where the inside was like sandpaper for some reason, sad because they fit perfectly and looked great but my skin felt raw after all day. Typically for work I wear khaki chinos or pants that are a jean like material but khaki and these are more comfortable and breathe better. On weekends I wear jeans. Levis and American Eagle seem to fit me best and sometimes Arizona.

[Scott5114]

I have never found a comfortable pair of jeans, because my body is apparently not shaped the way jeans manufacturers think it should be: jeans are always too tight around my butt and thighs, and too loose around the waist. Somehow slacks never have this problem.

[1995hoo]

I tend to wear loose-fitting jeans (loose, not baggy–I like the "relaxed fit" ). I find them quite comfy, though it can be brand-specific. My wife dislikes my preference for looser-fitting jeans because she prefers to look at something that fits more snugly.

(I really love my LL Bean flannel- and polarfleece-lined jeans, though I haven't yet worn either pair this winter because it hasn't gotten cold yet.)

The time when I don't like jeans is during the summer. The firm where I used to work sometimes had "Denim Day."  I never understood the appeal of that in July when it's 95° outside. It's already hot and jeans would just make it worse.

[MikeTheActuary]

For me, it's not so much that jeans are comfortable/uncomfortable, it's that at home/in casual settings I frequently like sitting on the floor, which just doesn't work in slacks; and when not otherwise indicated, I prefer to wear t-shirts or some form of "casual" shirt....and they are more comfortable than dressier shirts, and they don't go with dressier pants.

I also prefer to not have to worry about ironing/wrinkles in my clothes, which pretty much indicates jeans, sweats, etc. whenever acceptable.

[Rothman]

I used to like jeans as a kid, but as I've gotten older, I really don't like jeans.  They keep you too hot.  I'll take lighter fabrics over them (khakis and the like).

[Scott5114]

[...]I prefer to wear t-shirts or some form of "casual" shirt....and they are more comfortable than dressier shirts, and they don't go with dressier pants.

They don't physically repel each other, of course. A local business owner I'm friends with wears a T-shirt with slacks on a daily basis and he looks just fine. And as it happens, a sweet spot between "casual" and "professional" is the exact spot he needs to hit to fit in with his business (though he dressed like that for years beforehand).

[okc1]

I wear athletic pants whenever I can. Shorts in warm weather. Even a belt makes me uncomfortable. Since I am retired, I can get away with it most of the time.

Got used to it in college, where most guys took their jeans off when they got to their dorm and put on gym shorts.

[J N Winkler]

I wear khakis.  The last time I wore jeans was on a hiking trip about fifteen years ago.  The fabric felt stiff and uncomfortable then, but it was exactly what was needed for walking cross-country, often on badly broken ground.

I have found problems with trouser fit and durability are endemic in off-the-rack fashion.  Even when the brand, size, style, and color are exactly the same (e.g. Dockers 32/34 pleated front in beige) and two pairs are ordered at the same time, fit and fabric can be wildly different.  My mother, who took a cynical view about how fast fashion works, used to say this was a natural consequence of building brand equity (often through producing locally with strict quality control) and then cashing in by outsourcing to Third World sweatshops with differing levels of quality compliance.

[Max Rockatansky]

I wear athletic pants whenever I can. Shorts in warm weather. Even a belt makes me uncomfortable. Since I am retired, I can get away with it most of the time.

Got used to it in college, where most guys took their jeans off when they got to their dorm and put on gym shorts.

I tend to wear my running/gym clothes anywhere that doesn't expect even the slightest degree of formality.  The way I see it I'm going to be tasked with chores in public places or I'm sitting around the house I might as well be comfortable to the fullest extent. 

[ce929wax]

The problem I have with jeans is that I need a size 45.  Size 44 is too small and tight and size 46 is too big and wide at the waist and I have trouble keeping them up.  I find myself wearing my one pair of sweatpants as long as possible this time of year and one pair of shorts that fit me good during the summer as long as possible.

[kphoger]

They're uncomfortable when I first put them on, but I've gotten used to wearing them.  Kind of like shaving:  it's uncomfortable, but your skin gets used to it.  Heck, my jeans are extra stiff when I first put them on, because we don't run them through the dryer.  I also go commando.  Somehow, I survive.

I do enjoy other materials better, but jeans are great for keeping the cold wind of winter off your legs.

[hbelkins]

No, but I have known people who did.

[oscar]

The problem I have with jeans is that I need a size 45.

One problem for me is that one of my legs is noticeably shorter than the other, so I need to take jeans to a tailor. That can't be avoided with khakis, which I find more comfortable anyway, or dress slacks. But I can switch to shorts when weather permits, or like Max use sweat pants.

I gave up on jeans ages ago. The last time I know for sure I wore them was in October 1999, for a mule ride in Hawaii. Even though I didn't have to step around all the "mule apples" on the trail, the mule shit smell got into my jeans anyway., and didn't come out in the wash. So I just left them in a dumpster before catching a plane to the next island on my itinerary.

[Brian556]

The problem I have with jeans is that I need a size 45.

One problem for me is that one of my legs is noticeably shorter than the other, so I need to take jeans to a tailor. That can't be avoided with khakis, which I find more comfortable anyway, or dress slacks. But I can switch to shorts when weather permits, or like Max use sweat pants.

I gave up on jeans ages ago. The last time I know for sure I wore them was in October 1999, for a mule ride in Hawaii. Even though I didn't have to step around all the "mule apples" on the trail, the mule shit smell got into my jeans anyway., and didn't come out in the wash. So I just left them in a dumpster before catching a plane to the next island on my itinerary.

How can a smell from fecal matter that far from your pants not come out, yet I've never had a pair permanently smell like farts, even though that passes straight through them?

[andrepoiy]

I wear jeans all the time when it's not summer (in the summer I wear cargo shorts), and I always did since I was little. It seems like no one else at school wears jeans (tend to wear track pants or sweatpants? I think that's what they're called), but I don't plan on changing because this is all I've ever known.

[Pink Jazz]

I usually prefer relaxed fit jeans.

[hbelkins]

The problem I have with jeans is that I need a size 45.

One problem for me is that one of my legs is noticeably shorter than the other, so I need to take jeans to a tailor. That can't be avoided with khakis, which I find more comfortable anyway, or dress slacks. But I can switch to shorts when weather permits, or like Max use sweat pants.

I gave up on jeans ages ago. The last time I know for sure I wore them was in October 1999, for a mule ride in Hawaii. Even though I didn't have to step around all the "mule apples" on the trail, the mule shit smell got into my jeans anyway., and didn't come out in the wash. So I just left them in a dumpster before catching a plane to the next island on my itinerary.

How can a smell from fecal matter that far from your pants not come out, yet I've never had a pair permanently smell like farts, even though that passes straight through them?

(waiting for the resident expert on bunker blasts to chime in...)

[crt08]

I wear jeans all the time when it's not summer (in the summer I wear cargo shorts), and I always did since I was little. It seems like no one else at school wears jeans (tend to wear track pants or sweatpants? I think that's what they're called), but I don't plan on changing because this is all I've ever known.

Ugh, probably those jogger pants are what everyone is wearing. 

[DaBigE]

I've never found jeans to be uncomfortable enough to stop wearing them completely, but all jeans are definitely not created equal. Relaxed and the occasional regular fit are the only kind I'll wear -- anything else is uncomfortable. Once I find a brand/style I like, I stick with them until they can't be found in normal stores. Luckily, I work in an office where we can wear jeans five-days-a-week if we so choose. I'll only wear dressier pants when we have a client or public meeting, or if it's going to be a really hot/humid day. Outside of work, I'll wear jeans until it gets warm enough for shorts (usually the low 50s and up).

[US 89]

Outside of work, I'll wear jeans until it gets warm enough for shorts (usually the low 50s and up).

I'm the same way, but my temperature threshold for shorts is much higher, typically low 70s. Far cry from my high school days, when I'd wear shorts to school every day unless the morning temperatures were less than around 10.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Slacks for me.

[index]

Most of them are. I only ever wear really loose jeans that are kind of baggy. Normal jeans are way too tight and don't allow for much comfortable movement, if I can constantly feel the clothing up against my skin...it's going to be a no from me on wearing it.

[formulanone]

No, I don't find them uncomfortable, but I like a slightly looser fit. Wrangler makes an off-the-shelf size ("Regular Fit") that's just right for me...not too baggy (Carpenter), not too tight (Slim Cut/Fit), gives just the right amount in the knees while working and playing, and never feels like it's pinching or rubbing anywhere, all day long. Good enough for playing around or hiking, although for outdoor activities and exercise, I'd rather it was colder outside if I'm going to wear jeans, maybe 35-60 degrees is ideal jeans weather. I don't really like wearing them if it's over 70-75 degrees outside, unless I'm indoors all day. I'd rather wear shorts in that case.

They make some performance materials, but I save them for work or more strenuous activities, in cool-not-cold weather, or for work and their typical "no jeans on site" policy (usually lifted at some places with very loose dress codes; i.e. everyone else is wearing well-worn jeans and it's Friday).

Interestingly, my kids aren't the biggest fans of jeans, though they know they need them this time of year.