I used to swear by them but I ordered like half a dozen pairs of their standard double fronted work dungs and they fell apart in the washer after 2-3 cycles. This was 2022-2023. It was weird, seams weren't stitched properly, the fabric was lighter, etc. I saw comments on their site which shared my experience.

I think this around the time they shifted production outside the USA (memory is hazy). If you see a "helmets to hardhats" decal on the inside of your pants on the pocket lining, they're US production.

I've switched to Bailey's "Wild Ass" brand of denim work pants for my physical laboring needs, but you have to wear them with logging suspenders.

Levis stuff has been made overseas for decades now. It's only with the more recent shift towards using cotton blends in nearly of their jeans that the longevity has suffered.

Commented elsewhere but you can still get the Union made USA pants; model B01. Avoid pretty much everything else

I will have to try these Baileys though, how do they fit?

Good to know, I might give them a shot again. For Wild Ass, I'd go up probably two-four sizes from your Carhartts. If you're a 32 in Carhartt you'll want at least a 34 in WA. Go for 36 if the Carhartts are snug. WA will shrink slightly too.

The Levis's brand doesn't mean much anymore. They sell the same style (model number) of jeans at completely different price points for different stores at varying levels of quality.

You can buy Levi's at $30 at Walmart, $40 at Costco, $80 at a Levi's store, or $100 at Nordstrom.

How Levi's Sells the Same Jeans at Different Prices | Levi's 505 Teardown | Industry Secrets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPdGhZHT7JU

> Maybe something changed between 2020 and 2025, shrug

It's my understanding that this is the case. I could be wrong; I hope to be.

I can’t believe I’m chiming in on HN about work pants… The B01 are the only pants still Union made in the USA. AFAIK they still are durable as hell, I’m wearing them now.

The rest (mostly stretchy but some normal ‘washed’ duck) are imported and the quality is traded for fashion/lifestyle

>Whatever Levi’s did, their jeans went from lasting years to literal months before they would rip.

Before they went public, the trick with Levi's was to basically shop with two things in mind: price point, and finish. I personally stick to non-stretch 501s. If you were sorting price low to high, you were buying low quality 501s. If you sorted price high to low, there were a bunch of "fashion" 501s at the top of the list, but when you got a pair of expensive 501s in "rigid" or some other simple wash, that was where the quality was. They used to publish the weight of the denim on the product detail page. Bonus points if they're Shrink to Fit.

Pre-IPO they'd also do much more experimentation. I have a pair of 501s made of Dyneema that I have been abusing for about a decade, and only just this month has one pocket needed to be repaired. I wish I'd bought multiple of these, but I got it on a blowout sale.

Post-IPO, there was more branding hierarchy: Levi's Vintage Clothing, Made & Crafted, Premium, and then everything else.

It looks like it's a little different now, but I haven't had to buy a new pair of 501s in several years. There are still quality jeans to be had from Levi's, but you have to spend more and avoid gimmicks.