Let's talk pocket wear...

[zuludelta]

Something we probably all deal with as "knife guys" and "knife gals" is pocket wear: the tell-tale fraying of the hem of the pocket where one keeps a folding knife. It's just one of those annoyances one has to deal with if one chooses to regularly carry a knife clipped to a pants pocket. Many are the trousers that I have retired to "strictly for wearing around the house" duty because of ratty-looking pockets, despite the rest of the pants still looking good.

I figure we can all pool our collective experiences in this thread, and I'm especially interested in workarounds and solutions to the problem (and I'm certain a lot of you out there are, too).

One obvious solution is to just wear pants with reinforced pocket hems designed specifically to carry pocket knives, flashlights, multitools, and other tools with clips. I have a pair of Carhartt work pants that has a reinforced right front pocket and it has held up to the friction of repeated knife clipping quite well. The problem with this, though, is that a lot of these pants just... well, they don't really look good as casual, everyday wear. My Carhartt work pants are really, really baggy—the tag says it's a "relaxed fit" cut but on me it looks like something from an early 1990s hip-hop music video (paired with yellow Timberland work boots LOL), and I only really wear them when every other work pants option is in the hamper.

I've also had my eye on a pair of Condor-brand "Stealth Operator" pants. These also have a reinforced right front pocket for knife carry and as the name implies, the pants are supposed to be low-profile in design & appearance, so the wearer doesn't look like a "tactibro" or a mall ninja or someone who got lost on the way to an Airsoft tournament. Anybody have any experience with these?

Currently, I put a strip of black Gorilla tape (or sometimes hockey tape... but hockey tape adhesive doesn't work as well) over the hem of my pants' right front pockets to protect them from pocket wear. It works, and it doesn't look all that bad... I mean, it looks sort of goofy but it's not very noticeable. I can always replace the tape when it wears out, and I can take the tape off if I have to, say, wear the pants to a function where it would just stand out.

So, how have you guys dealt with the scourge of pocket wear?

[SG89]

Most of my jeans have pocket clip wear... I've thought about sewing a reinforced piece of material over the pocket top but I doubt I ever will. Pocket wear just doesn't bother me.

[Sharp Guy]

I used to really like the bi-directional texturing on the LW models but they can be a little hard on the pockets. I still like and carry my LWs but I carry knives with smooth scales a lot more that I used to

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=81049&p=1262021&hil ... r#p1262021

[Jazz]

I’ve never had a pocket wear out. If the clip’s too tight, I loosen it. If the G10 (or FRN) is crazy, I soften that spot. I guess I’ve had home shorts wear almost out. They are older, and get used a lot.

Dragonfly clips always come too tight, for example, and I loosen them right away until they’re just right.

[zuludelta]

Most of my jeans have pocket clip wear... I've thought about sewing a reinforced piece of material over the pocket top but I doubt I ever will. Pocket wear just doesn't bother me.

I've thought about that as well but I'm not very handy with needle & thread.

And I don't mind a little pocket wear, but I have pants that would probably get rejected at the United Way clothing donation place because of how badly the pockets have frayed from knife carry :D

[JustinB]

Every single pair of pants I own has the front left pocket torn up from pocket clips going in and out every day :p

[VooDooChild]

There should be like a tiny clip sized pocket or belt loop sewn on the inside part of the outer pocket, where you would normally clip anyway. This part would wear while the rest of the pocket would be fine. It would hide the clip. It would keep the clip from snagging on things.

Does anyone here have some sewing skills? Could be a fun experiment.

[SG89]

There should be like a tiny clip sized pocket or belt loop sewn on the inside part of the outer pocket, where you would normally clip anyway. This part would wear while the rest of the pocket would be fine. It would hide the clip. It would keep the clip from snagging on things.

Does anyone here have some sewing skills? Could be a fun experiment.

That sounds like a great idea! I have terrible sewing skills, much to my grandmother's dismay!

[TkoK83Spy]

My "good" jeans that I wear when going out are just fine, but my 5 or so pairs that are designated for work are all torn up. I look at them as a badge of honor, kind of like my hairless left forearm that's used for testing edge sharpness and drives my wife INSANE when it gets prickly and I rub up against her :p

[autoxer]

There should be like a tiny clip sized pocket or belt loop sewn on the inside part of the outer pocket, where you would normally clip anyway. This part would wear while the rest of the pocket would be fine. It would hide the clip. It would keep the clip from snagging on things.

Does anyone here have some sewing skills? Could be a fun experiment.

Wow, that is an awesome idea! I have sewing skills and am willing to give this a shot and report back.

[sal]

My first thought is a thin leather flap that would fold over and fasten to the part of the pocket normally clipped to. It has to withstand washing. Could be a useful aftermarket accessory? It mist be thin enough not to make clipping difficult.

sal

[JD Spydo]

I was just given a really nice older Singer sewing machine that works great. I've got some scrap suede leather that is rather thin that I could sew into the rim of the pockets>> I bet that would be good to reinforce the pocket and prevent wear. During the weeks I'm mainly wearing work clothes a great deal of the time and I could care less if they have a bit of wear on them. But from a function standpoint I'm liking the idea of sewing some leather into the pocket rim>> not only for wear prevention but I bet it would help to secure the knife clipped to your pocket better and prevent it from being snagged so easily.

[autoxer]

There should be like a tiny clip sized pocket or belt loop sewn on the inside part of the outer pocket, where you would normally clip anyway. This part would wear while the rest of the pocket would be fine. It would hide the clip. It would keep the clip from snagging on things.

Does anyone here have some sewing skills? Could be a fun experiment.

Wow, that is an awesome idea! I have sewing skills and am willing to give this a shot and report back.

OK, I already have a prototype made (things are slow around here... :D ), but not yet sewn into my pants.

I went with this little pocket idea. It's about an inch wide and 4 inches tall. It's essentially a channel inside your pocket that you can slide your clip into. It is made from a lightweight nylon material and is triple layered at the top to give some nice durability and body to the piece, so it's not flimsy when you try to attach the clip. It would hold up incredibly well during washing.

The reason for the 4 inch height of the part is because with just a loop at the top (where the clip no longer straddles the material of the pants), I realized the knife could slide around on the clip (vertically) since there's no material for the clip to pinch against. The pinch against some material is now retained, but with the added step of needing to attach the bottom of my part into the pocket liner. But that should not be too difficult.

I also added a cool little feature. I put a second "lip" about an inch down, so I have two places I can clip this to now. It effectively adds a deep carry option if/when I want to use it with the stock clip.

I will need to buy some other thread before I sew it to my pants, but when it's done you won't even be able to tell that I modified the pants (unless you look into the pocket). All stitches are hidden except two extremely tiny bar tacks along the edge of the pocket. It would also be quite hard to tell I'm even carrying the knife, especially when using the lower lip.

I am excited to get some thread and try it out soon!

[kennethsime]

My first thought is a thin leather flap that would fold over and fasten to the part of the pocket normally clipped to. It has to withstand washing. Could be a useful aftermarket accessory? It mist be thin enough not to make clipping difficult.

sal

Wrangler's Riggs line of work pants have just such a flap straight from the factory. I like my Carhartts, but many friends swear by these guys.

[kennethsime]

My Carhartt work pants are really, really baggy—the tag says it's a "relaxed fit" cut but on me it looks like something from an early 1990s hip-hop music video (paired with yellow Timberland work boots LOL), and I only really wear them when every other work pants option is in the hamper.

ZD, have you checked out their straight-fit pants?

[Sumdumguy]

My first thought is a thin leather flap that would fold over and fasten to the part of the pocket normally clipped to. It has to withstand washing. Could be a useful aftermarket accessory? It mist be thin enough not to make clipping difficult.

sal

You nerds and your pocket protectors!

:p

[Mike Blue]

Also Duluth Trading Co. They have some casual lines that have an extra piece of material at the clip point on some pockets.

[The Deacon]

I avoid the problem the old fashioned way, I remove the clips from my knives and carry them loose in my back pocket.

[SaltySalt]

I carry Pacific Salt, clip removed, in Remora sticky magazine pouch in my cargo pocket. Kinda slow draw, but I don`t like clips visible and it saves pocket.

[sal]

Hi SaltySalt,

Welcome to our forum.

sal