The Official RRL Thread

[clee1982]

Yea I got blow out on my first low straight… that was my only pair for at least 5 years…

 

[WaltDud]

Yea I got blow out on my first low straight… that was my only pair for at least 5 years…

How long into it, do you remember?

 

[clee1982]

many years but it wasn’t a very even wearing, basically once every two weeks for first 2years then exclusively for a good 2 years.

It developed small hole , not a full blow out and as luck has it sold on eBay as somehow magically break even, don’t think you can count on that these days

 

[symphvaria]

Crotch blowouts aren’t the end of the world, you know. Lots of businesses do denim repair these days.

 

[WaltDud]

Crotch blowouts aren’t the end of the world, you know. Lots of businesses do denim repair these days.

Oh I know, Ive had like 6 pairs darned (not all were RRL). They come out fantastic and super stiff too. Its just annoying to go through..

Ive seen photos of faded denims before and they never seem to have fades in the crotch area. Also, the pre-distressed jeans RRL sells NEVER have fades in the crotch either. Guess Im just wondering if it’s a normal part of wearing denim so I can rest easy!

 

[symphvaria]

Oh I know, Ive had like 6 pairs darned (not all were RRL). They come out fantastic and super stiff too. Its just annoying to go through..

Ive seen photos of faded denims before and they never seem to have fades in the crotch area. Also, the pre-distressed jeans RRL sells NEVER have fades in the crotch either. Guess Im just wondering if it’s a normal part of wearing denim so I can rest easy!

I think it makes way more sense to blow out your jeans and repair them over and over rather than hoard pairs upon pairs of pre-distressed denim that's already washed and sanded and in some cases even ripped to look like a gold rush miner has been wearing them for a decade so you can baby them. Why even wear denim at that point?

 

[sterlingindigo]

Does anyone here get crotch blowouts with their denims? Is it regular occurrence for pairs you've worn for a long time or is it just me and my Gushers addiction??

I got a crotch blowout once. Thought I’d give the ancient Japanese art of Sashiko repair a go. Looked like I was highlighting my taint. Don’t use Sashiko repair on a crotch blowout. Use it on a knee, a pocket, or virtually any other area.

 

[michaelvl]

Never experienced a crotch blowout on a pair of RRL jeans in the 10 years I've been wearing them. I only experienced one on a pair of RRL Officer chinos.

Frequent crotch blowouts could possibly have something to do with the pants being ill fitted or if the wearer has a narrow thigh gap, that might cause lots of inner thigh rubbing when walking, which could wear the cloth thin, ultimately causing it to fail.

 

[zippyh]

Looked like I was highlighting my taint.

You say that like it’s a bad thing.

Not washing the jeans often enough can hasten blowouts too.

 

[WaltDud]

Never experienced a crotch blowout on a pair of RRL jeans in the 10 years I've been wearing them. I only experienced one on a pair of RRL Officer chinos.

Frequent crotch blowouts could possibly have something to do with the pants being ill fitted or if the wearer has a narrow thigh gap, that might cause lots of inner thigh rubbing when walking, which could wear the cloth thin, ultimately causing it to fail.

I think this is my problem; I have huge thighs from working out. I wonder if that's why the Vintage fits feel so comfortable!

 

[Michigan Planner]

I got a crotch blowout once. Thought I’d give the ancient Japanese art of Sashiko repair a go. Looked like I was highlighting my taint. Don’t use Sashiko repair on a crotch blowout. Use it on a knee, a pocket, or virtually any other area.

The other day I noticed that my Warehouse Duck Diggers appear to be about to experience a crotch blowout. I was tempted to try doing a sashiko-style repair myself but quickly decided against it exactly for the reason you mentioned. 😅

I'll be sending them off to Railcar and letting them handle it.

 

[WaltDud]

I think it makes way more sense to blow out your jeans and repair them over and over rather than hoard pairs upon pairs of pre-distressed denim that's already washed and sanded and in some cases even ripped to look like a gold rush miner has been wearing them for a decade so you can baby them. Why even wear denim at that point?

Well. I'm a librarian. I've conceded that I may never do anything in my life to earn fades like that of a rancher or gold miner (although I'm working on buying land someday). I still love the look of distressed denim, albeit when done well, because of the rugged lifestyle required to achieve them. And RRL does distressing extremely well. It's art and there's craftsmen sanding and repairing by hand while looking at a reference pair of jeans and that's done for every single pair out on those shelves today. I think that's awesome and I want to support that with the money I make. Some people pay millions for some diarrhea Pollock sprayed on a canvas; I like jeans and fine leather goods made by hand (and good art too, shout out to Maggiori and Glenn Dean). But anyway, I'd NEVER wear this:

But this is incredible:

I have a like 3 pairs that are fading nicely but SUPER slow, one of em looks great but is the pair in need of crotch darning because it's the one I always hike in in the hot summer heat. Sometimes I like enjoying distressed denim without having to put in years of work *insert shrug emoji*

And at the end of the day all this is luxury. A hobby. Nothing here is necessary. It's something a bunch of RRL nerds enjoy and talk about. One of my best friends can live the rest of his life in the one pair of Walmart jeans he has and be happy. I, nor are a buncha people here, are like that. We overindulge and are here because misery (and happiness) loves company lol

 

[gnatty8]

Crotch blowouts aren’t the end of the world, you know. Lots of businesses do denim repair these days.

Definitely this if its a favorite pair. I even have a seamstress that is local to me that can do great denim repairs, and compared to the price of the jeans when new, are a bargain. I'd try this route first. If there are no local shops that can do it, as he says, you can send them off for repair to any number of denim sellers that offer this as a service.

 

[symphvaria]

Well. I'm a librarian. I've conceded that I may never do anything in my life to earn fades like that of a rancher or gold miner (although I'm working on buying land someday). I still love the look of distressed denim, albeit when done well, because of the rugged lifestyle required to achieve them. And RRL does distressing extremely well. It's art and there's craftsmen sanding and repairing by hand while looking at a reference pair of jeans and that's done for every single pair out on those shelves today. I think that's awesome and I want to support that with the money I make. Some people pay millions for some diarrhea Pollock sprayed on a canvas; I like jeans and fine leather goods made by hand (and good art too, shout out to Maggiori and Glenn Dean). But anyway, I'd NEVER wear this:

But this is incredible:

I have a like 3 pairs that are fading nicely but SUPER slow, one of em looks great but is the pair in need of crotch darning because it's the one I always hike in in the hot summer heat. Sometimes I like enjoying distressed denim without having to put in years of work *insert shrug emoji*

And at the end of the day all this is luxury. A hobby. Nothing here is necessary. It's something a bunch of RRL nerds enjoy and talk about. One of my best friends can live the rest of his life in the one pair of Walmart jeans he has and be happy. I, nor are a buncha people here, are like that. We overindulge and are here because misery (and happiness) loves company lol

I think you missed what I was getting at. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with distressed denim (I’m not a raw denim puritan like that), I’m saying that it seems odd to me to buy distressed denim only to baby it anyways and buy multiple pairs just so you can reduce wear and tear on it. I’d rather just get the one pair and beat the hell out of it and then darn it when necessary, which happens to be a whole a lot cheaper too.

 

[WaltDud]

I think you missed what I was getting at. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with distressed denim (I’m not a raw denim puritan like that), I’m saying that it seems odd to me to buy distressed denim only to baby it anyways and buy multiple pairs just so you can reduce wear and tear on it. I’d rather just get the one pair and beat the hell out of it and then darn it when necessary, which happens to be a whole a lot cheaper too.

Fair point; probably the best approach. I don't baby any of my jeans though.