Breeches that Do - or Don't - wear out in the crotch/thigh!

[devins.designs]

I waffled between posting this in H/J or Eventing or Dressage but in the end I decided to put it over here in an attempt to garner opinions and input from everyone, rather than a micro-portion of the community.

So, basically, I have a problem with breeches durability. I’m by no means skinny but I’m not obese, either. I fit comfortably into anything from a 32 to a 36 depending on the brand. And my breeches hold up great almost everywhere - except the inner thigh/crotch. And there, I’ve run into my problem…no matter what breeches I try, they seem to wear out within a year. First they get nasty and “pill” in the thigh and crotch, then I start to see more wear and some stitches come undone, and eventually either a hole wears through the fabric or a hole appears where the stitched along thigh or crotch has come undone.

A short synopsis of brands I can remember I’ve tried:

Grand Prix (I think the Vegas’ but I’m not 100% I threw them out for holes forever ago)
Smartpak Pipers (have had these for less than six months and see significant wear and "pill"ing)
RJ Classics Sterling (so far minimal wear - but it’s there)
Tailored Sportsman (no wear: but I ONLY wear these for competition, not schooling)
Irideon & Kerrits riding tights (consignment so I don’t know what type or from when but lots of thigh wear to the point of almost holes and LOTS of pill-ing)
FITS front zip/knee patch breech (LOVE LOVE LOVE these, so comfy, but getting so worn less than a year later!!)

SO as you can see, I’ve tried breeches from all price/“quality” ranges and had the exact same problem.

Does anyone else have this problem? Found a brand/style that doesn’t do this? Found some other solution? Brands to absolutely stay away from? I can’t afford to keep buying new breeches all the time, so…

[541hunter]

Could you try full seats for at home and keep using your TSs for show? The extra layer might help.

I honestly have the exact same problem – my breeches always wear out in the crotch first – and I’m a size 28. It’s just the way of the world if your thighs touch, which is more about your bone structure than your size anyway.

[normandy_shores]

I have the same problem, same size as you.

I hate to say it, but the only breeches Ive had that last and don’t pill are pikeurs at roughly $300/pair new. I have a few pairs I bought used on consignment, SEVEN YEARS AGO, and those sucks are still going strong. The full seats look practically brand new.

[Appsolute]

I have the same problem as well. All of my breeches are cheaper ones, but over all I find all cotton breeches wear out on the thighs faster than non cotton. Really haven’t had an issue with stitching giving way.

I have some cheap Tuff Rider ribbed knee patch breeches - for me at least these things wear like iron.

Devon Aire / cotton naturals etc - they wear through pretty quick.

Kerrits tights - have been wearing well for me.

And I have some OLD (like from the mid 1990’s!!) Millar’s cotton back breeches. No longer made, these things were THE BEST. Soft cotton on the skin side, TOUGH nylon exterior. I have two pairs that are still in my rotation.

Oh and a tip? I have found using one of those “clothes shavers” on the pilling as soon as it starts seems to slow down the wear out process. My theory is the pilling causes even more wear / catching / snow balling of the pill size. Shaving them off does thin the fabric over time, but I think I buy a little time doing it.

[ako]

The less cotton, the better. I find Trophy Hunters wear like iron. (Except for the higher cotton older model, though you would probably not find those anywhere.) I’m actually just now replacing a pair I’ve worn regularly for about 5 years.

[VelvetsAB]

Just put a pair of size 34 Grand Prix breeches in the garbage, due to a hole in the crotch.

Unfortunately, I will probably be buying another pair of them, because I like how they fit over any other brand I have tried on at Greenhawk.

Just something about the really thin fabric and feeling like I have “wavy” legs doesn’t appeal to me. :no:

[Texarkana]

I have the same problem! I also have a problem with jeans wearing out in the crotch/thigh area first… so annoying! It’s not like there’s much of anything you can do to salvage them at that point.

My favorite schooling breeches are the On Course Naturals. They are not as fancy as some of the brands you listed above, but they are SO comfortable and they last forever! I have pairs of the Pull On style that are over 15 years old and they are still wearable! None of them have ever worn out in the thighs or even developed pilling, unlike just about every other brand of breeches I’ve ever owned. They are low maintenance, too, since you can just throw them in the washing machine with everything else. And they’re cheap enough that I don’t worry about them getting ruined. I just wish they had actual pockets.

[Renn_aissance]

I’m having a bad week with this after the discovery that I’ve worn through the thighs of two pairs of jeans not even a year after buying them, and the crotch seam of both pairs of my FITS breeches. I didn’t have this problem with the stretchiest model of Ariat breeches, but they also had a problem wherein the fabric in the crotch area would lose its stretch.

[devins.designs]

[QUOTE=541hunter;8092091]
Could you try full seats for at home and keep using your TSs for show? The extra layer might help.[/QUOTE]

I’ve actually never worn a pair of full seats…I’m primarily H/J educated and that’s not really our “thing”…worth a try though!

[QUOTE=normandy_shores;8092099]
I hate to say it, but the only breeches Ive had that last and don’t pill are pikeurs at roughly $300/pair new. I have a few pairs I bought used on consignment, SEVEN YEARS AGO, and those sucks are still going strong. The full seats look practically brand new.[/QUOTE]

I’ll check them out…crazy that we have to spend this much to get breeches that last!

[QUOTE=Appsolute;8092117]
Oh and a tip? I have found using one of those “clothes shavers” on the pilling as soon as it starts seems to slow down the wear out process. My theory is the pilling causes even more wear / catching / snow balling of the pill size. Shaving them off does thin the fabric over time, but I think I buy a little time doing it.[/QUOTE]

I’ll try that!

@ako;8092183

The less cotton, the better. I find Trophy Hunters wear like iron. (Except for the higher cotton older model, though you would probably not find those anywhere.) I’m actually just now replacing a pair I’ve worn regularly for about 5 years.

I’m going to have to start just investing in some super expensive breeches and hope they last. I can’t wear any older TS anyway (the stitching around the calf that doesn’t stretch does me in!) so I’m safe from those!

[QUOTE=VelvetsAB;8092209]Just put a pair of size 34 Grand Prix breeches in the garbage, due to a hole in the crotch.

Unfortunately, I will probably be buying another pair of them, because I like how they fit over any other brand I have tried on at Greenhawk. [/QUOTE]

I LOVE the fit of the Grand Prix’s. Usually out of my budget but I’ve bought a couple pairs on sale at my local tack shop and until I busted the crotch (I even put new stitches in by hand to make one pair work for schooling for a while, lol) and I award them triple A+!

[QUOTE=Texarkana;8092321]
My favorite schooling breeches are the On Course Naturals. They are not as fancy as some of the brands you listed above, but they are SO comfortable and they last forever! I have pairs of the Pull On style that are over 15 years old and they are still wearable! None of them have ever worn out in the thighs or even developed pilling, unlike just about every other brand of breeches I’ve ever owned. They are low maintenance, too, since you can just throw them in the washing machine with everything else. And they’re cheap enough that I don’t worry about them getting ruined. I just wish they had actual pockets.[/QUOTE]

Do the On Course offer breeches with no rib & belt loops? Never tried them before but I prefer non-ribbed breeches and I hate wearing my breeches without a belt…and I have to tuck my shirt in. Just a personal OCD thing.

@Renn/aissance;8092399

I’m having a bad week with this after the discovery that I’ve worn through the thighs of two pairs of jeans not even a year after buying them, and the crotch seam of both pairs of my FITS breeches. I didn’t have this problem with the stretchiest model of Ariat breeches, but they also had a problem wherein the fabric in the crotch area would lose its stretch.

I’m having a bad time every time I do laundry and have to actually look at the state of my breeches…lol. Will look into the Ariat’s.

[Texarkana]

@devins.designs;8092476

Do the On Course offer breeches with no rib & belt loops? Never tried them before but I prefer non-ribbed breeches and I hate wearing my breeches without a belt…and I have to tuck my shirt in. Just a personal OCD thing.

Yes and yes! Cotton, no rib. They have belt loops on all of the varieties, even though you can’t see the belt loops in the picture for the pull-on style. Although another one of my minor complaints is that the belt loops are on the small side. I have some wider western-type belts I like to wear from time to time and they won’t fit.

All the major tack catalogs usually have them on sale at least once a year. I always try to pick up a pair when they are like $29 instead of full retail, although their full retail price is really affordable.

[North_Dakota]

I rarely if ever ride in anything but full seats so I highly recommend them, and my best wearing pair are hands down my pikeurs. Expensive yes, but I got them in 2008, and they still really good, and fit well. I’ve put them through a lot to, I did the working student thing, then after that was riding 7 days a week on a couple horses a day. I would buy another pair in a second to replace them. I have gotten rid of all my irideons, I wore through the seams on them.

[SecretAgentMaam]

I am so excited to see this thread. I’m a brand new beginner and only own two pairs of breeches. One is a hand-me-down pair of full seat Kerrits, and the only thing I know about them is the size (2XL, and really too big for me, but they work). The other is a pair of TuffRider “starter” knee patch breeches that are the only pair I’ve found that actually fit me, but of course I’ve been wearing them for all of 3 weeks and the inner thighs are already pilling. They are also the cheapest breeches I’ve found ($35!), but that price point isn’t going to sound so great anymore if I have to buy a new pair every month. I’ve spent hours in every tack shop in town trying things on. Devon Aires are way too long. FITS don’t stretch enough in the calves and thighs and also make me feel like I’m walking around naked. Kerrits kind of fit, if I can find the right style, but I don’t know what style that is. Even TuffRiders don’t all fit. An XL in their ventilated riding tights made me feel like a sausage about to burst its casing, even though a 36 in the starter breeches is a bit too big. Who knew buying breeches would be such a trial?

[betonbill]

I have a pair that have developed a few pin holes in the crotch area. I am thinking of digging around and finding an old discard pair of breeches and taking the present pair to a seamstress and having a large patch put in with the material from the discard breeches. Did this once before with several pairs of On Course breeches and it worked really well. Just hate to toss an almost perfectly good pair.

[Gloria]

You need full seat breeches.

[french_fry]

After years of going through inexpensive breeches, I finally realized that I’d rather have fewer pairs of TS that do their job rather than many pairs of subpar breeches.

I now have a couple of pairs of TS that I just wash weekly. I can get about 2-3 wears out of each pair and even then they’re not showing dirt but they start to smell pretty horsey.

[BEARCAT]

My full seats do have the same issue (holes develop just above where the full seat ends.)
Pikeurs are great. I have a pair of 20+ year old that are getting a bit thin in the seat area, but no holes anywhere.

[CLB15]

Love the cheap TuffRider ribbed breeches and how they hold up! Got tired of wearing through multiple FITs every 6 months ($$$) while the TuffRiders last 3 time longer for like 1/6 the price.

[QUOTE=Appsolute;8092117]
I have the same problem as well. All of my breeches are cheaper ones, but over all I find all cotton breeches wear out on the thighs faster than non cotton. Really haven’t had an issue with stitching giving way.

I have some cheap Tuff Rider ribbed knee patch breeches - for me at least these things wear like iron.

Devon Aire / cotton naturals etc - they wear through pretty quick.

Kerrits tights - have been wearing well for me.

And I have some OLD (like from the mid 1990’s!!) Millar’s cotton back breeches. No longer made, these things were THE BEST. Soft cotton on the skin side, TOUGH nylon exterior. I have two pairs that are still in my rotation.

Oh and a tip? I have found using one of those “clothes shavers” on the pilling as soon as it starts seems to slow down the wear out process. My theory is the pilling causes even more wear / catching / snow balling of the pill size. Shaving them off does thin the fabric over time, but I think I buy a little time doing it.[/QUOTE]

[Appsolute]

OP - regarding full seats - DO try some cheap ones before making the leap.

I come from more of an H/J back ground, and for the most part - HATE full seats!!

First, I feel like I am wearing a diaper when I walk around in them. When I ride in a half seat I can feel the full seat stick and catch. I don’t like the extra grip in my upper thigh…

So while some love them, for me, I only wear them when schooling dressage.

[Gloria]

NO, no, no. If you don’t like full seat breeches, you are going to hate cheap full seat breeches. Stay away from the bargain brand and choose those priced at the middle of the spectrum for your first pair.

[Appsolute]

^^^ Okay, perhaps not “cheap” but I have a pair of ariats, and a pair of Tropical Riders (with deer skin) - and I STILL can’t stand full seats. I think there is a reason you do not see them on hunter, or jumper riders that often.