You don’t have to tell us. Workwear is great. It’s comfortable, rugged, and usually priced right.
What nobody ever saw coming, us included, was workwear turning into some kind of fashion statement. Really.
Sure, hard-working Americans have always known that workwear does the job better and for less money than its fashion industry counterparts do it, but there used to be more daylight between the two.
Now, it seems everyone is wearing workwear, and not just to work. Various subcultures have adopted it, like skateboarding, snowboarding, and hip hop to name a few.
Even celebrities like to throw on some familiar brands from time to time. It’s getting… weird?
The upside is that workwear costs have managed to stay down. You can’t say the same for high-fashion, where t-shirts start around $100.
Yes, seriously. I’ve seen it. It’s crazy.
Still, workwear clothing isn’t free. Dropping cash on rugged work clothes can be a painful, but necessary expense. After all, you also have some actual skin in the game when it comes to wearing apparel that protects you.
You want to know, however, that your money is well spent. You want clothing that lasts, but also fits right. It shouldn’t be fitted for a celebrity’s body.
There is one brand which does this well compared to other brands. They might not be the most popular brand outside labor industries, but who cares? In fact, that’s a good thing if you ask some of their fans.
That brand, Walls, covers you as well if not better than the other brands. They do for a reasonable price, and with styles that are not only rugged and comfortable but they also fit a normal human body.
Why Walls workwear is awesome
Go ahead, ask the obvious question: Why Walls? After all, their story isn’t much different than many other workwear manufacturers.
They came into the fray around the time when America was growing rapidly, and machines were expensive and uncommon. For businesses who wanted to move mountains, it meant they needed labor.
That was 1938. A man named George Walls (aha!) started out making coveralls, a workwear classic if you follow our blogs. There are several brands that started out by making coveralls, but back to Walls.
Like other brands, Walls spread on reputation, first in the oil and gas industries, then into ranches and farms, and later into hunting. Today, Walls even makes flame resistant workwear.
Like many American brands, Walls figured out that manufacturing their clothing stateside was a challenge so one of the big ways they save money is by outsourcing their production.
Their other secret is they are no longer the small company run by one person. In 2013, Walls became part of a larger company of apparel manufacturers, Williamson-Dickie MFG. Co. You may have heard of them…
Walls clothing versus Dickies
Key to the Walls story is that last piece. The Williamson-Dickie company is the same company that owns Dickies workwear.
If you want to compare Walls to Dickies, know that you are comparing apples to apples, sorta. Walls still has its own team, and unique brand look, but it’s not that unique. They both produce workwear.
You can substitute Walls for many jobs you might have preferred Dickies, and still have favorable results. But, many workers will feel more comfortable in Walls because of their fit.
In the Williamson-Dickie catalog, Dickies is the more promoted, more mainstream, and consequently less expensive option. It’s also the more fitted of the two. Not everybody prefers fitted.
But, if what you need is tough as nails quality, like the stuff you grandpa’s grandpa wore, and something that keeps you from thinking about your clothes all day (because they fit right) then Walls wins every time.
Take Dickies’ insulated Bib overalls versus Walls’ version. The Dickies are cheaper by over $30, but the duck in the Dickies version is 8-ounce versus the 12 in Walls’ bibs.
You can immediately see (feel?) where your savings goes, into the comfort.
The Dickies bibs are fine if you don’t need something tough and warm, but if you plan to wear them hunting all day in Minnesota, Walls are where it’s at.
Simply put, your dollar per ounce of duck, goes further with Walls. And it’s a half to a third of the cost you’d spend for something similar (and less reliable) from the department store.
Walls coats versus Carhartt’s
When you get outside the Williamson-Dickie family of brands, you find an interesting scenario in Carhartt.
Compared to Dickies, less experienced workers will often pick Dickies on cost alone. More affordable is more affordable, but Carhartt offers a similar cut and look as Dickies.
It’s just that they do it at a slightly higher price. But, when you put a brand like Walls in the ring with Carhartt, things get interesting.
We covered the differences in more detail in this blog: You Asked For it: Carhartt vs. Walls
Take those same Walls bib overalls from the last section, comparing them with the Carhartt version. On cost, they’re equal. They also both come with 12-ounces of cotton duck and most of the same features.
It’s an even match if you don’t consider their respective cuts.
The Carhartt brand of clothes will fit more like Dickies, whereas the Walls is cut more the normal human body. No workouts and special diets are required to slide on Walls’ bibs.
It’s the same with their coats. The barn coat from Walls is a stone-washed duck compared to the bulletproof (not really) duck used by Carhartt to make their quilt-lined coat.
Sure, you’ll save a few bucks with the Walls coat, which is nice, but you’ll also be able to work in it because you can move.
It’s designed to fit your body, not a mannequin’s. That’s not to say the Carhartt coat is weak. It’s darn tough, but maybe too tough for some folks.
Walls hunting clothing versus Berne’s
When it comes to hunting, there is no metric for clothing that matters more than comfort, maybe visibility, but comfort is way up there.
It’s not, comfort at any cost. If money were no issue, you’d build a climate controlled platform from which to hunt. Maybe you already have one.
If you’re more like there rest of us, you’ll want a pair of bibs that keep your knees from going numb, and a coat that will keep you dry and warm all day.
You could go with Berne’s quilt-lined bibs. They go for a little less than Walls insulated bibs, but you’ll miss out on details like double-reinforced knees and Walls’ Blizzard-Pruf® lining.
If it’s hunting we’re talking about Berne has a solid reputation for good hunting gear, slathered in all the best camo. But, they don’t have a camo coat that does what the Walls one does, not as comfortably.
Berne makes a solid 12-ounce duck chore coat, not in camo, which is a steal compared to Walls’ version, but like the Carhartt comparison you have to consider your comfort.
It’s no good to be warm if you feel like the kid in the movie, “A Christmas Story.”
You could buy Walls clothing at Walmart…
For the record, if it wasn’t already obvious, Walls is not Walmart’s self-branded workwear. This is a point of confusions when shoppers find Walls in their local Walmart.
It happens. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Walmart and many local big box style stores carry Walls, but not in the same way we do.
Buying from a brick and mortar means digging through their racks in hopes that they have something in your size. Forget about whether or not it’s the clothing item you want, you’re just looking for the right fit.
Right there you can do better online. When you order through us, for example, you see only what people are buying from a brand. We don’t carry brands or cuts we can’t sell.
Also, we have the data to refine our list of products to the most popular, and what lasts in workwear is what lasts in the wild.
Working folks don’t have time or money for clothes that fall apart. So, if it’s in our catalog, you know you’re not just pulling last year’s rejects off someone’s rack in hopes of finding a size you can tolerate.
By that same measurement, if it’s something your local store doesn’t have in stock, you have two options. You can write it off as tough luck or drive around town to see if the other locations have it.
If we’re out of something, and you want it, we order it… like right now or shortly after right now.
Orders like this arrive at our warehouse hot and fresh, shipped to you as soon as we receive them. Try asking for that from your local store next time they’re out of something.
Save on gas money. Save on headaches. Order your Walls workwear from the seat of your pants.
Before we close this blog… None of this is to say which of these brands will hold up longer. Mileage varies from user to user, and brand performance does too.
Just know that Walls does it more comfortably, with cuts designed for real people and not celebrities or models. And, they’ll do it tough.
Their promise is “tough as nails,” when it comes to the durability of their workwear. That’s a big claim, one that only a company willing to back it up is willing to say.
Let me see if Walls workwear is for me.
About the Author
Nick Warrick
Nick Warrick is the Sales Manager at All Seasons Uniforms. With over 15 years of experience in the work uniform business, he has worked with hundreds of clients across 20 different industries. Holding bachelor’s degrees in both Business Administration and Information Technology, Nick revamped the company’s online presence, offering its customers a new uniform shopping experience.