In this article we discuss the best gusseted crotch work pants. For some jobs, having pants with a gusseted crotch really makes life a lot easier for bending, kneeling, sitting, and crouching.
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These are my choices for the best gusseted crotch work pants:
- Carhartt Men’s Ripstop Cargo Work Pants (click here to view)
- 1620 Workwear Made in USA Gusseted Utility Pants (click here to view)
- Wrangler Riggs Workwear Men’s Ranger Pants (click here to view)
- 5.11 Tactical Men’s Apex Cargo Work Pants (click here to view)
- Duluth Trading Co. Men’s DuluthFlex Fire Hose Relaxed Cargo Pants (click here to view)
- Diamond Gusset Jeans Co. Men’s Canvas Utility Pants (click here to view)
- Wrangler Riggs Workwear Men’s Carpenter Pants (click here to view)
- Caterpillar Men’s Operator Flex Trouser (click here to view)
- *Women’s* 5.11 Tactical Women’s Stryke Stretch Cargo Pants (click here to view)
- *Women’s* Dovetail Workwear Utility Women’s Work Pants (click here to view)
As you probably already know, a gusset panel is added to certain stress points of a garment to help increase mobility. A crotch gusset allows for more freedom of movement, and it prevents pants from grabbing and yanking tight against the crotch while you bend and work.
Here’s a look at the crotch gusset in my summer work pants:
This list of gusseted crotch work pants contains both cotton work pants and flex-blend work pants. And it includes cargo pants and more traditional carpenter pants so that you can find a style that works for you.
Below, let’s take a closer look at some of these gusseted crotch pants so you can have a better idea which one might work best for you.
***In this article we discuss gusseted crotch pants. If you are interested in gusseted crotch work jeans, visit our article about the best gusseted crotch jeans.
Best Gusseted Crotch Work Pants
Carhartt Gusseted Crotch Work Pants
Carhartt is a trusted name in workwear, and a brand that many workers prefer to wear. The good news for you if you prefer gusseted crotch pants is Carhartt has a wide selection of options to choose from.
Carhartt’s Ripstop Cargo Work Pants are a very popular pair of Carhartt work pants that have a gusseted crotch. Here’s what they look like (multiple colors available):
This is the current price of these Carhartt work pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Expect these pants to fit true to size. Here are some details for these pants:
- Ripstop Cotton – These Carhartt Cargo Pants are made using a 100% cotton 9.25-ounce ripstop fabric. This type of fabric is woven in a way that helps prevent tearing and ripping.
- Double Knee – These pants have a reinforced double knee with knee pad pockets that can hold knee pad inserts.
- Pockets – This pant has standard front and back pockets, and also has multiple utility pockets and multiple cargo pockets. It also has a hammer loop.
- Gusseted Crotch – These pants do have a gusseted crotch for freedom of movement.
Click here to buy these Carhartt Ripstop Cargo Pants at Carhartt.com (affiliate link takes you to Carhartt.com). These pants have a loose, relaxed fit that won’t hug tight against your legs.
***If you prefer cargo pants for work, visit our article about the Best Cargo Work Pants.
The Carhartt Men’s Force Tappen Cargo Pants are another popular pair of work pants with a gusseted crotch. These pants are made with 7-ounce ripstop fabric, which is a lighter-weight fabric than the first pair of Carhartt pants we just covered.
These are nice summer work pants. Here’s what they look like (multiple colors available):
This is the current price of these Carhartt lightweight work pants at Carhartt.com (affiliate link takes you to Carhartt.com). These pants have side cargo pockets, including a zip-close pocket on the right leg.
As I said above, these are great summer work pants, and actually do make our list for the best work pants for hot weather. There are two main reasons why these are nice summer work pants.
- Ligthweight Fabric – Most Carhartt pants use 9-ounce or up to 12-ounce cotton fabric. These pants use a lighter-weight 7-ounce cotton, which allows your legs to breathe a little bit.
- Moisture Wicking – These moisture wicking work pants are designed to wick sweat away from your body to help keep you dry in the summer heat.
The tradeoff here compared to heavyweight pants is obviously toughness. Seven-ounce fabric is about as light weight as you can find for work gear. If you are concerned maybe 7-ounce fabric is too lightweight, sticking with the first Carhartt pants on this list may be best.
But even though this fabric is very lightweight, it still has some toughness that can help it last on a job site. It is made with ripstop fabric to help discourage tears, and it has reinforced belt loops for added toughness.
Click here to buy these Carhartt lightweight gusseted crotch pants at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants have a relaxed fit with a straight leg opening. Expect a true-to-size fit.
Duluth Trading Co. Gusseted Crotch Work Pants
Duluth Trading is a workwear brand established in 1989, but has really gained steam during the recent decade. One thing I personally like about Duluth is they offer a wide range of work clothing, with unique products that other companies won’t produce.
Duluth has A LOT of gusseted crotch work pants to choose from, in several different types of fits. They make it well known on their website that they want to help you prevent “crushing the family jewels”. Click here to view the entire selection of Duluth gusseted crotch work pants.
Perhaps their most popular type of gusseted crotch pants are their “DuluthFlex Fire Hose Relaxed Cargo Pants”. These pants are made with Duluth’s “fire hose” fabric that provides the durability needed for a job site.
Click here to view these DuluthFlex Fire Hose Relaxed Cargo Pants at DuluthTrading.com. These pants have a water and stain-resistant finish.
They are made with a flex blend to give them some stretch, which in addition to the gusseted crotch, helps you bend and work comfortably. These are pre-washed pants which gives them a broken-in feeling on the first wear.
As I mentioned above, Duluth has a large selection of gusseted crotch work pants. Another popular option are the Duluth Men’s Flexpedition Relaxed Fit Cargo Pants. Click here to view these pants.
This pant has a crotch gusset that is larger than many of the other pants on this list. Overall, your takeaway for Duluth should be that they have a wide variety of gusseted crotch pants, so you can likely find one that meets your needs on the job.
5.11 Tactical Men’s Apex Cargo Work Pants
5.11 is well known for making tactical service clothing, and many of their pants also function well as work pants. These pants are low-profile cargo pants, meaning the pockets on these pants have a sleek, non-bulky design.
Here’s what these 5.11 work pants look like:
This is the current price of these 5.11 cargo work pants at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants have a straight fit that runs true to size.
Here are some of the details for these pants:
- Flex Fabric – These pants are made using a flexible poly/cotton material blend that will move with your body to help increase your freedom of movement.
- Gusseted Crotch – These pants do have a fully gusseted crotch for comfort while bending, kneeling and crouching.
- Comfort Waistband – The waistband in these pants use a comfort flex panel so that it moves as you move. This is another feature, along with the flex material and the gusseted crotch, that make these pants easy to move around in.
- Stain/Water Resistant – These pants have a teflon finish that is stain and soil resistant. They’re also water-resistant. Don’t plan on taking on a monsoon in these pants, but they will give you protection against light precipitation.
- Pockets – This pant has 10 total pockets, including some zippered pockets and a phone pocket.
Click here to buy these 5.11 gusseted crotch work pants at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Again, these pants have a straight fit that runs true-to-size.
Wrangler Riggs Workwear Men’s Carpenter Pants
Wrangler has a specific line of clothing dedicated to workwear called Wrangler Riggs Workwear. The Wrangler Riggs men’s carpenter pants are very popular and do have a gusseted crotch.
Here’s what these Wrangler pants look like (multiple colors available):
This is the current price of these Wrangler gusseted crotch work pants at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants are 100% cotton and have a relaxed fit that won’t hug tight against your legs.
Here are some of the details for these pants:
- Ripstop Cotton – These Wrangler Pants are made using a 100% cotton ripstop fabric. This type of fabric is woven in a way that helps prevent tearing and ripping.
- Gusseted Crotch – Yes, these Wrangler pants do have a fully gusseted crotch for comfort while bending, kneeling and crouching.
- Pockets – This pant has deep front pockets, a side utility pocket, and a hammer loop. The right front pocket is reinforced to handle a tape measure clip.
- Carpenter Style – These pants are classic carpenter pants and are available in several colors, including regular denim jeans.
Click here to buy these Wrangler Carpenter Pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Again, these pants have a relaxed fit that runs true-to-size.
Caterpillar Men’s Operator Flex Trouser
Caterpillar is another well-known name in industrial equipment and workwear. The Caterpillar Men’s Operator Flex Trouser puts an emphasis on freedom of movement, and has several different types of gusset panels through the pants to help with movement.
Here’s what these Caterpillar Flex Trousers look like (multiple colors available):
This is the current price of these Caterpillar gusseted crotch work pants at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants are designed, in part, to help those who spend most of their day sitting, operating equipment.
Here are some of the details for these pants:
- Flex Fabric – These pants are made using a flexible poly/cotton/spandex material blend that will move with your body to help increase your freedom of movement.
- Gusseted Crotch – Yes, these Caterpillar pants do have a fully gusseted crotch for comfort while bending, kneeling, sitting and crouching.
- Extra Gussets – In addition to the crotch gusset, these pants also have a side waist gussets, and knee gussets for added mobility.
- Pockets – These pants have standard front and back pockets, and also have multiple utility pockets and a cargo pocket. One of the utility pockets is a zip-close pocket, and gives you a place to store essentials.
Click here to buy these Caterpillar Flex Gusseted Crotch Work Pants available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). These pants have a standard fit that runs true-to-size.
Types of Crotch Gussets
As you probably know, a crotch gusset is extra material sewn into the crotch to add comfort and flexibility to your pants. But not all gussets are made the same, and the size of a gusset can vary dramatically.
Diamond Shaped Gusset
The most common type of gusset found in gusseted crotch work pants is a diamond-shaped gusset that is usually confined to the crotch area and does not extend the full length of the leg. Here I am wearing an example of this type of diamond-shaped gusset:
Full Length Gusset
But there are also pants that have a more dramatic gusset that runs all the way to the knee (or sometimes all the way down the leg). This is often referred to as an inseam gusset. For example, here I am wearing a pair of inseam gusset pants that I own:
This type of gusset is also often referred to as a “running gusset”. As I mentioned above, in work pants, it is more typical to find the diamond-shaped gusset. Both add comfort, and I honestly have a tough time noticing a significant difference between the two when I’m on the job.
The full-length gussets can be a bit more responsive, and can be common in types of tactical pants and types of hiking pants. First responders that wear tactical pants need responsiveness, and the ability to freely run, and so the full length gusset is often used for extra freedom of movement.
For other workers who just need a gusseted crotch work pants for bending and crouching while working, the diamond-shaped gusset provides the needed space and does not take up the whole length of the leg. Again, in my experience, both can be fine for most all types of jobs.
***In this article we discussed gusseted crotch pants. To read more about work pants, visit our article about the Best Work Pants Made in the USA.