Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

I opened this thread expecting to see a SPAM discussion after the OP, but I must say how very CD this thread is! Despite the serious discussion you do have to take a step back and see the bigger picture, and I find it hilarious. (Not the difficulty in finding pockets, but the robotics forum having a serious discussion on women's utility-fashion.)

Kudos

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

I have never been fashion conscious and have recently run into significant issues as a result of this issue. Due to being heat sensitive, I had to trade my jeans at work for light-weight slacks that have no or small pockets. I now have to use a "purse" or "clutch" which I am very uncomfortable with. I lock the purse in one of my file cabinets. When I wear the slacks that have no pockets, I am left with the issue of where to leave the keys for my file cabinet. Do I leave them in my backpack? Do I just carry them around with me and hope I don't forget them?

The issue isn't just about tools, but personal items, particularly in public areas.

It's the worst!! I had to ask our driver to carry my gloves, match schedule, Allen wrenches, and small screw drivers because these could not fit in my "pockets". Don't even get me started on leggings! They are (for some) more comfortable than jeans and I like them because they make long days just a little easier, however there are no pockets! And the ones that do have pockets can barley fit a tube of chapstick!! It's so annoying!! #pocketsforall


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Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

These are definitely issues. We have small tools (mostly allen wrenches) disappear all the time. I use to joke with one of our students (A champs Dean's List Winner) that any tool we were looking for was bound to be in her pockets - she wore overalls to just about every meeting, just for the pocket space. And her mom always complained about the "dents" put in her washing machine by nuts and bolts left in pockets!

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

It sounds to me that some of our more business-inclined FIRSTers should start a business selling practical clothing geared for girls. They'd already have a dedicated niche market.

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

Oh gosh, leggings are the only things worse than girls' pants when it comes to pockets. If your legging are even fortunate enough to have a pocket, it's probably only big enough to fit a tic tac or two, let alone a phone or tool or something actually useful.

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

I think girls everywhere, in and out of FIRST, have been eagerly awaiting this for a long time now.

Besides this, even though I am a guy, I always bring a small backpack a bit bigger than a standard brown bag. It's big enough to carry several tools and things in it, but not too big to get in the way. Even so, it's an okay solution compared to pockets.

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

ChiefDelphi is talking about women's clothing. What a time to be alive.

Hands down, the most frustrating thing for me personally regarding women's pants (and I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned so far) is that I can't fit my wallet in them. Phone fits in my back pocket okay, albeit not very securely...but my wallet not so much. It can be squeezed in, but I'm always terrified it will fall out if I sit down or do anything other than standing up straight. Formal or business casual situations makes this worse (and the depth of the pockets is also worse than jeans), because there are times when it's very inconvenient for me to carry a purse around - weddings, business meetings, career fairs, or anywhere where you have go get your bag checked by security. EDIT: the same problem applies to keys, which are just as essential. Would be great to be able to fit those in my pockets...

Work is another issue - one item that I have to carry around is a 9" long flashlight, and it does NOT like to stay in my pockets. If I had a dollar for every time my flashlight has fallen out of my back pocket in the past month, I could probably buy a pair of pants with large enough pockets.

At events or in the shop, it's surprisingly less bothersome to not have usable pockets. I try to avoid putting tools or small parts in my pockets (easy to forget about them there), and really the only things I need to carry on me is my phone, sharpie, leatherman, and gloves. I have belt clips for the latter two, which while not ideal, is bearable. However, it is very uncomfortable and distracting to have my phone digging into my legs or back pockets when I'm twisting and bending in odd ways to get under a robot. It would also be nice to be able to carry zip ties around without leaving a trial of them behind me.

Unfortunately, women's pants with deep pockets are either a) expensive, b) bulky, c) made from inconvenient materials (either too thin or too thick), or a combination of those three. I wish I could afford to replace all of my work pants with ones with better pockets, but I also don't want to shell out $500 to do it. Women's pants are expensive in general (that's another topic entirely), but work pants or specialty pants with deep pockets are even more expensive, making it less affordable for say, a high school girl looking to carry her tools with her at a robotics competition. Tool belts are a slightly cheaper alternative but are still not always as convenient as having pockets. I wish I could suggest some better alternatives, but all I've got is "belt clips are your friend".

This. I got one free from work and it's crazy useful, for both girls and guys (let's be real, thick gloves are a pain to fit in any size pocket)

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

I have been aware of this problem for many years, but can only imagine having to live directly with it. Even with men's pants/khakis/jeans/etc, I have worn out the pockets, or the pocket area, first on most of my bottoms. A pair of khakis hit the trash can just this week due to irreparable right rear pocket issues (at least if I want to wear them respectably to the office). I have several pants with pockets held together with safety pins or hand stitching.

Loading down a belt has its own issues. At Red Stick this weekend, I felt like I was a D&D adventurer, with my phone on one hip and a camera on the other. I feel bulky enough with these two pouches on my hips; I can see that this would be a non-starter for many women.

On a number of occasions, I have thought of making something that would be a cross between a Sam Browne belt, Batman's utility belt, and a bandolier to use in the shop and at competitions. It would have dozens of pockets and tool slots from left shoulder to just below the right elbow, and across at just below elbow height. I currently keep eight items in my left pocket (plus the occasional "thing that needs replacing"), and way more often than chance would dictate, the item I'm looking for is the seventh or eighth or ninth or tenth that I find.

Cargo shorts: I have one pair, and wear them as often as any other pair of shorts (including right now), but I almost never use the lower patch pockets for anything other than a kerchief or similarly light object, because it feels wrong. I suppose that's why I never bought a second pair.

#pocketsforall
#morepocketsforall
#moreandmoreandmorepocketsforall

This past week, one of our veterans told the rookies something very much like:
"If you have a question, Mr. Gus probably has the answer. If you need something, Mr. Gus probably has it in his pocket."

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

One of the A/V crew that tends to work the regionals out here is known for wearing a khaki utilikilt at least once per event. This year, it fit the theme...

I tend to wear cargo shorts (or cargo pants, if it's cold) at work; not quite so much at robotics events. I generally run water bottle on one side and gloves on the other (if they aren't on my hands). Dickies, FWIW.


Kara, I think you might want a flashlight holster--a lot of the smaller Maglite varieties and knockoffs of those come with one or have one available. The only issue is needing to wear a belt.

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

I was going to suggest Duluth Trading pants too. As a woman who occasionally gets down on the ground, I want my pants to not only have pockets but also maintain a certain level of professionalism. Hard to do at times but the Duluth pants seem to work OK.

Trying to Help

Brighid

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

YES!

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

pls don't try this in college

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

This is my go-to! I have a fanny pack that I always wear at competitions, otherwise I'm carting around a back pack all day. You can find all kinds of sizes and styles these days (I have two from Amazon) and they are incredibly convenient.

Re: Pockets on Women's Pants
 

Good news for you don't even own a pair nor have I ever owned a pair.