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We’re in the dog days of summer now, which means languishing in that liminal sartorial space where we’re still sweating in 5-inch shorts and Birkenstock EVAs but dreaming of flannel. Well, I’m personally dreaming of flannel, but if we’re talking about menswear sites, newsletters and Instagram accounts, you can’t scroll through any of those from now through Thanksgiving without getting bombarded with odes to a different fabric: waxed canvas.
We’ve waxed poetic about waxed jackets countless times ourselves. And sure, I personally own Flint & Tinder’s flannel-lined standby, which hasn’t let me down yet. But in our rush to dress like a British noble with a manor house encircled by ample hunting grounds, we’ve unnecessarily limited our scope when it comes to the parts of our wardrobe that can take a beating and look good doing it. There are other rugged fabrics worth adding to your rotation when layering season begins. My under-the-radar pick? Fire Hose from Duluth Trading Co.
Fire Hose is essentially a next-generation version of classic duck canvas cloth, which has been a workwear staple for decades. What sets traditional duck canvas apart from other fabrics is its tighter weave, which makes it stronger. But what sets Duluth Trading’s proprietary Fire Hose apart from regular duck is that they wanted to make “something more durable and more flexible right out of the package,” as Ricker Schlecht, senior vice president of product, merchandising and inventory, told me. To accomplish that goal, they looked to “old fire hoses, and the fabric used to wrap them,” as that specific type of weave was able to expand and contract significantly (as the fire hoses went from limp to gushing with water) while also being puncture resistant. After some R&D, Duluth Trading unveiled their trademark Fire Hose in 2003.
Since that time, it’s become a favorite of construction workers and mechanics alike, as Duluth Trading is first and foremost promoting their Fire Hose workwear to people whose job requires clothing that can withstand serious wear and tear. But I’m here to tell you: you don’t need to include yourself in that camp to add this superior fabric to your closet.
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Dissecting spring outerwear, one menswear icon at a timeDon’t be deterred by the function-first naming and styling, either. I’ve owned a pair of the DuluthFlex Fire Hose Relaxed Fit Foreman Pants in the timeless brown canvas color for almost a year now, and they’ve become my go-to pair when the day calls for any amount of dust, dirt or grime. Going on a hike? Fire Hose. Digging around in the garden or fixing my lawn mower, pretending like I know what I’m doing? Fire Hose. Driving to the cabin for a weekend of fishing, biking and general mucking about? One pair of Fire Hose is all I need (okay, maybe a swimsuit and some sweats too).
So which pants are right for you? I got some intel from Schlecht about the different versions of the fabric they’ve released in the last 20 years. And after months of putting them through the wringer (and the literal washing machine) myself, I have some personal recommendations too.
Fire Hose vs. DuluthFlex vs. Sweat Management vs. HD
There are four main types of Fire Hose fabric:
- Fire Hose: This is the original, made of 11.5-ounce, 100% cotton canvas.
- DuluthFlex Fire Hose: A little lighter and a little stretchier, at 8 ounces with a 97% cotton, 3% spandex split.
- DuluthFlex Fire Hose Sweat Management: A sweat-wicking option that stays cooler than other versions. This is also an 8-ounce weight but made of 57% cotton, 40% polyester and 3% spandex.
- DuluthFlex Fire Hose HD: The most durable of the bunch, designed to resist rips and abrasion with a 10-ounce weight and 68% cotton, 29% polyester and 3% nylon mix.
I’ve only tested two of these fabrics in pants, the DuluthFlex Fire Hose and the Fire Hose HD. (Though I’ve worn the original Fire Hose in jacket form — more on that below.) While the HD fabric is undeniably the better option if you’re doing manual labor and solely focused on durability, I preferred the DuluthFlex Fire Hose for its ability to be both remarkably comfortable (whereas the polyester added to the HD gives it a rougher texture, and it feels much stiffer) and plenty rugged. After almost a year of beating my pair up, I can see a little wear starting to show in the knees, but that’s it. Others love it too: the DuluthFlex Cargo Work Pants are the best-selling Fire Hose product, according to Schlecht.
A note on sizing: From my own experience, the DuluthFlex Fire Hose does shrink considerably after a few washes. I normally wear a 32-inch inseam, but my 34-inch inseam Fire Hose pants currently fit perfectly, as the length shortened a good amount after going through the wash. Meanwhile, the Fire Hose HD pants I also got with a 34 inseam, but they barely shrunk at all. As Schlecht notes, the fiber composition of the HD fabric means “it has the ability to be dyed (for color) at very high temperatures to create extreme color retention and prevent fabric shrinkage.” So I should have gone with my standard 32 inseam for those.
What’s the Best Fire Hose Gear?
Duluth knows a hit when it has one on its hands, so they’ve put Fire Hose on everything: hats, wallets, car seat covers. But these are the pieces I’ve actually worn myself and recommend:
Don’t be dissuaded by the styling on the product page: you don’t need to be installing roof shingles to love these pants. The relaxed fit here is really just slightly loose (a perfect fit for our post-slim era), the classic brown canvas color is easily paired with whatever else you’re working with this fall (the other colors I can take or leave, but the fatigue green available in the cargo pants is great), and they’ve got a little extra functionality that I appreciate (back leg pocket, extra zipper pocket in front).
Again, the way Duluth Trading has styled it on the product page may not sell you on the jacket, but just look at its bonafides: metal shanks, double chest pockets, gussets for ease of movement when chopping wood (or playing cornhole). We’re dealing with the classic, beefy 11.5-ounce canvas here, made of 100% cotton and unlined, making it perfect for layering. Waxed canvas is good, but the Fire Hose Trucker over a hoodie or cable-knit sweater? Those are the fall layers I’ll be reaching for.
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