I have had my Draggin jeans and Kevlar shirt for about 10 years and time for some new ones. The US company was the originator, however there is an Australian company that makes them as well, but at twice the price. I am willing to pay to cover my ass, however is there justification for the price differential?
I asked both companies, and only the Yanks answered. Here is his reply:
I don’t have a diagram of the Kevlar placement. We have definitely added more Kevlar since you purchased yours ten years ago! J The seat coverage extends from hip seam to hip seam around the back, then from the yoke to several inches below the seat. We do not add extra Kevlar in front of the side seam (front of hip), because crash data shows you are unlikely to slide on your hip (you would begin to roll) and it unnecessarily raises the price of the jeans. The knee coverage depends on the style. The Classic style covers the knee from the inside seam to about two inches past the outside seam with about a foot of coverage fro top to bottom. The Relaxed and Utility styles (since they have a looser cut and could shift) have Kevlar that wraps completely around the knee (front and back).
I am not terribly familiar with the Aussie jeans (since they are not affiliated with us, we are the original Draggin’ Jeans), so I can’t speak to their specifics. We use 13.5 ounce 100% Kevlar in Draggin’ Jeans. The knit we use is patented and greatly contributes to the abrasion resistance the Kevlar provides in our design (the inventor of Draggin’ Jeans and the founder of our company was a textile engineer in addition to an avid motorcyclist). All genuine Kevlar is made in the USA (and is carefully controlled by DuPont). However, as you noted, not all weights are knits are equally protective. We invented the now famous drag test because lab tests cannot duplicate the continuous, one direction slide experienced in a motorcycle accident. As the inventors of Kevlar motorcycle jeans, we have the most experience of any of our competitors.
We use a synthetic thread on the seams (for greater flexibility and tensile strength) and have double or triple stitching on all seams. We’ve had no issues with unexpected thread degradation over time (as I’m sure you know if you still have a ten year old pair of our Draggin’ Jeans!). All of our Draggin’ products are Made in the USA with high quality, hand-cut craftsmanship.
I asked both companies, and only the Yanks answered. Here is his reply:
I don’t have a diagram of the Kevlar placement. We have definitely added more Kevlar since you purchased yours ten years ago! J The seat coverage extends from hip seam to hip seam around the back, then from the yoke to several inches below the seat. We do not add extra Kevlar in front of the side seam (front of hip), because crash data shows you are unlikely to slide on your hip (you would begin to roll) and it unnecessarily raises the price of the jeans. The knee coverage depends on the style. The Classic style covers the knee from the inside seam to about two inches past the outside seam with about a foot of coverage fro top to bottom. The Relaxed and Utility styles (since they have a looser cut and could shift) have Kevlar that wraps completely around the knee (front and back).
I am not terribly familiar with the Aussie jeans (since they are not affiliated with us, we are the original Draggin’ Jeans), so I can’t speak to their specifics. We use 13.5 ounce 100% Kevlar in Draggin’ Jeans. The knit we use is patented and greatly contributes to the abrasion resistance the Kevlar provides in our design (the inventor of Draggin’ Jeans and the founder of our company was a textile engineer in addition to an avid motorcyclist). All genuine Kevlar is made in the USA (and is carefully controlled by DuPont). However, as you noted, not all weights are knits are equally protective. We invented the now famous drag test because lab tests cannot duplicate the continuous, one direction slide experienced in a motorcycle accident. As the inventors of Kevlar motorcycle jeans, we have the most experience of any of our competitors.
We use a synthetic thread on the seams (for greater flexibility and tensile strength) and have double or triple stitching on all seams. We’ve had no issues with unexpected thread degradation over time (as I’m sure you know if you still have a ten year old pair of our Draggin’ Jeans!). All of our Draggin’ products are Made in the USA with high quality, hand-cut craftsmanship.