Utility Chaps Pant Overalls

Half the pants for twice the price. Chaps for chaps...or chapettes.

Overalls are over all.  What if you just needed some additional protection and coverage in the exposed work regions?

Here is the chaps pant. Milled out and parsed to the essential elements needed fo withstand heavy work and provide a comfortable working environment.

When you need a place to wipe off that paint, polyurethane glue or roofing tar you just got on your hands,  plant it on your chaps, reserve your sleeves for your runny nose.

Also available with the extended bib option if you are really messy.

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Step 1: Honeydewit Pants...

Here are photos of my "work" pants as I do odd jobs around the house.

They are a comfortable pair of knakis that real men don't seem to want to toss out(like my sweatshirts) and serendipiously situated itself to be the sacrificial wiping rag on numerous occasions.

From statistical analysis we can determine the pattern of wear or use on the pair of pants.

Yup, chaps seem to be the solution for our problem( there really is no problem).

I tried using an apron, especially when doing some paper mache projects, you really can't get up and down without the apron not falling in the right place.  The weight of the apron hangs on the neck band and I found it uncomfortable.

In doing stuff requiring you to get on your knees, I'm talking about plumbing or gardening but work at the office with the boss also applies, I have not found a comfortable pair of kneepads.  Yes, kneecaps sweat and elastic retaining bands are restrictive and cut off circulation.  Attach them too loose and they never fall in the right place when your knees hit the floor.

So with that in mind, is the the design considerations for our chaps overalls.

Step 2: Looking Good...

So with the pants template, I used Sketchbook to design my chaps overalls.

With freehand sketch and the mouse, I outlined the chaps.

It would be a front piece secured around the back by an adjustable belt.

The chaps overalls are cropped at the upper ankle. There would be a loose cuff or band at the knee.  It fits around your normal pants and does not compress.  It is made from a ventilated flexible fabric so it will not bind when the knee bends.  The opening should be easy enough for you to step into with boots when you wear it.

Just below the kneecap is a set of kneepads built into the pants.  They are of a flexible thin high density foam like a mousepad or memory foam.  If hardshell skater pads are desired, then the hard shell will be segmented pieces so it can form around the knee pressed in behind the padding. The pads can be removable to replace or taken out to wash the garment.  

There are cargo pockets just above the knee.

There are smaller strip pockets just over where your normal pants pockets are.

These are only used to place your pencil and to clip in your tape measure or a small power tool when not in use when you are on a ladder.  Wear a regular tool belt if you are bringing out the big guns.

The seat and back of the legs are exposed.  Freedom!

Step 3: Dress It Up...

By creating a new layer in Sketchbook, I was able to sketch out the chaps overalls by following the outline of the original pants.

You can then hide the template layer and work with what you drew.

There are various color tools used to fill in the design.

I was trying to go for a denim look for the lining by filling with blue and synthetic brush speckling it with a gray.

The duck utility cloth outside is an Instructables Robot kinda mustardy orange with spicier brown mustard pockets.  

The selection of Betabrand stock fabrics would make a nice line of executive, academic and disco chaps overalls.

Chaps overalls in real leather might be a little too much Village People crew look, not that there's anything wrong with that.

You can play around with the transparency of the layer to show the look.

I added some text notes to identify the parts.