Exact same thing happens to every pair of jeans I've ever owned after about 6 months of heavy use.

I've had similar experiences with Levi's. I think they're symptomatic of the fit not being great around the thighs. (Or maybe planned obsolescence, who knows?) I've switched to Urban Star jeans from Costco -- they're much more comfortable (2-4% Lycra), arguably look nicer, cost less than $20, and also last me longer than Levi's.

PS: For those worried about Costco membership costs, just buying a couple of these jeans every year (compared to Levi's) is kind of breaking even on a Costco membership ;-)

There seem to be real difference in how Jeans are made. I wish I understood the specifics. Wrangler Jeans tend to be pretty durable. Many other brands struggle to make it 6 months. Does anyone have any idea what the difference is here?

It is, repairing it is what's called darning.

But the reason I find it worth it to repair my raw denim jeans is that they're so much thicker than regular jeans (e.g. Levi's), which means:

- It takes a lot longer to develop holes

- Once you finish darning a hole, the darned part is the same thickness as the rest of the jean (on "thin" normal jeans it would stand out as much thicker)

- A separate issue is entire sections "wearing out", particularly crotch and knees, just a 4x4 inch area getting so thin it essentially disappears, and you can't really darn that. That doesn't really happen with raw denim because it's so thick to begin with

(I'm pretty sure you can also buy raw denim that is thin, I've seen $100 raw denim jeans like that, but for me that defeats the whole purpose.)

I've had the same exact problem with Levis, I don't buy them anymore for that reason.

Are you wearing loose jeans or skinny jeans?

The nice fabric ones that I've had from tommy bahama, levis, etc that were "soft" wear out quickly. The rough ones I have like dickies and some levis are fine. My dickies last longer.

I think the distressed denim really weakens it.