Hickory Stripe or Blue Bibs?

[in-too-deep]

Always thought the striped bib overalls were worn by engineers of steam and big gas tractors and blue denim was for plain old farmers and laborers. Is this true? Which do you wear and why? Been thinkin about getting some.
 

[dboll]

I like the blue ones. Someone gave me a pair of Liberty's, they are the worst ones I have owned. Grandpa always wore Big Bens or Penneys. I have a pair of Dickies that are pretty comfortable. I just wear them in the spring and fall, blue jeans in the summer and insulated bibs in the winter
 

[kyhayman]

Never cared for them. Seems that no matter what I do they end up crawling around and twisting up. I'll stick to jeans.
 

[ShadetreeRet]

Now that you mention it,I have always been slightly curious about that myself. Guess I will have to research it now.
But, you are right, in that railroad engineers, etc. wore the striped and most others plain blue. At a dealership where I worked, we had a customer who would bring his truck in for service and he wore the striped overalls and cap. I asked him one day what he did for a living. He said that he was a Ferro-Equine Engineer. Took me a minute to figure out that he meant "Iron Horse". Dad wore bib overalls, and as a result I was forced to also. When I was about seven, I talked them into letting me wear regular jeans, a few years later Dad switched to jeans also. Never went back.
 

[bradley martin]

I wear both. The hickory stripe seem to be cooler in summer, but they do show stains more than the blue denim. I also frequently pull on the hickory ones to go to town. Both my Dad and Grandfather wore both. My wife, who teaches fashion design at the local community college, says vertical stripes makes the wearer appear slimmer, so there you go for a good reason to wear the hickory stripe!!! I did walk in to the U.S. Customs at Pt. Huron Mi one day last summer to clear a load dressed in hickory stripe and the officer's first question to me was" Are you an engineer or a carpenter?"
 

[flambeauone]

Use to wear denim but all I got now is carhartt canvas looking ones. Most I grew up with wore denim. The Pointer brand factory is in my home town (Bristol Tn.) so most everyone knew someone who worked there and theyve always made both denim and striped so everyone had the choice. I guess I didnt know any engineers.lol
 

[Bruce from Can.]

I wear the stripped ones the most, they are lighter and cooler in summer. Wear bibs every day doing chores. Around here the stripped ones are called Dairy Stripe. Got the wife a new pair of Insulated bib overalls for a 30th wedding aniversery gift, and have lived to tell about it.Hey , she looks happy. Bruce

 

[K-Mo]

I go with hickory stripe. I believe cooler in the summer and the stripes make me look taller.
I used to buy Key or Liberty overalls from the farms store, but it very time I bought the next pair they were different. The last time they put a "T" type catch on the suspenders. I think they buy them from whatever over seas source will make then the cheapest. I searched the internet for a different brand and found Round House. They have a wide range of designs and they are Made in the USA. To make the deal sweeter, I get them delivered to my door for a couple dollars less than the retail price of the imports at the farm store.
 

[BIG RUH]

I wear the blue denim in the winter because they just keep me warmer and they are comfortable
 

[rabbit]

My late uncle used to wear blues for daily farm work. Had a pair of grey striped ones for "dress up" wear.
 

[Nancy Howell]

The liquid chlorox II is pretty good for removing stains, especially oil/grease. Put some directly on the stain, work in a bit and let sit for at least 24hrs. Then wash in hot water. This has been very successful for me.

I've even been able to remove old spots using CII.
 

[Russ from MN]

Carpenter bibs used to be striped, don't know if you can even buy them anymore.
 

[sdc eastern ia]

Bib's helped me get fat. Or a least thats my excuse. When my belly got bigger I'd just unbutton the sides. Also keeps your hands warm (Busy)wink:)
 

[bradley martin]

Hi Nancy: thanks for the tip. We have found the Liquid Tide w/bleach alternative brand to work very well. As you say, put it on the stain, let it soak, then put on hot soak cycle in washing machine and usually good to go. Nonetheless, I seem to find some things to get into that are really nasty! There seem to be some severe stains that only time and subsequent washes seem to slow fade. And they do seem to show more on the matress ticking (hickory stripe) than the denim.
 

[FrankDDavis]

My wife would prefer that I to burn all my blue bibs and never buy any more. Oshkosh (sp) was my brand until they quit making adult bibs. I get a lot of grief from my Yankee in-laws so I wear bibs just to embarrass them when we go to the opera. Frank