I have these pants, see. I’ve had them for a full decade and there are more fond memories tied up in them than any other piece of clothing I own… but I think that today was their last outing.
Trusty old field pants.
They’re just cheap, lightweight nylon pants from Old Navy but they’ve been everywhere with me. They’ve been coated in mud from the cypress swamps of South Carolina.
First fieldwork, circa 2005.
They were the most comfortable pants to wear over my knee brace when I tore my ACL and had surgery in my last year at Cornell.
Rockin’ out, circa 2007.
They accompanied me on my move to Florida where I made new friends and explored new ecosystems.
My friend Candace and me in some palmetto scrub, circa 2008.
I basically lived in them underneath my waders for two straight summers while I surveyed the beaches of Connecticut for spawning horseshoe crabs. The first of those summers is when I met and fell in love with my Fiasco.
This shot was totally posed, btw. Either 2009 or 2010.
Basically, these pants and I have been through a lot together. Every field class in college, every summer spent outdoors, every hike, boat ride, and camping trip… they were there. They were stretchy enough to see me through a pretty wide range of sizes but now, this year — I’ve lost so much weight that I just can’t wear them anymore.
Baggy, baggy pants.
I’m nearly 70 pounds down and the only thing holding those suckers up is a cloth belt through three belt loops. They’re done and while I know that’s a really good thing, I’m still a little sad. I’m happy that our last outing involved a nice walk on a beautiful day and a siting of some harbor seals sunning themselves on rocks in Narragansett Bay.
That blob is a harbor seal on a rock.
And now it’s time to find new pants worthy of more adventures.
Do you have a particular piece of clothing (handmade or otherwise) that’s worth more to you than the sum of its parts? What’s been inspiring you lately? Leave a comment and share with us!
Woolen Diversions 
What good companions those pants have been! And there could not be a better reason for leaving them behind. Seventy pounds? That is amazing. You deserve a lot of credit.
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Thank you! I’ve had lots of help from diet doctors and my Fiasco cooking healthy foods for me all of the time.
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RIP Pants. I have a drawer full of huge bras. Following surgery for breast cancer 2 years ago they are now obsolete. I hate to see them go. But your post has inspired me to find a bin bag, stuff it with underwear, and take it to the charity shop. RIP Bras.
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My mom experienced something similar with her breast cancer surgery, she gave hers all away, too. Good luck finding a new home for yours! And congrats for beings so far past your surgery!
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That is one of the bittersweet parts of weight loss, isn’t it? Perhaps there’s something you can ‘do’ with them to repurpose them? A sort of cargo tote bag? And congratulations, that kind of weight loss is a marathon all its own!
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Thanks! I think I’ll keep them ‘just in case’ for a while but perhaps someday I’ll make something of them.
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What are you going to make with them? Burn them? Burry them? Cut them into pieces and sew a pillow?
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haha I’m going to keep them as is for a little while but someday I may make something!
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I think it’s time to have Fiasco make you a quilt with them. Perhaps there are a few other clothing items that could also go into a quilt.
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A quilt would be a fun idea! There are plenty of old t-shirts I could make something of, too.
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