This guide explains the main styles and helps you match them to the work.
Holster pocket trousers
Holster pockets hang from the waist outside the trouser, so you can grab screws, pencils and small tools without reaching into a deep pocket. They are made for trades who handle fixings all day: joiners, electricians, dryliners and kitchen fitters.
Most holster trousers also have kneepad pockets and reinforced knees. Some have holsters that tuck away when not needed, useful for jobs inside customers' homes.
Cargo and combat trousers
Cargo trousers have side pockets on the thigh for phones, notebooks and tape measures, but no hanging holsters. They are lighter and neater, suiting drivers, warehouse staff, engineers, caretakers and anyone who wants useful pockets without the bulk.
Many cargo styles also have kneepad pockets, so they can work for trades that kneel occasionally.
Kneepads and knee protection
Anyone who kneels for long stretches needs proper knee protection. Kneepad trousers have pockets at the knee that hold foam or gel inserts. The inserts must suit the trouser, and the pocket height matters: a pad sitting below the kneecap does little.
Look for inserts certified to EN 14404, the knee protector standard, and check they fit the pocket. Tilers, floor layers and plumbers usually need them most.
Fabric, stretch and fit
A few features separate a long-lasting pair from a throwaway one.
- Reinforced knees and pocket edges for kneeling trades
- Stretch panels for climbing ladders and crouching
- Leg lengths in short, regular and long
- Women's fits with a shaped waist and hip
- Darker colours or grey to hide dust and plaster
Shorts and hi-vis trousers
Some sites allow work shorts in summer, and some do not, so check your site rules first. Roadside, rail and airside workers may need hi-vis trousers to complete a Class 3 outfit. Where the label allows a combined rating, match the trousers to a certified jacket.
Where to put your logo
Trousers are the least branded garment in most uniforms, and that is fine. A small embroidered or printed logo on the back pocket or thigh adds a neat finish without getting in the way of holsters and kneepads. The bigger branding win is consistency: choose one style and colour per role so the whole crew matches, then put your main logo on the polos, softshells and jackets above.
Ordering what this guide covers
The garments this guide talks about, such as holster pocket and kneepad trousers, cargo and combat trousers and work shorts, can all be ordered from one piece with free logo setup. The logo price drops at 9 and again at 25 garments, and every garment with a small logo counts towards it, whatever the style or colour. Before anything is made, we embroider an actual sample of your logo and email you a photo to approve, or you can pop in to our Hull workshop to see it.
