Wacky Wet World 

In the 1960's jeans became popular as classic swimwear for outdoor activities and watersports, especially scuba diving, adventure swimming, water rescue training, or just for fun.

In aquatic environments where a neoprene wetsuit isn't necessary, or where just suiting-up can be inconvenient, jeans are worn with a T-shirt or rash guard, with fins for diving, or with rescue gear by water safety patrol professionals.

The preferred approach is to be able to go from dry land to water and back to dry land wearing the same jeans always, when on, in, or underwater.

Rugged Swimwear

Jeans have been often compared to four-wheel drive vehicles and hiking boots, because they can go anywhere. They are known for their rugged construction, personal "shrink-to-fit", versatility, and high sun protection factor (SPF 100+). Combined with a T-shirt or dive top you have the basics for a safe and fun swimming outfit. Add an anorak on cool or windy days to avoid windchill.

Some swimmers and divers reserve specific pairs of jeans and diveskin jeans for the water, just as they do with their neoprene wetsuits and Lycra skins. The truly aquatic see no distinction between the two. Shrink-to-fit jeans and diveskins offer the freedom to transition without extra time and preparation. Jeans pockets are a good place to keep your money and keys away from thieves.

"White Levis" (shrink-to-fit bleached) are designed specifically for aquatics and afford the swimmer and diver with rugged dependability and convenience. They retain their hydrodynamic fit in the water and when worn dry. There is no comparison in fit between street jeans and "water jeans".

Tip 1: Cool Cotton

Cotton jeans can get cold quickly once you come out of the water. Unless you intend to hop right back in, change into dry clothes between swims. Have a few jeans and T-shirts in your swim bag if you plan to take several breaks. It can be tricky to put on tight wet jeans, so you may want to get back into the water in dry clothes.

Tip2 : Proper Size

Tight fitting jeans are easy to swim in as long as they don't chafe. Loose fitting jeans can be more comfortable, but cause more drag. Baggy jeans are fun at pool parties, but can be a hindrance for most sports.

These are the jeans that made Levi-Strauss famous. Arriving stiff and a deep indigo colour when new, these may take weeks or months to get broken in, at which point they will fit like a second skin and be faded to a mellow lighter blue.

Why shrink to fit?

When purchasing jeans, leave the acid, stone, and other artificial washes to the good people of Eastern Europe.

The best method of 'breaking-in' jeans remains the same: buy them with a snug fit, wear them new, jump into a hot tub or bath. Then go for a swim and allow them to dry-on, for a personal fit.

The concept of wearing jeans in water dates back to their very beginning and continues today. Levi's were originally produced in only three sizes, and the wearer would jump into a body of water like a creek, a pond, or a horse trough, to shrink them to fit as snug as a glove. Today, jeans are available in a variety of styles, from tight to loose fit, and are sold either pre-washed or shrink-to-fit and rigid.

Shrink To Fit Tanks

Levi Strauss has shrink tanks in some of their stores, allowing the customers to purchase a pair of jeans and submerge in a tank of water while their new jeans shrink. Then they stand in front of a "human dryer" so that their jeans will shrink to a personal fit on their body. Hopefully the next generation will be able to appreciate the same joys! The Levi's guys must work on this, instead of producing all these pre-distressed jeans, or it will be lost forever.

How to buy "rigid" shrink to fit jeans

The size on this 501xx label is the size before the jeans have been washed, and identifies them as Shrink to Fit Jeans made of super tough XX denim. Buy your jeans one inch bigger in the waist if you like a snug fit and a couple of inches on the leg, so you can turn them up to suit and allow for further shrinkage during the first few washes. Do not alter the hem of your jeans until the shrinkage process is complete. Expect an overall shrinkage of 10%. See our table for details.

Better Quality

There is a difference between the standard Levis 501s and the 501 Shrink-to-Fit jeans. The Shrink-to-Fit jeans have the best denim and are just the most hardcore jeans you can buy. They may take up to a year to break in.

While you may agree with some of the comments regarding the variable and often lower quality of the Levi's 501 jeans manufactured outside of the United States, by and large the same negatives do not apply to the shrink-to-fit 501's. These are still made from the original indigo-dyed rigid denim manufactured Cone mills in North Carolina, and are still of good quality.

Button Fly

The two good things about Levis 501s is the weight of the denim and the button fly instead of a zipper fly. The advantage of the button fly is it does not jam or get stuck from mud and sand. The 14 1/2 ounce denim is the maximum thickness that is flexable enough to cling when wet. Any heavier, the denim will not cling when wet.

Back Pockets

Something you can also do is take the back pockets off. Just undo the stitching before you shrink them. In the bath some of the dye comes off, so it looks like there were no back pockets.

Now we come to the fun part. Wear your jeans in the bath and let them dry on you. To get a perfect fit the jeans need to shrink to your size, no further.

First Time

The first soaking of your jeans should be done in a hot bath, as hot as you can stand it. Simply get into the bath and enjoy that lovely smell of new wet denim. Don't tuck in any other clothes or wear anything inside your jeans.

The water and anything else you wear turns blue after a while as the indigo colour is likely to run. Avoid soap as this causes the indigo colour to pale.

Soak your jeans in the water for at least ten minutes while you stand up, sit down, move around gently to prevent any patches occurring from any excess indigo dye. Stay in the bath until the water cools down. When you get out, drain the water away, squat down and squeeze the water out of the fabric.

If possible let the jeans dry naturally while still you're wearing them; this is how you get that perfect fit. The jeans will shape to your body and retain your form for optimum fit. You can almost feel them shrinking on to you.

Alternatively take them off and lay your jeans on a towel to dry, or hang them with clothespins so that no part of the jeans is folded over. Don't put them in the dryer or they may shrink too far and lose your shape.

Subsequent Soakings

Shrinkage of the jeans will occur over the course of the first three soakings, and continues slightly until about the 10th time. Always wash your "shrink-to-fit" jeans while you're still wearing them, at least for the first 3 to 10 times. Remember to let them dry on you, if possible. Soon you'll have the perfect swimming jeans. Enjoy!

All Purpose Navy Uniform

Jeans were invented for the Italian Navy in Genova, Italy, when that city was an independent republic and a naval power. The first jeans were made for the Genovese Navy because it required an all-purpose pant for its sailors that could be worn wet or dry, and whose legs could easily be rolled-up. They needed something practical for work on deck and for swimming. The jeans would be laundered by dragging them in nets behind the ship and the sea water would bleach them white.

Serge de Nimes, France

The first denim came from Nimes, France, hence the name denim (French: de Nimes). The French word for these pants was very similar to their word for Genova; this is where we get the term 'jeans' today.

Levi Strauss

Jeans were further developed in San Francisco around 1872 by Bavarian-born American Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis. They used copper rivets to reinforce the points of strain, such as on the pocket corners and at the base of the button fly.

Levi's riveted jeans first manufactured in San Francisco starting in the 1870s. They were sold by Levi Strauss to gold miners during the California Gold Rush. Levi's are known for their rugged construction, personal "shrink-to-fit", and versatility. Originally worn by miners, farmers, and cowboys, Levi's are worn and seen in all walks of life.

During World War II, families in the US sent jeans to their sons in the Navy and Marines stationed in the Pacific beause their fit was better for swimming than the baggy dungarees issued by the military.

White Levis

Jeans first became widely popular for swimming in the 1960's with the introduction of "White Levis" for surfers on the West Coast. White Levis fit lean and tapered, and made of unblenched, unshrunk denim, which shrank and bleached-out to a perfect white in chlorinated pools and in the ocean.

Wranglers Wet West

Like Levi's, Wranglers jeans will form-fit for swimming, enabling cowboys to ford western rivers or rescue a calf from a river without a second thought about getting wet. The method for fording a river or lake while riding a horse entails either remaining in the saddle while your horse swims across the water, or hanging on to the saddle horn and swimming along side, and re-mounting when you reach the opposite shore.

Wrangler Jeans are traditionally worn as western wear, and are popular among professional cowboys and people who prefer true western style jeans that are good with boots and a cowboy hat. Many a cowboy has cooled off in a stock tank or creek, escaping the summer heat, wearing his Wranglers.

It is only expected that any product which emphasises fun, adventure and athletics in a water environment would be appealing, especially to teenagers.

Levi's Second Skin

Advertised as 'your second skin', Levis are considered by athletic, intrepid swimmers and divers to be an extension of their aquatic body, and are worn for swimming, diving, whitewater, snorkeling and scuba. Levis' competitors have also used water and swimming settings for their commercials.

Wet Jeans on TV

Nautica Jeans advertised their jeans in a water commercial with wakeboarding champion Brian Grubb demonstrating his incredible wakeboarding skills while wearing Nautica Dimensional Denim Jeans.

Ironically the Wranglers television commercial depicting a college-age male emerging from a western river wearing jeans, is as much a statement about Wranglers as Levis, where the quick dip in a clean river in a rugged environment might be to cool off, or might include a bar of soap to bathe and wash your jeans at the same time.

Diesel Jeans has print ads with male and female models underwater wearing Diesel Jeans. Sears featured their River Canyon Blues in water commercials, with the model diving off a pier, and surf swimming in form-fitting Sears RCB Jeans.

We've tested the Shrink-to-Fit 501XX (STF) and the regular 501 to compare them with regular swimwear like shorts. For his test we combined them with matching tops, like many people do, especially in Asia.

Levi's jeans have a reputation for being tough and rugged. They fit well and stay put during wild action.

The STF felt a bit baggy and stiff when new. This soon changed after our tests. We used a belt to keep them in place, until they shrank to our size.

The front pockets are better to keep your keys and coins safe when you go swimming.

The button fly has the advantage that it can't get jammed by mud or sand like a zip. The buttons stay put whilst a zip my wear out and slide down.

Dry Test:

We've climbed across the rocks on the beach and hiked through the hot tropical forest of northern Thailand. In both places the jeans were quite comfortable. The fabric is robust enough to protect from minor scrapes when you scramble across a wild coastline to get to an exclusive beach.

Swim Test:

We've tested our jeans in the wild canyons and lakes of northern Thailand which was great fun. We often jumped into the water and climbed back onto the rocks to see what it is like to move about in wet jeans.

When wet, the denim fabric got a bit stiffer as it swelled with soaked up water. But it was still comfy to jump about on land and in the water.

The Levi's 501 jeans are great for swimming. They are tight enough for easy swimming, but loose enough to move freely. They feel good in the water and look cool with tight fitting T-shirts and large hoodies.

In comparison our team felt a bit unsure wearing just swimwear while hopping around the rocks. Although it was easier to swim in and didn't soak up as much water, it left a lot of bare skin exposed to rocks and sunburn.

Summary:

Shorts and swim shirt are easier to swim in as it doesn't soak up as much water. We would prefer that for pools or flat beaches.

Jeans and pullover provide better protection for adventure swimming, or when playing with boats and such. Another advantage is that they keep you cool on hot days and you don't need to bring extra swimwear. Just jump in as you are.

We prefer the shrink-to-fit (STF) versions as they fit better the more you soak them. The trick is to keep them on while they dry. You better do that in a warm climate.