At the core of the pant is the nylon-elastane blend with a trim jean cut. The nylon fibers are softened by running them through an air-texturized process and then weaving them into a dynamic yarn. Instead of the typical button or snap closure, Roark chose a non-traditional boardshort lace belt. Borrowing from the surf world, the drawstring threads through the waist and zigzags in front to tie the pants over the zipper fly. Lost some weight? Overindulged in the local food scene? It doesn’t matter. The burly fabric weft feels like a broken-in pair of Carhartts. Priding itself in using 85% plant-based fibers, DUER weaves some natural magic in its pants, giving them proper stretch, durability, and performance. The material is treated with a robust DWR that sheds stains and rain surprisingly well. There are few other products we test at GearJunkie that are considered non-negotiable in society. Outside the house, you gotta wear pants (or shorts). And if you’re choosing shorts, you’re probably not looking at the right pants. Travel pants are part of our everyday uniform allowing us to test them daily. We test pants for the office grind, after school errands, dispatching weekend chores, and yes, of course, travel. We constantly log testing hours in pants to find the best travel pants on the market. The Aviators, DUER, and Roark’s Layover weave some cotton into their blend. To beef up the durability, the natural fiber is woven with a synthetic like polyester or nylon and an elastic component for stretch.

If you don’t work in an office, and spend most of your time outdoors or doing manual work, finding the right workwear can sometimes be difficult. But, due to their comfy nature, which provides easy movement, and their sturdiness, cargo trousers make an excellent work wardrobe addition. Easy daywear Woven into the durable cotton is hearty nylon (for durability), and elastane (for stretch), yielding some side-to-side compliance. The slim fit tapers to the legs, giving off a progressive, durable, jogger vibe. In 2020, we tried 27 pairs and listed 15 pants on our men’s buyers guide. In 2021, we tested an additional 35 pairs, highlighting nine new pants on our list. In 2022 we saw an additional 23 pairs, adding six new pants. And this year we looked at 38 pairs, adding seven new pants to the men’s travel pant buyer’s guide. You won’t find the Ascenders through big retailers, though. You’ll have to buy these direct from Bluffworks. But you can take comfort in knowing that you’re buying an incredibly thoughtful design. Extensive experience and attention to detail have gone into making the Ascender Chino a top choice for savvy travelers.After the adventure is done, the stain-release fabric readily releases dirt and grime in the wash. These chinos easily suit up for a night on the town.

The Ecotrek brings more stretch, lighter weight, and a more athletic design to a tried-and-true model. And while these new pants are great for climbing, hiking, or other fast-paced activities in warmer climates, we find they hit all the marks for what we love in travel pants too. If you want the lightest pant you can find, you’ll likely be looking at a jogger, like KÜHL’s Suppressor. Both disappear in the bag and Hoka’s in particular, breathe exceptionally well without sacrificing too much durability. Western Rise uses a lighter fabric, but the pants weigh more overall. Travel pant fabrics should be breathable, durable, and easy to clean; (photo/Steve Graepel) Fabric Type Almost every pant on our list has a great fit. If they didn’t, we’ve shared the cons. Both the Clothing Arts‘ and UNIONBAY’s ran a little long. On the other end, Public Rec offers a variety of inseams for a dialed fit (from 28-36″), Aviatorwill hem your jeans to your personal fit, and the rest were spot on for length. (Photo/Emily Malone) Function The Ecotrek Trail pants are available in olive, caramel, and charcoal colors, and they come in a range of sizes up to a 40-inch waist and a 34-inch inseam.

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Graepel has researched and tested travel pants extensively — traveling, working, and camping in the high alpine desert of Idaho, Montana, and Utah, and traveling abroad in a variety of environments including Europe, Central and South America. He continues to test travel pants year-round and searches for anyone who will listen to his yarns about the best travel trousers.

The Ascenders are available in straight-leg or a tailored slim fit. The material is stretchy, but there are no elastic fibers woven in, so the stretch comes from the weave of the material. In our opinion, this makes the pants more durable over the long haul. There’s no elastic to break down. The Everywhere 2 pants have plenty of room up top without feeling baggy. Off the shelf, they taper somewhat aggressively around the calves, still managing to leave room around the ankle. The panels are stitched together to create incredibly comfortable pants. They’re light enough to wash and hang dry overnight, and ready to rinse and repeat for another day of exploring. Each year introduces new styles and materials, and we try to reflect the best on the market of that year. Some trousers remain on the list, year after year. They are either so good, or so good of a deal, that they are tough to topple.Airports can be uncomfortable, so do yourself a favor and spend your travel days in the most comfortable pants you can find; (photo/Steve Graepel) How We Tested Men’s Travel Pants Called a variety of names, from combat trousers to combat pants and sometimes just combats, these have been around for years. Inspired by the original military design, these are loosely cut for comfort, while being hard wearing and tough. Excellent for taking on the outdoors. Great for work Sustainability is core to LIVSN’s line of clothes, and the Ecotrek Trail pant walks the talk. The material is woven from Oceanflex fabric (70% recycled fishing buoys recovered from the ocean), and the YKK zipper taping is made from recycled ocean plastic. The rest is 25% nylon and 5% spandex for stretch. Our favorite pants come from LIVSN. The fit is fantastic, but they don’t have a robust DWR. This makes them less desirable if you are traveling to places that rain a lot. However, they excel in so many other ways that they still stand out as our top choice. On the flip side, Western Rise’s DWR not only deflects dirt and grime on the road, but liters of beer simply rolled off them at Oktoberfest. We really took one for the team while testing.

The ability to secure your essentials makes these some of the best men’s travel pants available. The only real downside of the Ascender pants is that they’re highly sought after, and popular colors in slim sizes can be hard to get. But they’re worth the wait! True to size, the nylon-spandex blend offers just enough stretch for a full range of motion. The pants keep around the waist with a button and have traditional belt loops if you want to class them up with a belt. The pantis primarily made from a summer-weight cotton blend that is soft to the touch but with a little give, thanks to the spandex. They are finished with a DWR, but they won’t dry as fast as fully synthetic pants, but are touted to dry 25% faster than traditional denim.A cotton blend fabric adds breathability and a cooling effect, which is great for warmer climates, but can also sacrifice durability. And, unless treated with a DWR, cotton can wet out more easily and hold water longer. The tailored version of the straight-leg cargo pant is known as the cargo trouser. Sleekly designed, they fit in office environments and nice restaurants. Try them with a sweater, Chelsea boots ,blazer and a button-down. A welterweight fabric will disappear in the bag and dry out insanely fast, but going too light sacrifices durability. All the pants we tested are durable enough to venture off pavement. Tied up with the drawcord (which we loved), the Everywhere 2 pants fall closer to a jogger than a chino. The material forms to your body after a few days of wear, relaxing into a comfortable fit.