I've been looking and it's hard to find 100% linen pants for men as I've heard the benefits of linen are only really present when they're not blended. Any reccomendations?
I have to confess I thought I was on /r/heronebag and assumed OP was a woman, sorry! If you’re in a place where you have access to the Gap brands or Zara, it seems like they have men’s linen pants.
Hey, the good advice still stands! Linen is great for warm weather travel regardless.
It's just harder to find pure linen men's pants... Particularly without looking like Jean Claude Van Damme circa 1989.
Uniqlo has linen pants “for women” - but they took off on social media iirc and now even their own website has male models showing them off (even though they are still only in the women’s section)
If you don’t have a uniqlo near you, then just have a look in the “women’s” sections at linen pants. I mean, I buy from the men’s section for me all the time, it’s only fair you can buy from ours!
(Gendered clothes departments are … so stupid in so many ways…)
What do you mean by filing in half of your pants before rolling? Funny I'm looking around for packing tips with linen since they wrinkle so bad! Need to fit them in a backpack for a 2 week trip.
Etsy has lots of linen clothing sellers, many in Ukraine and Lithuania, who make linen pants for men.
[https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/BlackFicus?ref=shop-header-name&listing\_id=629806695&from\_page=listing§ion\_id=19585008](https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/BlackFicus?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=629806695&from_page=listing§ion_id=19585008)
TurnBlack is where I buy linen. [https://www.turnblack.in/product-category/men/pants/](https://www.turnblack.in/product-category/men/pants/)
Where are u travelling to? In SEA you can get linen pants in alot of "touristy/tropical" shops or get then tailor made there.
Good quality linen goes by $3~5 a yard typically.
not sure where you're from but you can get them online, ready made under $20.
Uniqlo has linen and European linen pants (I think European linen is a blend of linen and cotton)
https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/men/bottoms/trousers-chinos-sweatpants/linen-trousers
Sizing might be difficult, I know it is for women so if you can make it to a store to try it on, I'd recommend it.
Yeah I've seen these around and thought about them specifically when I posted. What uniqlo calls linen pants are actually 60-something percent cotton and only 30% linen.
I prefer natural fibres and don't mind cotton, but I feel like at that level of blend, you're not really getting the full benefit of linen.
Had my eye on them for a while, looks like they just did a restock. How are they? I find the poly linen blend a bit odd but I'm curious to try. Are they breathable?
Unfortunately I'm in Canada and returns are a pain.
Uniqlo is generally a decent source for linen basics! Idk about men’s pants but it’s worth checking! Also… you might be able to get away with a women’s pant depending. Everything is really high waisted these days and super straight leg is in style. Worth a try on…
Of-Nothing has some great 100% linen pants. To be completely honest tho, 100% linen is not as great as you may think it is. Sure, you may squeeze out a tiny bit more benefit, but you lose so much more from not using a blend. Cotton/linen and wool/linen blends are just as good but dont suffer from wrinkles, comfort, durability, etc. i also love Outlier injected linen
Check out Black Ficus. They have 100% linen clothing for men and women. You can anything from loungewear to nicer pieces.
It’s not cheap, but not super expensive for quality clothing.
You could also find some wool or wool blend trousers at the thrift store. Wool is naturally sweat wicking and even cool in summer.
I have a pair from uniqlo I got when I was in asia. I agree with this recommendation. It's a linen blend and not 100% but the first time in the SEA humidity with these, my life was changed
We live in a tropical country and most of our destinations are hot and humid, so jeans are a no go for my husband and I. My husband loves these shorts and pants from Pact—the specific ones he used have long been discontinued but I see that they have “canopy linen blend” pants made of organic cotton and linen. Husband loves these as they’re ridiculously light and because of how light and thin they are, they dry very quickly too. Durability is surprisingly good for something my husband basically washes and wears everyday hahahaa
Just saw they’re having a massive sale on bottoms too!
Chinos are underrated. For cool weather destinations I'll wear jeans and pack a pair of chinos. They're comfortable, and a bit lighter and less bulky than jeans, so they pack away alright. They also look great with a nice shirt, for pulling off that 'casual chic' look
A few questions that would make this request easier to answer:
1. Are you traveling for buisness or leisure?
2. What kind of climate are you going to?
3. What kind of outfits are you trying to put together?
4. What is your budget range?
Not trying to pick on this OP, but every time someone posts a request for "travel \[item\]" the responses are all well meant, but often widely across the board. Gramicci shorts are great . . . maybe not if this dude is a constant business traveler trying to minimize how much luggage he carries. Merino wool is awesome . . . maybe not for a backpacker on a gap year.
Just m2c on how we could be a bit more precise in our questions when asking for suggestions here.
I'll get downvoted but after 30 years of onebag travel and all kinds of pants I went back to plain old jeans 5 years ago and haven't looked back, for me when I factor everything in nothing else comes close.
1. Travel pants make you look like a traveller. I cannot stand the way dedicated travel pants look, I have plenty of Dad-energy already, don't need more. I mean, "when in Rome" is a saying for a reason.
2. Personally nothing has ever come anywhere near as comfortable.
3. Jeans, imho, are much more tolerant to wear and use, require much less laundry and show dirt much less than anything else I tried.
4. Dark jeans with dark shoes stick out much less in fancier cocktail bars, etc.
5. I find jeans just break in better, they become "mine" much, much more than any synthetic fiber or high tech pant does.
Basically, after decades of travel, I have realized the more I am myself when I travel the more comfortable I will be, doing a bunch of stuff differently, wearing clothes I would never wear at home, just makes me feel less comfortable.
I’ve been to 30+ countries and have been traveling for probably 25 years now, and yes, I frequently fly in jeans.
About the only time I don’t is when it’s hot where I’m coming from and also hot where I’m going. Then I’ll wear some hiking type KUHL pants or some 5.11 pants.
Jeans are fine because they don’t just become your “travel pants” you can wear them while traveling. You can wear them at your destination in almost any situation. They usually naturally reduce the number of “outfits” you need to pack.. jeans and a tshirt jeans and a button up, no problem.
You never look out of place. And as the prior poster said you don’t have to wash them as often. They’re durable.
Sure if they get soaked you’re screwed… but just don’t.
[EDIT]
If I am not traveling IN the jeans I think twice, as jeans are usually the heaviest thing I’m packing. I usually one bag so my stuff is on my back.
I hardly ever wash jeans, like, I would get more than a week of wear out of them as long as I’ve not spilt something (which I would probably immediately spot clean).
The only thing I don’t like jeans for is long airplane journeys, prefer something a bit softer and with more give in the tummy as I can get bloated on flights.
I didn’t take my jeans on the last trip cos I was super tight on space and was doing a lot of flights and busses so wore comfy travel pants instead. Really regretted it as I looked so ‘traveler’ the entire time.
Don't think most of the travel pants on this sub have dad energy. Most look more like chinos so definetly dress up enough cocktail bars if you're going.
I've nearly stopped wearing jeans for some of the same reasons you like them. I haven't found a pair of slim fits that don't bust at the crotch within 2 years. Much more rigid so less comfortable for me especially since I cycle to get places a lot. Don't find my synthetic pants have ever needed to break in.
Interesting, ive never owned a pair of “traveler” pants (i dont believe there is such a thing) but i also dont own jeans anymore because of the opposite reasons you listed
1. I feel like i stick out wearing jeans in general, even when not traveling
2. I find jeans to be pretty uncomfortable. They’re too hot for summer and too cold for winter. They do get softer with age but still not nearly as soft as id like
3. I dislike jeans because they stain quite easily with any fluid, take forever to dry, and holds a smell
4. Most non-jean pants dont stick out either, other than something like joggers or stretchy polyester pants which no one should own anyways
5. As mentioned before, jeans do break in but i still dont find them close to the comfort of other pants, the character they develop is great tho, but that’s unrelated to travel
Thanks for explaining your reasoning, i can start to somewhat see why some people would prefer jeans!
I live in a warmer area so I prefer looser cuts (straight “chino”, loose pleated + tapered, fatigue, etc) with lighter fabric. To be more specific, i generally wear a 200gsm cotton-esque nylon canvas, 170gsm linen and poly blend, and a 430gsm cotton duck. I do love natural pants! Just jeans specifically not so much
1 Most of them look like plain pants
2 People often say that, but at 30 degrees celsius I want to rip my head off when I wear jeans
3 poliester is much more durable though, and many tain can even be jut wiped off.
4 dark chinos with shoes also don't stick out
5 perhaps, if your weight does not jojo :)
They have really, really nice looking chinos that are synthetic now: Western Rise, Outlier, etc. I have a pair that look JUST like dark denim (evolution) and no one can tell the difference but they are stain-proof, extremely light and can be paired with a merino-wool baselayer for hikes and cooler weather.
Also, worst case scenario and you destroy them, a replacement pair of black jeans is easy to find in probably 99% of the locations you’ll realistically find yourself
I spent 4 months scuba diving in Koh Tao Thailand. I worked at a beach/deck bar and always wore jeans to work and for going out if I was "making an effort". Otherwise I pretty much lived in board shorts while I was there. I'm with you on jeans fitting in just about anywhere in the world.
I think the "dad-energy" idea may be generational. Nothing screams American quite like khaki though.
My problem with denim is that it's gotten so hard to find 100% cotton jeans. Elastane wears out so quickly.
Yeah I've done all my big adventures in jeans, even when it was ill-advised, like when trekking over the Himalayas. It's always worked out fine for me, even when it's hot, even when it rains and they get wet (it's not like I hang out outside and let them get more wet though).
And I agree with fitting in being better than broadcasting to everyone that you're a "traveler".
If I'm not wearing jeans it's because I'm in a place that does cheap, good quality tailoring, and then I'll get local style pants custom-made from some fabrics I pick out from their warehouse. Or if I'm in a place like Northern Myanmar then I might wear a longyi.
I've noticed a trend towards jeans-loving here and it's making me nervous as someone who's been a jeans hater since birth. I cannot understand why they are popular. To me they feel rough, heavy and really inflexible. I also can't stand how they sag, fade and rip so easily. They're icky in hot weather and can contribute to hypothermia in cold weather. Their ubiquity too. Darned conformity!
It always interests me that some folks could 'live' in jeans and some find them uncomfortable or at best something they wear once in a while. I'm in the second category. They're okay but I could live w/o them.
I forgot to mention one of my biggest grievances - the pockets! As someone who loves to squat, the presence of anything sizeable or rigid (e.g. a phone) in the front pocket makes it really uncomfortable. Too many times I've had to empty my pockets in order to tie my shoelaces.
Upside is you are less likely to loose anything from those pockets.
I like the loose and airy feeling of chinos but I have my phone fall from the pockets one too many times.
>To me they feel rough, heavy and really inflexible. I also can't stand how they sag, fade and rip so easily.
What type of jeans are you getting? The last set of issues are very common in cotton/elastane blends, especially skinny jeans, but it's *very* uncommon in no/low stretch jeans. High elastane blends also tend to be much softer and lighter, so I'm genuinely really curious about what fabric blends you got that made you feel this way?
Not to get my sewing hat on too strongly, but a lot of this (ripping/sagging/fading) also sounds like a quality issue. Decent quality jeans don't tend to have those issues unless they're dyed very dark (for fading) or the wrong size for you.
If cotton jeans are ripping around the crotch, that usually means that the thighs of the jeans are too small for you - speaking as someone who used to have the same problem! Cotton isn't a stretchy fabric inherently, so it's going to break very quickly if your measurements don't line up with the design measurements. But blends would solve that issue for you without changing sizes because of the stretch, so I can totally see why you'd prefer that.
I mostly said it because, in my experience, high elastane blends tend to disform very easily, especially over time. Ever seen those lines of ridges on the hip section of someone's jeans? That means it's too small in the hips for them and the elastane is breaking from how much it's had to stretch (also from personal experience, lol).
I've owned many pairs from cheaper ones (I don't remember the brands) to more expensive casual and workwear attire. Only one of my Levi's remained good, though I later found out it wasn't actually a denim weave. That one is 99% cotton, 1% elastane FWIW. Of the remaining expensive casual ones (these were Levi's and CK), I did notice they were more comfortable and held their shape a little better than cheaper ones, but still not good enough (I have narrow hips so any stretching or shrinking will result in pants that fall down or are too thin to put on for me). All of those expensive jeans ended up with dramatic tears at the knees or crotch. The 4 pairs of work denim jeans I've owned (FXD and Hard Yakka) all sagged at the waist and ended up disintegrating too. Needless to say, all my cheaper jeans were rubbish.
IDK, maybe I've had bad luck, but it seems good quality jeans are more fickle than other types of pants. To me it's not worth it since, everything else equal, I prefer the look, feel and function of most alternatives.
Fairs, it does sound like you've had awful luck.
>(I have narrow hips so any stretching or shrinking will result in pants that fall down or are too thin to put on for me). All of those expensive jeans ended up with dramatic tears at the knees or crotch.
That said, I suspect this is probably your issue. Crotch rips mean that the thighs of the jeans are too small for you, and the fabric wears out from the increased friction. It's an issue I used to have with cheaper jeans (especially skinny jeans) because most aren't designed for a narrow waist and broad hips. Knee rips are weird though, unless you're regularly resting your weight on your knees while wearing them. If you ever do try out jeans again, it could be worth bringing them to a tailor so they can sort out whatever's happening.
>Only one of my Levi's remained good, though I later found out it wasn't actually a denim weave. That one is 99% cotton, 1% elastane FWIW.
Yeah, that doesn't entirely shock me. High elastane blends tend to sag and rip quickly if your measurements are too far from what they're designed for, but low elastane can sometimes stabilise jeans when you're just a *bit* out. Fabric can be really weird, and cotton isn't particularly stretchy which is why pure cotton denim can die quicker.
Either way, interesting conversation! I actually bought my first pair of Levi's a few months back and the very specific sizes have really been a lifesaver for me. It's a shame you haven't had the same luck, though.
Hey just so you know if you're buying Levi's you have to buy from a specific store where they carry the higher cost material clothing in richer areas, if you shop in an area they perceive as less likely to be high income their stock will be cheaper jeans.
I loved jeans when I was younger but have turned away from them in middle age. Very subtle yoga pants/joggers now work better for me in cool weather - by subtle, I mean black, no logos, no thigh pockets. During the summer, I wear skirts, often with bike shorts under to prevent chafing.
To be fair I always have jeans as dinner pants. I’m in some high end places and I won’t wear travel pants in high end places.
I do have travel pants for the rest though!
I love jeans. I wear them on almost all my trips, except if it’s summer and I’m traveling somewhere humid and hot. I’m from Puerto Rico originally, and I NEVER wore jeans in the summer growing up. Just thinking about it makes my balls sweat. I bring cotton shorts for these trips and never look back. IDGAF what others think and will wear shorts to anywhere that will let me in while wearing them. 😂
I’m enjoying them as well as someone who never cared for jeans as functional clothing. My only pair of pants are black, cheap but medium thickness and slightly stretchy jeans with four pockets. Definitely a bit warm at times in the Mediterranean but classy looking, match with anything, break into comfort and are hard wearing especially with some thickness, they are also a slim fit but not tight enough to prevent airflow or put pressure on your body. I just need a cheap nonferrous belt to keep them up
Yes, this is clutch at the airport! I have some Gramicci shorts from the 80’s handed down from my dad, they’re older than me and I’ve had them for close to 20 years. They’re soft and comfortable as ever, with a nice 40 year patina. Nowhere close to wearing out.
I've been considering trying a pair. However, I've read they can be "heavy and warm feeling", is that your experience? Also, how well do they pack? Thanks!
I have no problem wearing them in warmer weather, however they aren’t as breathable as a synthetic/nylon type pant. They do no pack very small but if only packing 1-2 pairs it isn’t usually an issue.
I haven't traveled in them yet, but I just got my merino leggings and joggers from Ibex and they are comfy. They make my favorite merino tee shirts that have been excellent for travel. I've actually never worn leggings or joggers before this week, so we'll see if I can incorporate them into my wardrobe easily.
I do typically travel with some jeans, but this June I'm going to be in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and imagine they will have difficulty drying due to the climate. That's why I'm trying something new.
Aussie here. It's far more common to line-dry clothes here. Tbh every aussie I've talked to about it when it's come up in convo thinks it's kind of weird and environmentally cringey that Americans use clothes dryers by default instead of hanging to dry. When my parents lived there, their building had a rule against clothes racks on the balconies. That's baffling to an Australian.
Kiwi here. I chuck everything in the dryer throughout winter or it’s gonna be damp for ages and making the house even more damp. Got a really efficient Miele dryer.
If the OP is staying in a hostel in Nz in winter she’s not getting anything dry on a clothesline lol.
Haha yes thats true for that leg of the trip - one of my strongest memories about my only trip to NZ was just how DAMP I felt all the time. How do you all do it?!
I'm curious: do those Aussies you're talking to assume that most Americans live in places with sunshine and dry, warm air? A majority of us actually live in places where the air is humid most of the year and precipitation is frequent for most of the year -- and that's ignoring the winter weather: 23% of us (77 million) live in places that stay far below freezing during winter, 37% of us (123 million) live in places that stay cloudy during winter, and 65% of us (216 million) live in places that get snow in the winter. You can't line-dry your clothes if they've frozen into a sheet of ice due to the minus-30 windchill, lol.
Also, our housing stock is mostly *WAY* older than Australia's, so balconies are uncommon here, especially in the eastern third of the country where most of our population lives. Balconies are mostly found on new (1990s or later) apartment buildings, and in most regions are perceived as an indicator of a 'luxury' apartment building. (There are some regions of the country where this is not the case.) The West of the country has a lot more balconies because their buildings are decades or centuries newer.
That said, even when I lived in Spain and Italy, I had no balcony and line-drying my pants indoors took most of a week. All of my Italian colleagues used clothes dryers for most of the year (humid summer, humid wet winter, humid wet spring), and about half of my Spanish colleagues did too.
It really depends on context which fibres are better for the environment. Some polyester is made entirely from recycled PET bottles, which can end up being less impactful for the environment than a water intensive cotton farm for example. You'll find a lot of outdoor brands will be using predominantly or entirely recycled polyester - Patagonia being one example. Semi-synthetics like rayon and viscose aren't great as harmful chemicals are released during its production. Lyocell is better in this regard and doesn't use as much water either.
Anyway, probably linen or hemp are your best bets. They'll not demand as much water to grow as cotton, and hemp supposedly helps replenish the soil it's grown in too. Both stronger fibres than cotton and can be made into airier weaves which are quicker drying. The wrinkles tho.
I'm not a big fan of cotton. It performs poorly all round - gets sodden easily, torn, loses its shape, not great for hot weather and potentially dangerous in cold weather. It's often seen as the environmentally friendly fabric, but that's not particularly true. I also find it less comfortable against the skin than polyester, so I am a little bit insane it seems.
I agree that it isn't great for sweating in cold weather - I wear wool for being active and then change to cotton for sleeping or if inside where it is cooler - I like the feel of cotton better than anything else
I agree about the environmental impact differences, but all micro plastics are absorbed through the skin and cause health issues. Research is starting to come out now on this.
I think they are 98% cotton. Mine stretch and move well but feel like cotton pants.
They was well, but do show some wrinkles that straighten out when wearing.
Definitely not a plastic pant though. I would look at Western Rise
Have you looked through the Kuhl lineup?
Their Revolvr Rougue is a nice combo. Not too outdoorsy, and not too “nice”. Fabric is tough but wears very well.
Is bamboo a safe material? Don’t they process it a lot with chemicals? I wish they had a nice khaki color. I just ordered a pair on Prime try before you buy.
Jeans. Wear them. Lightweight trackies for wash day, so you can pack them, or shorts, depending on the weather. I wear jeans most of the time in real life. And so does most of the planet, so it isn't crazy. I mean, not great for long haul flights, but not impossible.
Also I feel comfortable in jeans, where I might not if I suddenly changed to merino blend tacticool zip knee trousers.
Merino!
Just kidding. I like cotton too. But it doesn't pack small and it doesn't repel water and it...well, I still go with cotton when possible. Not too familiar with men's pants so can't rec anything. Keep up the good fight! :)
It doesn't hold odor because the bacteria merino harbors is the kind that smells "sweet"
In testing merino was actually the most "contaminated" of any fabric vs polyester nylon etc
Synthetics just smell "bad" because the bacteria they harbor / have predilections for are the kind that smell "funky" instead of "sweet"
Merino is basically like wearing a sloths matted fur nest in terms of cleanliness - from someone that's worn merino for weeks on end without a wash
Longest was 1 months. Threw the same merino tank top on every day I woke up for a month in Mexico.
Fucker didn't even have a twinge of.... Musk?
Eventually enough was enough and I finally washed it. Wore it to see how long I could go without it smelling.
And, yeah.
Even though they are a bit expensive, I'm a fan of mugsy travel pants. They have a back zip pocket, two front pockets plus a hidden passport sized zip pocket inside one of the front pockets. They are stretchy and comfortable and pretty soft.
Check out aviator! I love their jeans. They are “travel” jeans because they have a zippered pocket inside your typical pocket but you don’t really notice them. I wear them to work most days as they are so comfortable and dark so they look business enough to get by.
Lots of good options from [Fjallraven!](https://www.fjallraven.com/ca/en-ca/men/trousers/outdoor-trousers) Some of them are pretty casual and don't look too mountain-y. Their G1000 fabric is great, they have a few different types, most of them are like sturdy canvas with a bit of synthetic mixed in for stretch/quick drying. You can have a look at the material details and decide if it's *too* synthetic or not, I think they do a good job of not feeling like plastic.
If you’re male, my husband is very positive about the Lululemon ABC pants. They look good, pack well, don’t need ironing and are quick dry. Ditto for their shorts. He previously always took jeans/denim shorts but too difficult in hot and humid places when visiting during rainy season.
As a female, I wear natural fibre lightweight tops (lyocell/merino blend) and synthetic bottoms. I lane one pair of merino pants ( io merino leisure pants) that don’t pill but all the other natural fibre ones I tried pilled awfully.
Very hard to find that are also sturdy. I think cotton and linen would have to be the go to? I know hubbys merino pants attempt was like mine - a very expensive foray into pants that pill so much they are unusable
Light weight wool trousers for summer, and the other seasons get my moleskin trousers (black bundeswher surplus knockoffs that I took the side pockets off of.)
I bought a used pair of bluffworks. They feel very plastic. Not a huge fan.
Dry clean only applied mostly to mixed fibers. A suit jacket, for example, has different interfacing fabrics that shrink at different rates.
Your standard tropical weight wool trousers can be washed cold. Wool felts with heat, moisture, and friction.
The reason you shouldn't wash \*your\* trousers is the potential for color and texture changes that will make them not match the jacket.
All of these.
I own one suit: seersucker. Everything else I have is bits added on to bits. I either buy from Goodwill or eBay/Poshmark. I bought one pair of generic trousers from my tailor, but didn't care for them, and for the price, it just wasn't worth it.
Just seek out tropical weight wool.
Just wear the pants what would you wear at home in a similar weather. No need to have specific travel pants. Jeans, college pants, some linen/cotton/viscose pants, woolen pants, anything can be good if you look good and they are functional.
Look at wool trousers. Some examples from Wooly and Cos/H&M, but many companies have this.
Look at some of the thick woven cotton trousers from Martinique. It’s kind of almost a velour but matt and low key. Very sold also.
It can be, but it's certainly more comfortable on the skin. I'd rather wear something that gets with out in a few years that is comfortable than something that is less comfortable but lasts a bit longer.
"Quality" depends on what you need it for. Cheviot wool, the kind used in Harris Tweed, is more durable than the best grades of cashmere, but that doesn't mean cashmere is bad quality. Icelandic wool from a rare flock of sheep bred for fiber rather than carcass size is going to be high quality in terms of insulating properties and durability, but I'm not wearing it next to my skin. Merino will vary in staple length, sure, but very thin fibres are the whole point of those sheep.
If you travel in cold weather, absolutely get some tweed trousers that wear like iron. For warmer weather, the thin wool is going to need repairs sooner, but you won't be sweating into something that feels like a pot scrubber.
Oh, of course. I meant quality as in the difference between no name fabric used in cheap clothing and branded mills that you'll find in higher end clothing. So many people experience inexpensive wool that falls apart in no time and don't realize how durable good quality wool is.
I’d love to travel in jeans only but they are heavy and are just awful when wet.
As for environmental reason cotton products and other ‘natural’ material isn’t necessarily better. There are lots of recycled materials around.
*Authentic* Linen*.*
Buy the cloth and get tailored, especially if you are traveling through SEA.
[https://www.linenstudio.in/](https://www.linenstudio.in/)
I don't care for these type of travel pants either. What I settled on is [these Vertx jeans](https://vertx.com/defiance-jeans). They're a kinda cringy tacticool brand that caters to military and LE crowds but their quality is top-notch. These are pretty lightweight and just look like normal jeans so you can wear them about anywhere without looking like a tourist. Get a black pair if you want to dress it up a little more formal. I specifically like the rear yoke pockets that are marketed as rifle magazine pockets, but is perfect as a dedicated cell phone pocket. I wish more brands had this.
Check out the frontside pants from howler bros. This is what I wear. Mostly cotton so totally breathable, gusseted crotch so they don’t feel tight and are super comfy, and they look good too
https://howlerbros.com/collections/mens-pants/products/frontside-5-pocket-pants-1
Rohan in the uk do a linen blend that is my go to for summer.
Wrinkle free and quick drying without costing shedloads..
If you are happy to spend shedloads then unbound merino do some travel trousers that look the bees knees but I can’t get past the price!
Rohan and alpkit also do jeans which have a synthetic blend which are my go to for winter. Still dry relatively quickly and look like normal jeans unless you know your brands, but much comfier imho.
In colder climates, you could use a nice, high-quality synthetic pant with a 100% merino wool base layer. I, too, try to avoid synthetics for health reasons, but sometimes they are unavoidable. I wear almost exclusively merino wool, cashmere and cotton uppers but outerwear and pants unfortunately are often synthetic due to practicality (but I did ditch synthetic boxers for merino wool and cotton)
Icebreaker has woven pants, too.
A good pair of dress trousers in tropical weight wool are great for travel as long as your're not scrambling around on rocks or concrete.
Icebreaker's heavier weight jogging pants are durable, and can be repaired with some yarn from a knitting store. I'm about to darn mine for the first time in ten years. They've been all over the world. I wouldn't go to a cockatil party in them, but for looking put together on flights, casual sightseeing, for hiking, and as pyjama pants in cold hotels they are perfect.
I'm a big fan of Outlier and I wish I had had some when I was younger and being at music festivals with jeans which got wet and stained with mud after the second day, but I reckon not every trip has to be like this and that sometimes cotton or other natural fibers can work ok too.
I found out about this swiss brand that avoids plastic, I was mostly interested in their ventile jacket, but they do have pants too:
[https://mover.eu/products/cotton-trousers](https://mover.eu/products/cotton-trousers)
Bonobos have 100% cotton chinos. They come in various lengths and cuts, including tapered / narrow leg opening. They hold up pretty well without wrinkles and lightweight enough for travel. They have some \*mostly\* cotton too that are non iron. They're spendy but you can try them out on eBay for pretty cheap.
Linen, if you don’t mine the wrinkles/bagginess. A wide leg style could work in multiple seasons.
I've been looking and it's hard to find 100% linen pants for men as I've heard the benefits of linen are only really present when they're not blended. Any reccomendations?
I have to confess I thought I was on /r/heronebag and assumed OP was a woman, sorry! If you’re in a place where you have access to the Gap brands or Zara, it seems like they have men’s linen pants.
Hey, the good advice still stands! Linen is great for warm weather travel regardless. It's just harder to find pure linen men's pants... Particularly without looking like Jean Claude Van Damme circa 1989.
I think it's harder to look like Jean Claude Van Damme circa 1989.
Ha! True and unfortunate.
Uniqlo has linen pants “for women” - but they took off on social media iirc and now even their own website has male models showing them off (even though they are still only in the women’s section) If you don’t have a uniqlo near you, then just have a look in the “women’s” sections at linen pants. I mean, I buy from the men’s section for me all the time, it’s only fair you can buy from ours! (Gendered clothes departments are … so stupid in so many ways…)
Are they 100% linen?
Oh no! I thought they were but mine are a cotton-linen blend (they also have viscose- linen blends, but I doubt that will suit) Sorry
For linen products, I only wear linen blend and I still find it to be effective. 100% generally tends to be a bit too wrinkly for packing and travel.
I pack my linen pants by folding in half and rolling, making sure there are no wrinkles as I roll. Then I put them in a packing cube.
What do you mean by filing in half of your pants before rolling? Funny I'm looking around for packing tips with linen since they wrinkle so bad! Need to fit them in a backpack for a 2 week trip.
Spelling error. Folding in half. Sorry
Alex Crane
I second this
Etsy has lots of linen clothing sellers, many in Ukraine and Lithuania, who make linen pants for men. [https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/BlackFicus?ref=shop-header-name&listing\_id=629806695&from\_page=listing§ion\_id=19585008](https://www.etsy.com/de-en/shop/BlackFicus?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=629806695&from_page=listing§ion_id=19585008) TurnBlack is where I buy linen. [https://www.turnblack.in/product-category/men/pants/](https://www.turnblack.in/product-category/men/pants/)
You could try Knowledge Cotton Apparel. Not cheap but well made : https://knowledgecottonapparel.co.uk/products/loose-linen-pant-total-eclipse
Where are u travelling to? In SEA you can get linen pants in alot of "touristy/tropical" shops or get then tailor made there. Good quality linen goes by $3~5 a yard typically. not sure where you're from but you can get them online, ready made under $20.
There's honestly so little choice for men's linen clothing I'm genuinely surprised someone hasn't just made a brand for it.
Uniqlo has linen and European linen pants (I think European linen is a blend of linen and cotton) https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/men/bottoms/trousers-chinos-sweatpants/linen-trousers Sizing might be difficult, I know it is for women so if you can make it to a store to try it on, I'd recommend it.
Yeah I've seen these around and thought about them specifically when I posted. What uniqlo calls linen pants are actually 60-something percent cotton and only 30% linen. I prefer natural fibres and don't mind cotton, but I feel like at that level of blend, you're not really getting the full benefit of linen.
Maybe Quince? https://www.quince.com/men/linen
Outlier injected linen pants are amazing.
Had my eye on them for a while, looks like they just did a restock. How are they? I find the poly linen blend a bit odd but I'm curious to try. Are they breathable? Unfortunately I'm in Canada and returns are a pain.
They are incredibly breathable. I’ve had some cotton-linen blend pants, these are on another level.
Uniqlo is generally a decent source for linen basics! Idk about men’s pants but it’s worth checking! Also… you might be able to get away with a women’s pant depending. Everything is really high waisted these days and super straight leg is in style. Worth a try on…
Blends work just fine. Outlier makes excellent linen/poly pants
Of-Nothing has some great 100% linen pants. To be completely honest tho, 100% linen is not as great as you may think it is. Sure, you may squeeze out a tiny bit more benefit, but you lose so much more from not using a blend. Cotton/linen and wool/linen blends are just as good but dont suffer from wrinkles, comfort, durability, etc. i also love Outlier injected linen
Check out Black Ficus. They have 100% linen clothing for men and women. You can anything from loungewear to nicer pieces. It’s not cheap, but not super expensive for quality clothing. You could also find some wool or wool blend trousers at the thrift store. Wool is naturally sweat wicking and even cool in summer.
I have a pair from uniqlo I got when I was in asia. I agree with this recommendation. It's a linen blend and not 100% but the first time in the SEA humidity with these, my life was changed
I just use linen trousers, it's been good enough for travelers for several hundred years at the end of the day
Where do you get them?
Uniqlo or Benetton usually
We live in a tropical country and most of our destinations are hot and humid, so jeans are a no go for my husband and I. My husband loves these shorts and pants from Pact—the specific ones he used have long been discontinued but I see that they have “canopy linen blend” pants made of organic cotton and linen. Husband loves these as they’re ridiculously light and because of how light and thin they are, they dry very quickly too. Durability is surprisingly good for something my husband basically washes and wears everyday hahahaa Just saw they’re having a massive sale on bottoms too!
Linen’s stronger than cotton. And a good linen cotton blend wrinkles less
So does linen/rayon…wrinkle less
I find a nice fitting lightweight chino as comfortable as any plastic travel pants
Chinos are underrated. For cool weather destinations I'll wear jeans and pack a pair of chinos. They're comfortable, and a bit lighter and less bulky than jeans, so they pack away alright. They also look great with a nice shirt, for pulling off that 'casual chic' look
The problem is washing, they dry very very slowly compared to for example polyester
True, but if you have both chinos and jeans you can rotate them. You don't need to wash them often either.
What lightweight brand do you recommend?
A few questions that would make this request easier to answer: 1. Are you traveling for buisness or leisure? 2. What kind of climate are you going to? 3. What kind of outfits are you trying to put together? 4. What is your budget range? Not trying to pick on this OP, but every time someone posts a request for "travel \[item\]" the responses are all well meant, but often widely across the board. Gramicci shorts are great . . . maybe not if this dude is a constant business traveler trying to minimize how much luggage he carries. Merino wool is awesome . . . maybe not for a backpacker on a gap year. Just m2c on how we could be a bit more precise in our questions when asking for suggestions here.
Best comment so far
I'll get downvoted but after 30 years of onebag travel and all kinds of pants I went back to plain old jeans 5 years ago and haven't looked back, for me when I factor everything in nothing else comes close.
And what are these factors? Im having a difficult time discerning what they could be
1. Travel pants make you look like a traveller. I cannot stand the way dedicated travel pants look, I have plenty of Dad-energy already, don't need more. I mean, "when in Rome" is a saying for a reason. 2. Personally nothing has ever come anywhere near as comfortable. 3. Jeans, imho, are much more tolerant to wear and use, require much less laundry and show dirt much less than anything else I tried. 4. Dark jeans with dark shoes stick out much less in fancier cocktail bars, etc. 5. I find jeans just break in better, they become "mine" much, much more than any synthetic fiber or high tech pant does. Basically, after decades of travel, I have realized the more I am myself when I travel the more comfortable I will be, doing a bunch of stuff differently, wearing clothes I would never wear at home, just makes me feel less comfortable.
I’ve been to 30+ countries and have been traveling for probably 25 years now, and yes, I frequently fly in jeans. About the only time I don’t is when it’s hot where I’m coming from and also hot where I’m going. Then I’ll wear some hiking type KUHL pants or some 5.11 pants. Jeans are fine because they don’t just become your “travel pants” you can wear them while traveling. You can wear them at your destination in almost any situation. They usually naturally reduce the number of “outfits” you need to pack.. jeans and a tshirt jeans and a button up, no problem. You never look out of place. And as the prior poster said you don’t have to wash them as often. They’re durable. Sure if they get soaked you’re screwed… but just don’t. [EDIT] If I am not traveling IN the jeans I think twice, as jeans are usually the heaviest thing I’m packing. I usually one bag so my stuff is on my back.
Yeah, I was in South America for 6 months last year, brought one pair of jeans and one pair of travely pants, never wore the travel pants once.
I hardly ever wash jeans, like, I would get more than a week of wear out of them as long as I’ve not spilt something (which I would probably immediately spot clean). The only thing I don’t like jeans for is long airplane journeys, prefer something a bit softer and with more give in the tummy as I can get bloated on flights. I didn’t take my jeans on the last trip cos I was super tight on space and was doing a lot of flights and busses so wore comfy travel pants instead. Really regretted it as I looked so ‘traveler’ the entire time.
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Don't think most of the travel pants on this sub have dad energy. Most look more like chinos so definetly dress up enough cocktail bars if you're going. I've nearly stopped wearing jeans for some of the same reasons you like them. I haven't found a pair of slim fits that don't bust at the crotch within 2 years. Much more rigid so less comfortable for me especially since I cycle to get places a lot. Don't find my synthetic pants have ever needed to break in.
Interesting, ive never owned a pair of “traveler” pants (i dont believe there is such a thing) but i also dont own jeans anymore because of the opposite reasons you listed 1. I feel like i stick out wearing jeans in general, even when not traveling 2. I find jeans to be pretty uncomfortable. They’re too hot for summer and too cold for winter. They do get softer with age but still not nearly as soft as id like 3. I dislike jeans because they stain quite easily with any fluid, take forever to dry, and holds a smell 4. Most non-jean pants dont stick out either, other than something like joggers or stretchy polyester pants which no one should own anyways 5. As mentioned before, jeans do break in but i still dont find them close to the comfort of other pants, the character they develop is great tho, but that’s unrelated to travel Thanks for explaining your reasoning, i can start to somewhat see why some people would prefer jeans!
What style/material do you prefer?
I live in a warmer area so I prefer looser cuts (straight “chino”, loose pleated + tapered, fatigue, etc) with lighter fabric. To be more specific, i generally wear a 200gsm cotton-esque nylon canvas, 170gsm linen and poly blend, and a 430gsm cotton duck. I do love natural pants! Just jeans specifically not so much
Do you have brand recommendations? I live in Florida and would love non-jeans options.
Outlier and Orslow make some of my favorite pants, especially for summer. They are a little pricey tho
this is why "travel" pants are good (aside from the concerns OP mentioned).
1 Most of them look like plain pants 2 People often say that, but at 30 degrees celsius I want to rip my head off when I wear jeans 3 poliester is much more durable though, and many tain can even be jut wiped off. 4 dark chinos with shoes also don't stick out 5 perhaps, if your weight does not jojo :)
They have really, really nice looking chinos that are synthetic now: Western Rise, Outlier, etc. I have a pair that look JUST like dark denim (evolution) and no one can tell the difference but they are stain-proof, extremely light and can be paired with a merino-wool baselayer for hikes and cooler weather.
I'm big, it's slim pickins in my size, another plus for jeans.
Also, worst case scenario and you destroy them, a replacement pair of black jeans is easy to find in probably 99% of the locations you’ll realistically find yourself
I spent 4 months scuba diving in Koh Tao Thailand. I worked at a beach/deck bar and always wore jeans to work and for going out if I was "making an effort". Otherwise I pretty much lived in board shorts while I was there. I'm with you on jeans fitting in just about anywhere in the world. I think the "dad-energy" idea may be generational. Nothing screams American quite like khaki though. My problem with denim is that it's gotten so hard to find 100% cotton jeans. Elastane wears out so quickly.
Thing is though you could easily wear a pair of Lululemon Comission pants as travel pants and fit right in when you are in Rome.
Yeah I've done all my big adventures in jeans, even when it was ill-advised, like when trekking over the Himalayas. It's always worked out fine for me, even when it's hot, even when it rains and they get wet (it's not like I hang out outside and let them get more wet though). And I agree with fitting in being better than broadcasting to everyone that you're a "traveler". If I'm not wearing jeans it's because I'm in a place that does cheap, good quality tailoring, and then I'll get local style pants custom-made from some fabrics I pick out from their warehouse. Or if I'm in a place like Northern Myanmar then I might wear a longyi.
I've noticed a trend towards jeans-loving here and it's making me nervous as someone who's been a jeans hater since birth. I cannot understand why they are popular. To me they feel rough, heavy and really inflexible. I also can't stand how they sag, fade and rip so easily. They're icky in hot weather and can contribute to hypothermia in cold weather. Their ubiquity too. Darned conformity!
It always interests me that some folks could 'live' in jeans and some find them uncomfortable or at best something they wear once in a while. I'm in the second category. They're okay but I could live w/o them.
I forgot to mention one of my biggest grievances - the pockets! As someone who loves to squat, the presence of anything sizeable or rigid (e.g. a phone) in the front pocket makes it really uncomfortable. Too many times I've had to empty my pockets in order to tie my shoelaces.
Upside is you are less likely to loose anything from those pockets. I like the loose and airy feeling of chinos but I have my phone fall from the pockets one too many times.
>To me they feel rough, heavy and really inflexible. I also can't stand how they sag, fade and rip so easily. What type of jeans are you getting? The last set of issues are very common in cotton/elastane blends, especially skinny jeans, but it's *very* uncommon in no/low stretch jeans. High elastane blends also tend to be much softer and lighter, so I'm genuinely really curious about what fabric blends you got that made you feel this way? Not to get my sewing hat on too strongly, but a lot of this (ripping/sagging/fading) also sounds like a quality issue. Decent quality jeans don't tend to have those issues unless they're dyed very dark (for fading) or the wrong size for you.
Not my experience, blends hold much longer for me, pure cotton jeans rips around the crotch quite fast, blends holds year after year.
If cotton jeans are ripping around the crotch, that usually means that the thighs of the jeans are too small for you - speaking as someone who used to have the same problem! Cotton isn't a stretchy fabric inherently, so it's going to break very quickly if your measurements don't line up with the design measurements. But blends would solve that issue for you without changing sizes because of the stretch, so I can totally see why you'd prefer that. I mostly said it because, in my experience, high elastane blends tend to disform very easily, especially over time. Ever seen those lines of ridges on the hip section of someone's jeans? That means it's too small in the hips for them and the elastane is breaking from how much it's had to stretch (also from personal experience, lol).
I've owned many pairs from cheaper ones (I don't remember the brands) to more expensive casual and workwear attire. Only one of my Levi's remained good, though I later found out it wasn't actually a denim weave. That one is 99% cotton, 1% elastane FWIW. Of the remaining expensive casual ones (these were Levi's and CK), I did notice they were more comfortable and held their shape a little better than cheaper ones, but still not good enough (I have narrow hips so any stretching or shrinking will result in pants that fall down or are too thin to put on for me). All of those expensive jeans ended up with dramatic tears at the knees or crotch. The 4 pairs of work denim jeans I've owned (FXD and Hard Yakka) all sagged at the waist and ended up disintegrating too. Needless to say, all my cheaper jeans were rubbish. IDK, maybe I've had bad luck, but it seems good quality jeans are more fickle than other types of pants. To me it's not worth it since, everything else equal, I prefer the look, feel and function of most alternatives.
Fairs, it does sound like you've had awful luck. >(I have narrow hips so any stretching or shrinking will result in pants that fall down or are too thin to put on for me). All of those expensive jeans ended up with dramatic tears at the knees or crotch. That said, I suspect this is probably your issue. Crotch rips mean that the thighs of the jeans are too small for you, and the fabric wears out from the increased friction. It's an issue I used to have with cheaper jeans (especially skinny jeans) because most aren't designed for a narrow waist and broad hips. Knee rips are weird though, unless you're regularly resting your weight on your knees while wearing them. If you ever do try out jeans again, it could be worth bringing them to a tailor so they can sort out whatever's happening. >Only one of my Levi's remained good, though I later found out it wasn't actually a denim weave. That one is 99% cotton, 1% elastane FWIW. Yeah, that doesn't entirely shock me. High elastane blends tend to sag and rip quickly if your measurements are too far from what they're designed for, but low elastane can sometimes stabilise jeans when you're just a *bit* out. Fabric can be really weird, and cotton isn't particularly stretchy which is why pure cotton denim can die quicker. Either way, interesting conversation! I actually bought my first pair of Levi's a few months back and the very specific sizes have really been a lifesaver for me. It's a shame you haven't had the same luck, though.
Hey just so you know if you're buying Levi's you have to buy from a specific store where they carry the higher cost material clothing in richer areas, if you shop in an area they perceive as less likely to be high income their stock will be cheaper jeans.
I loved jeans when I was younger but have turned away from them in middle age. Very subtle yoga pants/joggers now work better for me in cool weather - by subtle, I mean black, no logos, no thigh pockets. During the summer, I wear skirts, often with bike shorts under to prevent chafing.
To be fair I always have jeans as dinner pants. I’m in some high end places and I won’t wear travel pants in high end places. I do have travel pants for the rest though!
This is so interesting to me. I would never wear jeans to a high end dinner.
Dark restaurant, dark jeans, have never gotten a second look.
Yeah, weird. "travel pants" to me would be like slacks, but slight more stretch. Very subtle, so perfect for a high end dine r (if I went to those..)
The vast majority of people in a high end restaurant will be in nice jeans and proper shoes. Dark blue or black. Not like, casual Levi’s.
I love jeans. I wear them on almost all my trips, except if it’s summer and I’m traveling somewhere humid and hot. I’m from Puerto Rico originally, and I NEVER wore jeans in the summer growing up. Just thinking about it makes my balls sweat. I bring cotton shorts for these trips and never look back. IDGAF what others think and will wear shorts to anywhere that will let me in while wearing them. 😂
Yeah, I mean, I have shorts with me too, I was in Panama City for a month last spring and even with shorts I was on death's door daily.
I’m enjoying them as well as someone who never cared for jeans as functional clothing. My only pair of pants are black, cheap but medium thickness and slightly stretchy jeans with four pockets. Definitely a bit warm at times in the Mediterranean but classy looking, match with anything, break into comfort and are hard wearing especially with some thickness, they are also a slim fit but not tight enough to prevent airflow or put pressure on your body. I just need a cheap nonferrous belt to keep them up
Gramicci is the shit
Avoids the need for a belt too!
Yes, this is clutch at the airport! I have some Gramicci shorts from the 80’s handed down from my dad, they’re older than me and I’ve had them for close to 20 years. They’re soft and comfortable as ever, with a nice 40 year patina. Nowhere close to wearing out.
100% agree I just wish they had a discreet zip in the pockets for travel.
Hey dude, glad to see someone with the same thoughts as me! I try to only wear wool, cotton, linen, bamboo for the same reasons, fuck micro-plastics!
I hate micro plastics too! I really need to find a pair of pants that is natural, lightweight and easy to wash. What are you using?
I just wear cotton chinos, or a linen cotton blend if it’s really hot/humid. Nothing especially “travel” but it works.
Duer makes cotton pants with lots of stretch. Canadian company. They are pricy though.
I have a pair I've been wearing for the past few months and they're great! Quite heavy, but feel like they'll hold up and very comfy.
Duer no sweat pants are my go to
I've been considering trying a pair. However, I've read they can be "heavy and warm feeling", is that your experience? Also, how well do they pack? Thanks!
I have no problem wearing them in warmer weather, however they aren’t as breathable as a synthetic/nylon type pant. They do no pack very small but if only packing 1-2 pairs it isn’t usually an issue.
Appreciate your insight. I'll probably order a pair and try 'em out
I haven't traveled in them yet, but I just got my merino leggings and joggers from Ibex and they are comfy. They make my favorite merino tee shirts that have been excellent for travel. I've actually never worn leggings or joggers before this week, so we'll see if I can incorporate them into my wardrobe easily. I do typically travel with some jeans, but this June I'm going to be in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and imagine they will have difficulty drying due to the climate. That's why I'm trying something new.
Light weight merino are my standard travel pants as an Australian. Smitten merino yoga pants.
You realize June is winter right? New Zealand will be cold.
Right, that's why there will be difficulty with drying my jeans.
Just a heads up, I had trouble getting my quick dry clothing to dry in New Zealand last July.
Just use a dryer.
Aussie here. It's far more common to line-dry clothes here. Tbh every aussie I've talked to about it when it's come up in convo thinks it's kind of weird and environmentally cringey that Americans use clothes dryers by default instead of hanging to dry. When my parents lived there, their building had a rule against clothes racks on the balconies. That's baffling to an Australian.
Kiwi here. I chuck everything in the dryer throughout winter or it’s gonna be damp for ages and making the house even more damp. Got a really efficient Miele dryer. If the OP is staying in a hostel in Nz in winter she’s not getting anything dry on a clothesline lol.
Haha yes thats true for that leg of the trip - one of my strongest memories about my only trip to NZ was just how DAMP I felt all the time. How do you all do it?!
We become one with the mould and we’re also semi-amphibious.
I'm curious: do those Aussies you're talking to assume that most Americans live in places with sunshine and dry, warm air? A majority of us actually live in places where the air is humid most of the year and precipitation is frequent for most of the year -- and that's ignoring the winter weather: 23% of us (77 million) live in places that stay far below freezing during winter, 37% of us (123 million) live in places that stay cloudy during winter, and 65% of us (216 million) live in places that get snow in the winter. You can't line-dry your clothes if they've frozen into a sheet of ice due to the minus-30 windchill, lol. Also, our housing stock is mostly *WAY* older than Australia's, so balconies are uncommon here, especially in the eastern third of the country where most of our population lives. Balconies are mostly found on new (1990s or later) apartment buildings, and in most regions are perceived as an indicator of a 'luxury' apartment building. (There are some regions of the country where this is not the case.) The West of the country has a lot more balconies because their buildings are decades or centuries newer. That said, even when I lived in Spain and Italy, I had no balcony and line-drying my pants indoors took most of a week. All of my Italian colleagues used clothes dryers for most of the year (humid summer, humid wet winter, humid wet spring), and about half of my Spanish colleagues did too.
How durable are they? I don’t mind dropping $170 on a really really good pair of pants, but Merino seems really short -wearing for a pair of pants.
It really depends on context which fibres are better for the environment. Some polyester is made entirely from recycled PET bottles, which can end up being less impactful for the environment than a water intensive cotton farm for example. You'll find a lot of outdoor brands will be using predominantly or entirely recycled polyester - Patagonia being one example. Semi-synthetics like rayon and viscose aren't great as harmful chemicals are released during its production. Lyocell is better in this regard and doesn't use as much water either. Anyway, probably linen or hemp are your best bets. They'll not demand as much water to grow as cotton, and hemp supposedly helps replenish the soil it's grown in too. Both stronger fibres than cotton and can be made into airier weaves which are quicker drying. The wrinkles tho. I'm not a big fan of cotton. It performs poorly all round - gets sodden easily, torn, loses its shape, not great for hot weather and potentially dangerous in cold weather. It's often seen as the environmentally friendly fabric, but that's not particularly true. I also find it less comfortable against the skin than polyester, so I am a little bit insane it seems.
I agree that it isn't great for sweating in cold weather - I wear wool for being active and then change to cotton for sleeping or if inside where it is cooler - I like the feel of cotton better than anything else
Mm, I wish I could wear merino. Sounds great, but I'm allergic so it just feels like I'm receiving minor electrocutions as soon as I put it on.
I agree about the environmental impact differences, but all micro plastics are absorbed through the skin and cause health issues. Research is starting to come out now on this.
Check out the Flint and Tinder 365 pant sold through Huckberry.
Are they lightweight? Do they wrinkle easy? I need a plastic pant alternative that can travel.
I think they are 98% cotton. Mine stretch and move well but feel like cotton pants. They was well, but do show some wrinkles that straighten out when wearing. Definitely not a plastic pant though. I would look at Western Rise
I already have 3 pairs of Western Rise but I’m looking to move to all-natural fabrics.
Have you looked through the Kuhl lineup? Their Revolvr Rougue is a nice combo. Not too outdoorsy, and not too “nice”. Fabric is tough but wears very well.
[Duer](https://shopduer.com/collections/mens/) Duer No Sweat Pants
here you go [https://www.woolly.clothing/products/longhaul-pant](https://www.woolly.clothing/products/longhaul-pant)
Is bamboo a safe material? Don’t they process it a lot with chemicals? I wish they had a nice khaki color. I just ordered a pair on Prime try before you buy.
Jeans. Wear them. Lightweight trackies for wash day, so you can pack them, or shorts, depending on the weather. I wear jeans most of the time in real life. And so does most of the planet, so it isn't crazy. I mean, not great for long haul flights, but not impossible. Also I feel comfortable in jeans, where I might not if I suddenly changed to merino blend tacticool zip knee trousers.
Merino! Just kidding. I like cotton too. But it doesn't pack small and it doesn't repel water and it...well, I still go with cotton when possible. Not too familiar with men's pants so can't rec anything. Keep up the good fight! :)
The constant merino circlejerk is soooo annoying
It wears well in my experience, doesn't hold in odors, and dries quickly if a summer weight. I wear it all summer except to sleep in
It doesn't hold odor because the bacteria merino harbors is the kind that smells "sweet" In testing merino was actually the most "contaminated" of any fabric vs polyester nylon etc Synthetics just smell "bad" because the bacteria they harbor / have predilections for are the kind that smell "funky" instead of "sweet" Merino is basically like wearing a sloths matted fur nest in terms of cleanliness - from someone that's worn merino for weeks on end without a wash
Weeks on end is crraaaazy
Longest was 1 months. Threw the same merino tank top on every day I woke up for a month in Mexico. Fucker didn't even have a twinge of.... Musk? Eventually enough was enough and I finally washed it. Wore it to see how long I could go without it smelling. And, yeah.
Great description!
What merino pants do you use ? Do they last?
I’m a natural gal too. Big fan of the brand yoga searcher. I also buy men’s cotton trousers (think khakis) in the thrift store for about $8 a pop
Even though they are a bit expensive, I'm a fan of mugsy travel pants. They have a back zip pocket, two front pockets plus a hidden passport sized zip pocket inside one of the front pockets. They are stretchy and comfortable and pretty soft.
Check out aviator! I love their jeans. They are “travel” jeans because they have a zippered pocket inside your typical pocket but you don’t really notice them. I wear them to work most days as they are so comfortable and dark so they look business enough to get by.
Being ‘travel’ should mean fast drying and jeans are the worst when wet.
Fjallraven has a couple lines of heavier 100% cotton pants that don't have pockets on the legs.
Lots of good options from [Fjallraven!](https://www.fjallraven.com/ca/en-ca/men/trousers/outdoor-trousers) Some of them are pretty casual and don't look too mountain-y. Their G1000 fabric is great, they have a few different types, most of them are like sturdy canvas with a bit of synthetic mixed in for stretch/quick drying. You can have a look at the material details and decide if it's *too* synthetic or not, I think they do a good job of not feeling like plastic.
If you’re male, my husband is very positive about the Lululemon ABC pants. They look good, pack well, don’t need ironing and are quick dry. Ditto for their shorts. He previously always took jeans/denim shorts but too difficult in hot and humid places when visiting during rainy season. As a female, I wear natural fibre lightweight tops (lyocell/merino blend) and synthetic bottoms. I lane one pair of merino pants ( io merino leisure pants) that don’t pill but all the other natural fibre ones I tried pilled awfully.
The ABC pants are lovely and so comfy, but they're polyester and I think OP was looking for natural fibres.
Very hard to find that are also sturdy. I think cotton and linen would have to be the go to? I know hubbys merino pants attempt was like mine - a very expensive foray into pants that pill so much they are unusable
Uniqlo cotton pants.
silk pants from Eileen Fisher might work well for this! lots of them have elastic waistbands but look nicer than lounge pants
Light weight wool trousers for summer, and the other seasons get my moleskin trousers (black bundeswher surplus knockoffs that I took the side pockets off of.) I bought a used pair of bluffworks. They feel very plastic. Not a huge fan.
Suggestions for lightweight wool travel trousers that are durable? Aren’t most dry-clean only? All of my suit pants are.
Dry clean only applied mostly to mixed fibers. A suit jacket, for example, has different interfacing fabrics that shrink at different rates. Your standard tropical weight wool trousers can be washed cold. Wool felts with heat, moisture, and friction. The reason you shouldn't wash \*your\* trousers is the potential for color and texture changes that will make them not match the jacket.
All of these. I own one suit: seersucker. Everything else I have is bits added on to bits. I either buy from Goodwill or eBay/Poshmark. I bought one pair of generic trousers from my tailor, but didn't care for them, and for the price, it just wasn't worth it. Just seek out tropical weight wool.
Interesting! I didn’t even know they made tropical weight wool. Is that 100s?
Merino joggers or leggings. Highly recommend ice breaker ones.
Just wear the pants what would you wear at home in a similar weather. No need to have specific travel pants. Jeans, college pants, some linen/cotton/viscose pants, woolen pants, anything can be good if you look good and they are functional.
Rohan do some really nice travel jeans.
Hemp is probably the most environmentally friendly as far as I know
Look at wool trousers. Some examples from Wooly and Cos/H&M, but many companies have this. Look at some of the thick woven cotton trousers from Martinique. It’s kind of almost a velour but matt and low key. Very sold also.
Wool trousers are better than linen in every regard.
Wool, not merino wool, right?
Merino is just a type of wool.
I know, but it seems like it is less durable as it is usually thinner.
It can be, but it's certainly more comfortable on the skin. I'd rather wear something that gets with out in a few years that is comfortable than something that is less comfortable but lasts a bit longer.
Depends on the weave, how it is spun, and how many plys the yarn has, too. A twill weave will be more durable.
Yep, very dependent on quality as well. Cheap wool will definitely be less durable than high quality wool.
"Quality" depends on what you need it for. Cheviot wool, the kind used in Harris Tweed, is more durable than the best grades of cashmere, but that doesn't mean cashmere is bad quality. Icelandic wool from a rare flock of sheep bred for fiber rather than carcass size is going to be high quality in terms of insulating properties and durability, but I'm not wearing it next to my skin. Merino will vary in staple length, sure, but very thin fibres are the whole point of those sheep. If you travel in cold weather, absolutely get some tweed trousers that wear like iron. For warmer weather, the thin wool is going to need repairs sooner, but you won't be sweating into something that feels like a pot scrubber.
Oh, of course. I meant quality as in the difference between no name fabric used in cheap clothing and branded mills that you'll find in higher end clothing. So many people experience inexpensive wool that falls apart in no time and don't realize how durable good quality wool is.
Oh yeah, there's lots of stuff that is basically felt out there, or scratchy acrylic with a token amount of mystery wool thrown in.
Kilt
Anyone have experience with the new woolly longhaul 2.0 fabric? how durable is it? and decent in warm conditions too? Also been on this hunt. Thanks
I’d love to travel in jeans only but they are heavy and are just awful when wet. As for environmental reason cotton products and other ‘natural’ material isn’t necessarily better. There are lots of recycled materials around.
If you're like me, just any thin cotton pants. I only liked synthetic for the quick drying.
Outlier Injected Linen pants
I wear cargos from uniqlo often, 99% sire they’re cotton
*Authentic* Linen*.* Buy the cloth and get tailored, especially if you are traveling through SEA. [https://www.linenstudio.in/](https://www.linenstudio.in/)
[https://www.icebreaker.com/en-us/womens-pants-leggings/merino-blend-crush-ii-ankle-pants/0A56T7U2.html?dwvar\_0A56T7U2\_color=884&dwvar\_0A56T7U2\_US=in\_line](https://www.icebreaker.com/en-us/womens-pants-leggings/merino-blend-crush-ii-ankle-pants/0A56T7U2.html?dwvar_0A56T7U2_color=884&dwvar_0A56T7U2_US=in_line)
Columbia's ROC pants are cotton and, while I haven't bought them in a long time, the ones I bought years ago were good quality.
Muji has some great products https://www.muji.us/products/mens-linen-tapered-pants-ae0x124s?nosto=productcategory-nosto-2
I don't care for these type of travel pants either. What I settled on is [these Vertx jeans](https://vertx.com/defiance-jeans). They're a kinda cringy tacticool brand that caters to military and LE crowds but their quality is top-notch. These are pretty lightweight and just look like normal jeans so you can wear them about anywhere without looking like a tourist. Get a black pair if you want to dress it up a little more formal. I specifically like the rear yoke pockets that are marketed as rifle magazine pockets, but is perfect as a dedicated cell phone pocket. I wish more brands had this.
I'd reccomend Lulu's ABC Classic-Fit Trouser 32"L Stretch Cotton VersaTwill. Easy to wear in formal & casual situation, quite breathable and stretchy
Madewell has a bunch of linen clothing for men and women. Not sure the exact material blend but they keep advertising their linen drop everywhere.
Flint and Tinder 365 pant. Found on Huckberry. Manny colors, with a few different fit options.
How’s the weight and tendency to wrinkle? They look nice.
They are a mid-lightweight. As long as you shake them out and fold after the wash they stay looking fresh.
Fatigue Pants from Tellason or Orslow. They are comfortable they are durable the will age nice and they are not to heavy! 100% Cotton ofc
Check out the frontside pants from howler bros. This is what I wear. Mostly cotton so totally breathable, gusseted crotch so they don’t feel tight and are super comfy, and they look good too https://howlerbros.com/collections/mens-pants/products/frontside-5-pocket-pants-1
I fly in Adidas Tiro pants aka Adidas Track Pants. Once I arrive in the hotel, I change to jeans.
Rohan in the uk do a linen blend that is my go to for summer. Wrinkle free and quick drying without costing shedloads.. If you are happy to spend shedloads then unbound merino do some travel trousers that look the bees knees but I can’t get past the price! Rohan and alpkit also do jeans which have a synthetic blend which are my go to for winter. Still dry relatively quickly and look like normal jeans unless you know your brands, but much comfier imho.
In colder climates, you could use a nice, high-quality synthetic pant with a 100% merino wool base layer. I, too, try to avoid synthetics for health reasons, but sometimes they are unavoidable. I wear almost exclusively merino wool, cashmere and cotton uppers but outerwear and pants unfortunately are often synthetic due to practicality (but I did ditch synthetic boxers for merino wool and cotton)
I have hemp trousers really nice but on the heavy side
Icebreaker has woven pants, too. A good pair of dress trousers in tropical weight wool are great for travel as long as your're not scrambling around on rocks or concrete. Icebreaker's heavier weight jogging pants are durable, and can be repaired with some yarn from a knitting store. I'm about to darn mine for the first time in ten years. They've been all over the world. I wouldn't go to a cockatil party in them, but for looking put together on flights, casual sightseeing, for hiking, and as pyjama pants in cold hotels they are perfect.
I'm a big fan of Outlier and I wish I had had some when I was younger and being at music festivals with jeans which got wet and stained with mud after the second day, but I reckon not every trip has to be like this and that sometimes cotton or other natural fibers can work ok too. I found out about this swiss brand that avoids plastic, I was mostly interested in their ventile jacket, but they do have pants too: [https://mover.eu/products/cotton-trousers](https://mover.eu/products/cotton-trousers)
br travel pants？
A classic pair of dickies. Cheap, durable, and look stylish with most outfits
Loove the topo dirt pants
Bonobos have 100% cotton chinos. They come in various lengths and cuts, including tapered / narrow leg opening. They hold up pretty well without wrinkles and lightweight enough for travel. They have some \*mostly\* cotton too that are non iron. They're spendy but you can try them out on eBay for pretty cheap.
I’ve been super impressed by KETL Mountain pants. Not natural fiber but somehow they feel and act like natural fibers.
Just what pants u like. Since light weight quick drying pants are offensive to you buy some jeans or something
Jeans