Best Travel Pants for Men – 2024

When I pack for travel I am typically packing in a carry-on so I have limited space. Pants can be one of the bulkiest things that I pack so it is not uncommon that I can pack for a 4 week trip with only 2-3 pairs of pants. And some of my trips like a recent one to both Japan and Botswana have me looking for versatility. Clearly, I have plans to do laundry along my way just as I do at home.

The Problem With Travel Pants

For some time now I have been searching for the best travel pants for men. But before I tell you what I found let me tell you why I was on a hunt in the first place. 

Jeans Won’t Dry

When I am working at home you will usually find me in an old pair of jeans or shorts on a hot day. I grew up in California where we think jeans are appropriate for all occasions, except maybe your wedding without special dispensation from the bride. The problem is that jeans dry slowly when you are washing out clothes in a hotel sink. It can take about 3 days for a pair of jeans to dry without a dryer. So I only want to pack at most one pair of jeans.

Too much Suitcase Space

Some of the travel pants I have worn before like my old Clothing Arts “Pickpocket Proof” Pants just take up too much space in my suitcase. I am trying to travel with a carry-on suitcase to save money, save time by skipping baggage claim, and save stress by not having to worry about lost luggage. My regular jeans take a fair amount of space but my Clothing Arts pants probably take half again as much space.

Travel Pants That Wrinkle

I have tried men’s lightweight travel pants that I found at my local REI. They take up very little space in the suitcase, they can be good for warm climates because they are lightweight but they are not as good for cold climates or for a trip like this where the safari company recommends something substantial like jeans to walk through the bush. But the worst part is that even in the store, on the hanger they are already wrinkled. They just don’t look that good. Wrinkle-free travel clothes are even more important when I am traveling on a press trip or to a conference and looking presentable is just good business.

Kühl – Silencr

The latest travel pants I am trying is from Kühl which is a new brand for me. They sent me a pair of their Silencr pants in full-fit with the color Raven. These are lighter-weight pants, probably half the bulk of a pair of jeans. They kind of look like fine mesh rip-stop nylon, but I like the feel of these pants. The 62% Mechanical Stretch Polyester and 38% Recycled Polyester fabric has some texture to it.

The pants have your usual two back pockets and two front pockets which are deep enough. They also have a change pocket, which has become more important to me of late as that is where my Apple AirPods go. They also have a side pocket big enough to hold an iPhone 12, although I would not trust it in a side pocket while traveling.

The pants are available in a full-fit or a tapered-fit, but unfortunately I am currently only available in a full-fit version. I did find the sizes on the waste ran a bit small so you might consider adding an extra inch… or maybe I just should have laid off the Christmas cookies this year. They also use a snap to close. I prefer a button as a snap is less secure when you are moving around, but the stretch fabric nature of these pants is that they do have good mobility.

Clothing Arts – “Pick-Pocket Proof Pants”

I mentioned that the pants by Clothing Arts don’t always make my packing list anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I love these pants and if I am in a busy city being targeted by pickpockets these are definitely the pants I want to be wearing. They look good, they repel Diet Coke when I spill on them. But they take up twice as much space in my suitcase as a pair of typical travel pants. 

PraNa

I met the reps from PraNa at a TBEX conference and told them about my quest for better travel pants and they sent me a selection of 5 of their pants to try out including a pair of jeans, a pair of convertible pants that zip off to form shorts and two classic travel pants.

Manchester Jean – Dark Indigo

One of the 3 pairs of pants I am taking are jeans, my new Manchester jeans from PraNa. I like how they wear. They are bulkier so these will be the pants that I wear on the plane. They have a bit of stretch in them like a lot of modern jeans. One change I would suggest for the design to make them better travel pants would be adding at least another inch of depth in the front pockets. When I travel my wallet and phone are in my front pocket and I want them a bit more out of reach. My wife literally took out her sewing machine and extended the pockets on these pants. 

Bronson Pant –  Charcoal

These are some of my favorite pants. I have been wearing them all week, even when at home. They are comfortable. The pockets are the right depth. They are stylish enough that I wore them to a networking event with the Irish Tourism board. They go great with my Amateur Traveler shirts. I think these will work fine in the bush in Africa and on the streets of Tokyo. These are definitely coming with me.

When I need to be a bit more dressed up I can wear them with a travel blazer.

Stretch Zion Convertible – Cargo Green

The third pair of pants I am considering bringing are convertible pants. The packing list I got for my recent safari recommended bringing 2-3 pairs of pants and 2-3 pairs of shorts. I don’t have the packing room for that without cheating so these made my list. They are a bit more lightweight than the Bronson pant but also comfortable and flexible. Flexibility is helpful when I am trying to keep the packing list short. They would make great lightweight travel clothing for hot climates especially in countries that are more culturally conservative where shorts are less acceptable.

Stretch Zion Pant – Grey

I like these pants also but they did not make my list for my most recent trip because of the flexibility I needed. They actually recommend lighter colors when you are on safari so if I was just going to Botswana I would probably opt for these which are also quite comfortable and leave the Bronson pants at home, but I also know myself and know that somehow I will find a way to spill soy sauce on my pants in Japan and am opting for darker colors where diet coke and sauce stains are less obvious.