The Best Pants for Men of 2020
The Rhone Commuter pants are a sure bet to keep you dressed for success for almost any occasion. With a slim modern cut, these sharp-looking pants are an easy choice to wear to the office or on a date. The flex-knit fabric ensures that despite the slim fit, your range of motion is fully unencumbered, making them, as their name implies, an ideal choice for bike commuters. The soft material is comfortable and stretchy enough to even hit the local climbing gym on your way home from work — without needing to change.
The flex-knit fabric also proved to be the most breathable material of any of the pants we tried on, so whether you're crammed onto the subway on a hot day or going for a hike, these pants will keep things from getting too sweaty. These highly versatile pants are far and away the most expensive pants we looked at, but the top tier quality is obvious as soon as you slide them on.
Dickies have long been known as some of the most durable workwear you can buy. Their exceptional durability at an exceedingly low price point makes the Dickies Original 874 a purchase that doesn't require much thought. The straight fit and creased leg details give the pants a classic look that makes them feel as much at home as casual streetwear as it does on the job site.
The cotton-polyester blend that lends these pants their durability does, unfortunately, make the pants a little scratchy on the skin and somewhat restrictive in their movement. While these are perfect heavy-duty work pants, they wouldn't be our first choice to wear on hot days or for more than a quick walk around the neighborhood.
The Carhartt Relaxed Fit Dungaree is the quintessential work pant. Equipped with numerous utility pockets and a hammer loop, these pants were designed with construction work in mind. With a longer hemline and relaxed fit, the pants comfortably fit over a pair of boots and ensure you have a decent range of motion.
The 100% cotton fabric was one of the softest and most comfortable materials we felt throughout our testing. The material is thick enough to withstand the abuse of hard labor, but we found that the cotton fabric combined with the pants airy fit, kept things comfortable, even in the heat. While these are no doubt, excellent work pants, their fit and style details will keep them out of all but the most casual offices.
The Docker's Slim Fit Workday Khaki is a comfortable office pant that can easily be dressed up or down depending on your needs. Made from a stretch cotton blend, these pants are minimally restrictive despite their slimmer cut. Although these still fall into the category of slim fit, we found them bordering on straight fit and more relaxed fitting than the tight-fitting Rhone Commuter pants.
If you're looking for a modern looking office pant that isn't too tight, these are a perfect choice. We found the fabric to be a little thick to want to wear on hot, stuffy days, but they are versatile and stylish enough to wear to any semi-formal affair.
Love them or hate them, cargo pants are an enduring trend that will always have their place in the world of workwear. Whether you need pockets for small tools or snacks, cargo pants provide you the means to carry a surplus of items readily at your fingertips. The Wrangler Cargo pants are equipped with a total of six pockets, including two extra-large flap closure side pockets.
As far as cargo pants go, these are not over the top or in your face about their pocket space. On the slim side for a relaxed fit pant, they have a clean silhouette and wear comfortably if not a little tight on the hips. While their range of motion is adequate for work pants, we found they were slightly too restrictive to use as say, a pair of hiking pants.
The Amazon Slim Fit Chino is the more stylish and modern looking version of the Amazons Classic Fit Chino. With a much slimmer fit, we found these pants to more restrictive than their relaxed fit counterpart but not overly so. While you might not be able to max out your high kicks, they have enough range of motion to comfortably walk to work and spend the day moving around the office.
The slimmer fit and modern style has no trouble going straight from the office to evening drinks out on the town. With an affordable price tag, it would be an easy choice to grab a couple of pairs to round out your weekly office uniform.
The Lees Extreme Comfort Straight-Fit Pants are extremely comfortable. With a loose fit from the waist down through the thighs, these pants give you room to move. With mesh pockets designed to contribute to breathability, these pants make great hikers or summertime work pants.
Living on the more casual side of the spectrum, these pants might not be office appropriate, but depending on the dress code, they could be suitable for a dressed-down office look. With a stretch waistband and breathable, stretchy fabric, these pants are all about maximizing comfort.
The Amazon Essentials Classic-Fit Chino is an affordable no-frills office ready pant. With a relaxed fit, this is one of the looser-fitting pair of pants in our fleet. Despite the relaxed fit in the bum and thighs, we did find the waist to be a little tight.
The cotton-polyester fabric proved to be soft on the skin and thin enough to be highly breathable. The relaxed fit and airy fabric made these our pant of choice for hot summer days stuck in the office. The baggy fit and pleated legs pigeonhole these pants to be exclusively for office wear.
The Bonobos Stretch Chinos are made from a soft stretch cotton blend that is pleasing to the touch. Despite being 2% lycra, we found that that the pants were fairly restrictive and did not offer an exceptional range of motion. However, given their cut and look, these are best as business casual office pants or semi-formal dress pants, so their lack of mobility isn't entirely relevant.
The legs were a little too long and extended well past the ankle, which was fine if you cuffed the pants for a casual look. For a more formal look, we would have needed to have the pants hemmed.
The Union Bay Cargo Pants are a casual pant best suited for weekend yard work. With a relaxed fit bordering on baggy, these pants are much too casual for office wear and a little too thin to be serious work pants.
With ample pocket space and made from a light cotton material, we found these pants to be comfortable and utilitarian, but the least stylish of any of the pants we reviewed. If you're looking for a pair of pants to knock around the yard in or use for casual cool weather hiking, the Union Bay Cargo Pants fit the bill.
Why You Should Trust Us
Buck Yedor, our lead tester for this project, fancies himself a bit of a pants connoisseur. Having worked jobs as far-ranging as working for Yosemite Search and Rescue to attending management meetings for one of the largest climbing gym companies in the world, he has experienced a dress code almost as diverse as the work. Buck knows first hand that to be successful, you have to dress the part, and having the right pants for the right job is a crucial part of the equation.
From style to comfort, a good pair of pants needs to check all the boxes. After scouring the internet to find the most sought after pants, we independently purchased 10 of the most promising pairs for Buck to put to the test. He hit the field in each pair to compare which pants had the most comfortable material, how well they fit, how breathable they were, how restrictive they were, as well as how stylish and versatile they all were.
Analysis and Test Results
The subtleties of what makes a pair of pants great lies in the details. To get a true sense of how each pair of pants performed, we started by washing them per the manufacturers' instructions and then one by one trying them all on and walking a mile in each pair. After the walk, each pant was subjected to a series of squats and stretches. By running them all through the same tests, we were able to objectively compare how each pant fared in each of our specified metrics.
Ease of Care
To determine the ease of care for each pair, we washed them per the manufacturers' instructions and then took note of whether or not there was shrinkage, how well they dried, and if they needed to be ironed. Of all the pants we tested, only the Rhone Commuter Pants had to hang dry rather than be put in the dryer. While this made for a longer dry time, the pants came out completely wrinkle-free and ready to wear.
The Dockers experienced a bit of shrinkage after their first wash, and it's important to remember they must be washed cold. The Bonobos Chinos came out of the dryer a little wrinkly and, given their intended use as business casual wear, were in need of an iron.
Comfort of Material
To test the comfort of material, we were looking at how the fabric felt against our skin, especially after continual rubbing during the mile-long walk. The highest performer in the metric was the Rhone Commuter. Made entirely of synthetic "flex knit" fabric, they were incredibly soft to the touch and didn't chafe at all during testing. The next most comfortable pair was the Carhart Dungaree. Made from 100% cotton, this heavyweight twill was incredibly supple despite its thickness.
The Dickies Original 874 were made from the least comfortable material. The 65% polyester, 35% percent cotton blend was a little scratchy and made the pants feel stiff.
Fit
While each pair is designed to be a specific fit, such as slim, straight, or relaxed, we were looking specifically at how each pant fit at the waist, in the bum, and around the thighs. We were also looking at where the hemline fell in relation to our tester's ankle. Our favorite fitting pant was the Rhone Commuter. The pants are slim fitting but not overly tight. The waist was true to size with a little extra give from the stretchy material. The hemline was a little long for our tester, but the pants accommodated a quick cuffing well.
The Carhart Dungaree was another standout in fit. Tailored to have a relaxed fit, they were comfortable but not baggy. The waist fits true to size and didn't require a belt to keep them from falling off. The relaxed fit made walking in them comfortable despite being made of non-stretch cotton. The longer hemline is ideal for fitting over a pair of work boots and fit exactly how you'd expect and want if you were spending all day in them, performing manual labor.
We found the Union Bay Cargo to have the least flattering fit. Baggy all around, they required a belt to stay in place, and the extra-long hemline had the end of the pant legs pooling on top of our feet.The Amazon Classic Chinos were tight-fitting in the waist for how loose they were in the bum and thighs.
Breathability
When looking to measure breathability, we measured how sweaty and moist the different pants became during a mile-long walk.
The highest performer was again the Rhone Commuter. The flex knit fabric kept our tester cool, and at the end of the mile-long walk, had little to no moisture build-up in the pants. The Amazon Classic Chino fared surprisingly well in this metric. The looser fit and cotton blend stayed pleasantly dry and cool on our summertime walk. The Dickies Original 874, given their thick and stiff fabric, proved to be the least breathable, and our tester reported high amounts of sweat being built upon their walk. Better suited to cool weather wear, the Dickies wouldn't be our first choice to go hiking in.
Ease of Movement
Ease of movement refers to how big of a range of motion each pant allows for. The Rhone Commuter gave the wearer a complete range of motion. The stretchy synthetic fabric lets any an all movements feel unencumbered, which is especially notable given the slim fit of the pants.
The Lees Performance Series lived up to their name and also offered unrestricted movement. The roomy fit and stretch cotton was highly flexible. A surprise high scorer in the metric was the Dickies Original 874, which despite their thick fabric and tighter fit, allowed for a decent amount of movement.
Style
Perhaps the only truly subjective metric in the bunch, there is an element of personal taste when it comes to rating stye. That being said, we took into account modern trends and sensibilities when looking at this metric. A long time staple of streetwear fashion, the Dickies 874 Originals were some of the most stylish pants we tried on. With a clean silhouette and a straight bordering on slim fit, they offer a classic look that won't be going out of style any time soon.
The Rhone Commuters were another pair that typifies modern style. With minimal details and a slim, slightly tapered leg, these pants simply look good. The Amazon Classic Chinos were some of the least stylish pants we tried. Their pleated legs and relaxed fit feel like they were taken from your dad's old stash of tired office wear.
Versatility
Versatility refers to how well each pant can be worn in a variety of situations. Are they relegated to office wear only? Can you go out on a Friday night in them? Can you ride a bike or go for a hike in them? The most versatile pair of pants we tested was the Rhone Commuter. With its modern style and breathable and stretchy fabric, this pant does it all. It would make a great travel pant given how well it functions in so many roles.
The Dockers Slim Fit Khaki is another choice that can work for a variety of functions. Easily dressed up or down, this pant fits in just as well at the office as it does for a Saturday bbq.
Though high performers in specific categories, some pants are just meant for one purpose. The Carhart Dungarees, for example, are great work pants, but given their specificity aren't very versatile. Along the same lines, the business casual Amazon Basics Classic Chino is best suited in a dressier environment.
Conclusion
After trying on and wearing ten different varieties of men's pants that ranged from relaxed fit dungarees to slim fit chinos, we were able to break down the best and worst qualities of each pair. We tested ease of care, comfort of material, overall fit, breathability, ease of movement, style, and versatility. With an overwhelmingly large selection of pants on the market, it can be hard to know what you're getting into. Our in-depth breakdown of these ten pairs will help take the confusion out of what pair of pants you want to slide into next.
— Buck Yedor