About this deal
Variety is the spice of life, and that applies to your wardrobe in the same way it does to your dinner plate. You wouldn’t eat the same food every day, so why would you wear the same outfit. Many of us can fall into the habit of just throwing on the same jeans wherever we go. But, try diversifying this year with a pair of cargo trousers. Cargo trousers? Our favorite pants come from LIVSN. The fit is fantastic, but they don’t have a robust DWR. This makes them less desirable if you are traveling to places that rain a lot. However, they excel in so many other ways that they still stand out as our top choice. On the flip side, Western Rise’s DWR not only deflects dirt and grime on the road, but liters of beer simply rolled off them at Oktoberfest. We really took one for the team while testing. In 2020, we tried 27 pairs and listed 15 pants on our men’s buyers guide. In 2021, we tested an additional 35 pairs, highlighting nine new pants on our list. In 2022 we saw an additional 23 pairs, adding six new pants. And this year we looked at 38 pairs, adding seven new pants to the men’s travel pant buyer’s guide. Instead of the typical button or snap closure, Roark chose a non-traditional boardshort lace belt. Borrowing from the surf world, the drawstring threads through the waist and zigzags in front to tie the pants over the zipper fly. Lost some weight? Overindulged in the local food scene? It doesn’t matter.
If you want the lightest pant you can find, you’ll likely be looking at a jogger, like KÜHL’s Suppressor. Both disappear in the bag and Hoka’s in particular, breathe exceptionally well without sacrificing too much durability. Western Rise uses a lighter fabric, but the pants weigh more overall. Travel pant fabrics should be breathable, durable, and easy to clean; (photo/Steve Graepel) Fabric TypeAfter the adventure is done, the stain-release fabric readily releases dirt and grime in the wash. These chinos easily suit up for a night on the town. Woven into the durable cotton is hearty nylon (for durability), and elastane (for stretch), yielding some side-to-side compliance. The slim fit tapers to the legs, giving off a progressive, durable, jogger vibe. Sustainability is core to LIVSN’s line of clothes, and the Ecotrek Trail pant walks the talk. The material is woven from Oceanflex fabric (70% recycled fishing buoys recovered from the ocean), and the YKK zipper taping is made from recycled ocean plastic. The rest is 25% nylon and 5% spandex for stretch. A welterweight fabric will disappear in the bag and dry out insanely fast, but going too light sacrifices durability. All the pants we tested are durable enough to venture off pavement.
The Ecotrek brings more stretch, lighter weight, and a more athletic design to a tried-and-true model. And while these new pants are great for climbing, hiking, or other fast-paced activities in warmer climates, we find they hit all the marks for what we love in travel pants too. The Ascenders are available in straight-leg or a tailored slim fit. The material is stretchy, but there are no elastic fibers woven in, so the stretch comes from the weave of the material. In our opinion, this makes the pants more durable over the long haul. There’s no elastic to break down.
The Ecotrek Trail pants are available in olive, caramel, and charcoal colors, and they come in a range of sizes up to a 40-inch waist and a 34-inch inseam.