These Pants Make Traveling Tolerable

The best travel pants for men don’t have it easy. For one, they’re probably competing with your sweats, stiff competition in any context, let alone in the TSA line. So if your first instinct before hightailing it to the airport is to swaddle yourself in your trustiest lazy-Sunday gear, we get it. You want to be comfortable when you travel—but, and this should really go without saying, you also want to look like an adult. And that’s where pants specifically engineered for a long, arduous journey (or a short jaunt upstate) have the advantage.

Luckily for you, there are plenty of excellent, thoughtfully-designed options that check those boxes and more—and to help you narrow it down, we criss-crossed the menswear landscape to find the best travel pants for men on the market right now. Bon voyage.

The Best Men’s Travel Pants, According to GQ

Best Travel Pants for the Office: Buck Mason Parachute Poplin Carry-On Pants

Designed to match the brand’s carry-on jacket, Buck Mason’s Parachute Poplin Carry-On pants are essentially a classic chino, but offered in a lighter, sweaty-travel-day-friendly fabric. Crafted from crisp 5.5 oz. cotton poplin, they boast a mid-rise, a look that skews more vintage military chino than gym-ready jogger, and plenty of useful pockets, while the natural enzyme rinse gives them a throwback vibe right off the rack.

Best Travel Pants for Summer: Banana Republic Linen-Cotton Traveler Pull-On Pants

These Banana Republic pants tick all the travel pant boxes: comfort, style, functionality. There aren’t many things that feel or look better in summer than linen. The problem with pure linen, though, is that it can rip easily. Banana Republic solved for that by blending its Italian-milled linen with cotton, which gives these pants just enough stretch to last through your travels and beyond, while still keeping things breezy and cool. There’s also some hidden elastic in the waist for heavy eating days, and an interior drawstring to help you get the fit just right every morning of your trip.

Best Budget Travel Pants: Lululemon Poplin Relaxed-Fit Pants

Lululemon is a master of versatile comfort. The brand’s Poplin Relaxed-Fit Pants leave plenty of room for motion, are lightweight and tear-resistant, and—thanks to their cotton-nylon blend—still breathable, removing one of nylon’s downsides and keeping only the best qualities: strength and stretch. Oh, and at $98, they’re the most affordable of our winners.

Best Travel Pants for the Outdoors: Nike ACG Smith Summit Convertible Cargo Trousers

These aren’t your dad’s zip-off cargos. Nike’s ACG (it stands for ‘All Conditions Gear’) line pairs contemporary style with ready-for-anything technical details—in this case, a water-repellent finish, adjustable internal belt, and large zippable cargo pockets for snacks (or phone chargers). Tested at Smith Rock near Nike’s Oregon HQ, they’re made from a blend of nylon and water-resistant Cordura, a synthetic fabric often used in backpacks and military gear. These are some heavy-duty travel pants for the adventure set.

Best Travel Pants for the Daily Commute: Rhone Commuter Straight Fit Pants

These may look like suit trousers to the untrained eye, but the four-way stretch of their Flex-Knit fabric is optimized for movement, meaning they’ll hold up (and keep you comfortable) whether you’re rushing for a meeting or a flight. With a flat front, mid-rise, and slight taper, the Commuter Pants also come in six colors for variety, and have stealthy hidden, secure pockets for your phone and wallet.

Best Travel Pants for the Apocalypse: Outlier Futureyeses Pants

Brooklyn-based Outlier takes pride in the cutting-edge qualities of its designs, but despite their futuristic branding, its products are very much available today. These “Futureyeses” (pronounced Future-yes-es) are made from a lightweight but durable nylon blend, and woven in Sweden with a two-way stretch design that makes them more than prepped for squats and lunges, should you be planning on incorporating workouts into your week away. There’s also an elastic waist, eight color options,  five pockets, a handy key loop, and a water-repellent coating for whatever the weather throws at you.

More Travel Pants We Love

J.Crew 770 Straight-Fit Tech Pants

Excellent alternative pants for the grind of the modern business traveler. Made of a lightweight performance fabric, J.Crew’s tech pants are technical and comfortable, but still cut like a classic cotton chino. They’re built for versatility and activity, from a morning round on the links, to an afternoon meeting, dinner with clients, or simply the flight home.

Acronym P55-M Belted Stretch-Shell Cargo Trousers

Should your upcoming travels lean less European city strolling, more Rocky Mountain exploring, consider Acronym’s P55-M Belted Stretch-Shell Cargo Trousers. These are some deeply considered pants (with a price tag to match), made from a water repellent stretch-shell. They’ve got large cargo pockets and two hidden carabiners, and are belted at the waist.

Gramicci Weather Fatigue Trousers

These pants fit and feel like the Acronym trousers, but without the pockets and price tag. The three-seasons fatigues (winter could be a tad chilly) are rain resistant, durable, and feature a flexfit elastic waistband for added comfort.

Todd Snyder Modern Chinos

Todd Snyder’s Madison Drawstring trousers live at the more formal end of the travel pant spectrum. They’re still relaxed, but more tailored than our other recommendations, with a single pleat, tapered fit, and a one-inch cuff at the ankle. The cotton twill comes from Italy’s Sandrio Mill, and has a little elastane thrown in for extra stretch.

Mfpen Travel Trousers

Made from a super crispy, waffle-textured deadstock cotton, these are pants you’ll want to wear on the plane, in a heatwave, or even out to a formal dinner. The leg shape is wide, but in a structured, elegant way as opposed to a too-casual one, and there’s also an internal drawstring (to tie them just right), plus four roomy pockets.

Veilance Spere LT Trousers

Veilance is the urban performance line from Canadian outdoor apparel brand Arc’teryx, so you already know you’re getting quality gear. These Spere LT Trousers are lightweight, wind- and water-resistant, and still have some helpful stretch to them thanks to the use of Arc’teryx’s proprietary TerraTex™ fabric.

Reiss Relaxed Brighton Drawstring Trousers

One more slightly dressier option is Reiss’s Relaxed Brighted Drawstring Trouser. They’re tapered with a turned-up hem and pleated front—much like a suit trouser—but the drawstring waistband subtly turns them into your friend for long-haul flights. Neat.

What makes a good travel pant?

The pants we’re talking about here will never approximate the decadent bliss of cashmere joggers, but what they lack in coziness they make up for in functionality, good looks, and headache-saving, luggage-maximizing versatility. You don’t want to waste carry-on space hauling sweatpants that you’ll only wear on the plane; you want pants for the flight and the adventure the next day.

What distinguishes travel pants from khakis, jeans, or chinos?

The best travel pants are designed to marry comfort and practicality, especially given that travel days can so often be uncomfortable and impractical. Some travel pants might feel like a sweatpant but look like a chino, while others are more geared to outdoor activities, but still have enough stretch to be comfortable in transit. The important thing is that they’re universally lightweight and highly versatile.

What type of travel pants should I look for?

The right travel pants for you depends on the kind of traveler you are. Planning a trip somewhere rocky and wet? Pick a pair that can handle it. Staring down an itinerary of boozy dinners and glitzy shows? Pick a pair that can handle those.