Pants in Venice, lig?ht weight or jeans

I’d have non-jeans in Venice, any trip. The denim would be bulky to me. I do remember our guide years ago, an American who relocated to Venice, wearing dark, creased jeans, with a sport coat. That was a fashion statement for him.

P.S. Are you wearing jeans today, with this snowstorm that was supposed to hit Denver yesterday, but then didn’t show up until overnight, and heavier than expected? Jeans wouldn’t be warm at home this afternoon!

Many people don't like to travel with jeans, because they are bulkier to pack, uncomfortable for wearing long periods of time, and take a long time to dry when wet. But trying to outguess the weather is pointless. You can always check the weather forecast for Venice online up until the minute you leave for the airport and change your packing as you think appropriate.

So lightweight pants for sure, although I'm having problems finding some that I like, even though spring stuff is coming in now. I've put on a little weight during the pandemic, (am trying hard to lose it) so my lightweight pants don't fit. I usually go from jeans to shorter pants which I wear all summer during the day at least. ( I call them bermuda shorts, which tells how old I am.) I would like some lightweight cargo pants but can't find any this year. Would you skip jeans or heavy weight pants altogether even though going to Paris the last week in April. Some people say it can get really cold in April and there was a big discussion on long underwear! April is a tricky month to travel, clothes wise.

Cyn, I do wear jeans in this weather, but with a coat if going outside. I wouldn't know what else to wear. Believe it or not, it was 72, felt like 76 a couple of days ago. In the mountains you would probably wear jeans and a down parka, maybe tights underneath or long underwear, or ski pants. It was supposed to be a big storm but we only got about 2 inches. In April we'll get a blizzard once then it will be over.
By the way, I was thinking of taking some shorter pants too. Would that be a waste?

Cyn, I just noticed where you are from. LOL!

The one and ONLY time I wore jeans to Europe was to Venice. Wow, big mistake. I pack light ala Rick Steves. Don't know what possessed me. We got caught in a bad rainstorm, and the apartment we rented hadn't gotten the washer/dryer installed yet. Well, we dried our jeans with the provided hairdryers. Our travel pants would have dried in no time.

I always travel with black jeans…I would wear them in April, May and at least part of June. LOL Mine are a blend so they dry overnight, unless it is humid. They are NYDJ. I find jeans too warm in 80 degree temps, but otherwise they are my go to slacks. So I vote for jeans. I take two pairs, and then one other pair of yoga type pants.

Kathy, What kind of pants would you take now?
Wray, Are your black blended pants as thick as jeans or lighter weight and where do you get them?
Does no one wear cargo pants, or it just us Coloradoans that hike etc?

I'm from Colorado. I wouldn't be caught out in cargos.

There are various weights. I seem to wear the heavier ones more than the lighter ones, but I don’t know why. You can buy them directly from NYDJ.com. Nordstroms also Carries them. I buy Barbara bootcut and Marilyn straight leg styles…but there are many.

Wray, here’s another vote for NYDJ jeans. Here they’re sold at Dillard’s. Or Amazon, once you know what style and size to get. I’ve taken one pair of those on every trip, usually wear on flights and trains and ventures in the countryside. They are so comfy and stay nice-looking the whole trip, 2-3 weeks worth. But I also rely on travel pants that look nicer for cityscapes, are lighter weight, and dry quickly. I also pack pant liners or base layer in case it’s cold enough that they are needed. We usually travel through various regions, not one spot, so have to plan for multiple weather scenarios.

How long is your trip? The weight of denim is only an issue if you need to wash them or pack more than 1 pair... Otherwise Venice's climate does not warrant buying specific clothing that you would not wear at home.

My trip is 22 days, half in Venice, half in Paris. I could wear jeans on the flight so I don't have to pack them. Maybe take 1 -2 pair of lighter weight pants in my carryon.

I usually wear a pair of jeans on the plane but then end up lugging them around so I plan to skip them this May for our Italy trip. Instead, I'm wearing Eddie Bauer Outlet pants -- Rainier. They're great to hike in also and quick dry. I also carry a pair of zip-off hiking pants (really tacky I know, but they're great when you start out with a cool morning but end up in a warm afternoon).

I adore my lightweight Gloria Vanderbilt black skinny jeans I got at J.C. Pennys. Wear them in LA and in Europe all seasons. Comfortable, durable, lightweight, dry over night. Gone to opera, out to dinner, theatre, etc.

I like the 97% nylon pants I've purchased from Eddie Bauer, PrAna and Columbia. Columbia uses a slightly lighter-weight, 96% nylon fabric, and its pants are cheaper. Those pants do a decent job of shedding rain, which is a nice feature in the spring. If it's too cool or really wet, I wear long johns under them. I don't find the nylon uncomfortably warm on hot days, but I'm not going to claim you won't know it's hot.

I also like rayon/modal pants on hot days; I don't have anything suitable in that fiber right now but wish I did; it doesn't wrinkle much, in my experience.

On my next trip I plan to take two pairs of the nylon pants (black and navy look considerably less sporty than something like khaki) and a pair of cheap, ethnic-print, 100% cotton pants I picked up at a street market somewhere. Everything's relatively lightweight, and they all dry pretty quickly; I think the elastic waist of the cotton pants will be the last to dry. The cotton pants are a mass of wrinkles when removed from my suitcase, so I spritz them with water and hang them up. Given how lightweight they are, I'm willing to put up with the spritzing business. I have over two dozen hotel changes on a typical trip, so I'm fanatical about weight.

Check the thrift stores for lightweight pants .
Much cheaper, if you want to save some money.

Wit & Wisdom (black) from Nordstrom are making the trip to Italy this spring. They are lighter weight fabric and have the best waist. The fabric is stretchy and so it the waist, but the latter has good recovery - meaning it doesn’t stretch out of shape, but it doesn’t bind either.

I like all your suggestions. Some of the pants mentioned are a bit over my budget, though. I just ordered some from Amazon that I think will work. I also think I will take SJ's suggestion and visit the Goodwill store.

I've found some good deals at thrift stores, including a waterproof rain jacket (I think Eddie Bauer) for about $6.

As I rent apartments when in Europe in order to have a washing machine, therefore able to pack lighter; I generally take quite a few Thrifted pieces of clothing.
In my experience, European washing machines really bash up your clothes, as they take about three times as long as ours to cycle through.
Then I don't have to have my good clothes potentially ruined .
Of course, I end up really liking the thrifted clothes better than my good ones anyway!
I have found amazing things for travel in thrift stores.

The idea of 97% nylon clothing makes me shudder and feel clammy...

I hate travel clothing made of plastic -- and most travel clothing is --- good old black cotton jeans read as slacks, are super comfortable and take a lot of wear. We usually stay in one place so laundry isn't an issue. When it is too hot for jeans, I use light weight 'harem pants' that I buy in markets in Europe and have a pair of black linen slacks. Skirts are also great for hot weather, but make shoe choice more complicated and I am too old to bother with that. but young women may find skirts and sandals etc perfect for warm weather. My basic travel wardrobe is black jeans, black t-shirts, jewel tone turtlenecks and then a few layers for warmth or dress up. Easy to go for 3 mos with a carry on with a capsule wardrobe and basic black is easy to dress up with a lightweight dressy jacket (I have one that I could literally wad up in the backpack and shake out and it would look dressy) or blouse or sweater or shawl. And with black pants, you can wear any shoe and not have to have things that go with dresses and skirts.

It has been a while since I was in Venice but jeans would have worked fine for the weather when we were there. But you can also get very warm days when you would want light pants, skirt etc.

Jeans are not travel friendly wear, especially in any warm or hot weather. They are too heavy and not easy to hand wash or even wash in a laundry.

April in Venice is nice but a bit chilly.

Go to the Duluth Trading store north of Denver

Subjective - personal call. Link provides some historical context. Keep in mind - the past is no guarantee of future events. Personally I rarely wear shorts on vacation, and never travel with jeans, Don't want the bulk - and too long drying if I wash out in my room. https://www.holiday-weather.com/venice/averages/april/

For a realistic picture of the range of weather you might encounter, go to timeanddate.com, which has actual, historical, day-by-day weather statistics going back about ten years. To me, averages aren't terribly helpful during shoulder seasons; they hide the unpleasant extremes. I love timeanddate.com for the detailed info I need to decide on my packing list. It's important to check multiple years, though, because weather can vary a lot from year to year.

My husband wears jeans when we travel - because that's all he ever wears - even when he worked, he was able to wear jeans. Our first trip over he bought some Dockers to wear and ya know what? He didn't wear them once and they just took up space in the suitcase (bad when you travel light).

So if you only ever wear jeans and don't care that much for Docker type pants, ask yourself if you'll actually wear them...

Dockers are middle age American guy pants and you won't see them on men in Europe -- Americans have this odd idea that khakis are more 'formal' but they are rarely worn in Europe (there was a 2 or 3 year period when you saw more of them, but not anymore). Europeans wear jeans -- look around you on the metro -- 80 % of the people -- men women, young old -- will be in jeans. (and the rest in yoga pants or tights unless on their way to work in a place that requires a suit.

If you hand wash stuff in sinks and dry it on the backs of chairs, yeah take plastic travel pants. But for short trips -- you won't need to wash the jeans -- and if you stay in one place for a while it is easy to use a laundromat. Hot weather -- well then lightweight pants, shorts in the countryside or for women linen or skirts.