Suggestions for mens travel pants?

I wont be popular with this but for dressier pants I always bring a light pair of linen pants. You can find linen blends which don't wrinkle as easy but Italy in June is going to be hot...Linen is so comfortable.

My husband wears Dockers for all our travels in Europe and is very happy with them. Dress them up, dress them down, it all works!

My daily/favorite travel pants is a synthetic blend (about 25% cotton) by OuterRim from Sam's Club. Has several pockets which are secured by zippers or velcro. BUT have not seen the pants at Sams recently. My second pants is the Adventure series from REI which only has a couple of secured pockets. Also like the travel shirts in this series. My "dressy" pants is from Dockers. All synthetic blend but looks like a charcoal gray worst wool pants with one zipper pocket behind a front pocket. All very comfortable. I don't like linen because it winkles and is harder to care for.

Wear what is comfortable. If you are carrying everything, GO LIGHT. North Face/REI/etc. have good selections of Nylon blend Long Pants/NOT cargos, which look good day or night. (Personally I would stay away from cotton/linin). For 3 weeks I usually take 2 pair, one Kachi/one Grey and a pair of shorts.
If it's hot and sweaty they dry quickly.

I'm also thinking of wearing a pair of Jeans on the plane but last time they just stayed in my pack so I probably won't since I carry my bag.

Italy--late May-early June will be perfect w/light weight pants. I'll be in France and Italy during the same time and will be keeping my clothes light.
You'll have a great trip.

I'll throw my hat in for Stain Guard Dockers. Two dockers will equal one pair of jeans as to packing. If you really want to fit in with the locals though, get one pair Lime Green and one pair Bright Orange! LOL..... :)

REI Adventures series meets most of your criteria. They're light weight and easy to wash (usually dry overnight), but they aren't totally wrinkle free. I really like them, and they adapt well to semi-dressy and casual depending on what you wear with them. I also like that they have 3 zipper pockets where you can store things. REI sale starts May 1. You can check them out on www.rei.com. Search for men's travel pants.

I have gotten my husband some Ex Officio pants and shorts from REI and he thinks they're great. (I didn't get the zip-off legs; he wasn't crazy about the style). I have since bought them directly from their website www.exofficio.com. They never look wrinkled, lightweight, and dry quickly when handwashed. I've even found the ones that are lined with fleece for our last trip to Switzerland and the Alps. You can't go wrong with their pants and they even look nice when worn!

Here's what I pack.

http://www.polyvore.com/mens_travel_pack_list/set?id=1440268

You can get non-cotton Dockers and the Izod golf pant at Macy's. If you keep your eye open they are regularly on sale. My favorite travel Dockers include non-cotton travel pants with a hidden zip poket and some that are made of coconut husks. Look carefully at the materials.

I prefer the dockers as well, but only the lighter "golf pants" usually in black (for dressier) and plain khaki for casual. They travel well. are available everywhere, and what I wear daily.

Personally I am not a big fan of the all nylon Ex-Officio style of pants. For me it nylon doesn't have a lot of body and hangs limply, will not hold a crease, and generally look more sloppy. I find the synthetic blends have better body and hold their shape better. One of my chief criteria for a travel pants is that it has to have secure pockets -- and one button doesn't pass as secure. Initially I thought the cotton blended pants would be a washing problems but have found that the cotton content does not substantially reducing drying time. It does take a bit long but has always dried overnight even in some high humidity areas. I personally believe that 100% cotton should always be avoided.

My husband always travels with his Dockers. As other posters have said, they travel well and can be dressed up and down. He prefers them to most any other type of pants.

There sure seems to be quite a few votes for Dockers. My husband tried them for travel but decided they were too heavy for packing and take long to dry if you need to wash them. His hands down favorite are any pants made of micro-fiber. They are very lightweight, dry very fast, need no ironing and can dress up or down. He usually takes 1 or 2 black, one khaki, and one dark olive and that works well for 2-3 weeks. There are many brands that make micro-fiber pants and can be found at department stores, Stein Mart, etc. There are different weights and styles so you can choose what works best for you. Often you can find them with the golf wear in a department store and they are very reasonable priced. Have a fun trip!

Lise; Not all Dockers are created equal. I have a number of pairs that are heavier cloth, that agreed, are heavy and do not dry fast. But the "golf" pants I mentioned are a much lighter fabric, I suppose a microfiber, but work well for me.

I am going approximately at the same time. I picked up a couple of pairs through Tilley.com . The overall service is excellent and delivery quick.Many of their pant styles come with a lifetime guarantee against "wearing out". Certainly worth a look. If you need further info, e-mail me.

As Paul says, not all Dockers are the same. Lise, I am sure your are referring to all cotton pants. The Dockers that I referred to in my posting are 64% polyester, 34% rayon, and 2% spandex. Look at the content labels, need to avoid cotton as much as possible.

Wow. Great responses. Thanks, everyone for all the recommendations. Now I have some work to do . . .

You should try washing your chosen pants and letting them hang dry overnight. Then see if you still want to wear them. Quite often cotten needs to be shrunk back to size by a dryer. If you just hang them up, they'll be baggy on you. (We women don't want men in baggy pants!)

George,

You might have a look at the Tilley line of travel clothing (which includes pants). I use them extensively for travel and find the products are very durable (especially the Adventurecloth line), and also designed to be washed in a Hotel room sink if necessary. The fabric varies depending on product (I believe the Adventurecloth products are a polyester/cotton mix?).

One other note on the Pants is that most of the lines are offered in both "Classic fit" and "Relaxed fit" versions. I find the sizing is a bit different across their product line, so it would be preferable to try these on if there's a retailer in your area (check the web site for further information).

The Pants are usually supplied un-hemmed. I just obtained a pair of the "Man About Town" Pants last week and have to pick them up at the Tailor tomorrow afternoon.

Happy travels!

Ken,

Can you get the Tilley line of pants any cheaper than what it says on their website? Oh, let's say...about $80-$90 dollars cheaper? I saw prices of $120! And yes, the prices were listed in American dollars. Are you kidding me? So much for the budget-minded traveler. If I purchased 2 pair for $240, my wife would throw a fit...and she would have every right to do so!

No thanks! I will go with another line of clothing...TravelSmith, REI, etc... or get those Docker golf pants (that was mentioned in a few posts above). Their prices were at least far more reasonable.

Steven, I've never seen any "sale prices" on Tilley products, although they do provide a $25 coupon every spring for customers who purchased something the previous year.

Although the products are somewhat "pricey", I really like the quality. My Tailor (European trained, I believe) says the "construction" is the best he's seen. The pants especially are all double-stitched for the most part - very durable and robust construction!

I've also got one of the legendary Tilley Hats, which I believe is the product they started with.

I don't have a Wife at the moment, so don't have to worry about her "throwing a fit".

Cheers!

Last summer, Costco sold Tommy Hilfiger travel khakis at a good price. I wore them almost everyday during our July trip to Italy and was very pleased. Obviously that was quite a while ago and Costco's inventory changes all the time, but it might be worth a check.

Truthfully I would have trouble wearing a $120 pants just because of the potential for damage. A few years ago I was in my ultra lite mode when I was traveling with only one pant beside what I was wearing. The FIRST NIGHT OUT brushed against an exposed nail or something and put a huge hole in them. Since they were only a $15 pants, I didn't mind leaving them in the trash. The big problem was finding a replacement the next day -- expensive and time wasting. Now I am back to carrying two pairs of pants. Sams Club continues to be my principle clothier for travel clothes.

Sierra Trading Post is a worthy site to check for travelwear. Everything is sold at discount, and if a purchase does not fit or meet your expectations, there is no charge for returning it. Their shipping is very fast. I do use ExOfficio, but not all their pants are to my liking. I've found I have to be selective with their offerings, but I do have a couple pair I especially like. Columbia also makes pants that I've found work very well for travel, especially their Titanium series. For dressier I lean toward a linen-blend. I'm curious about the Dockers synthetics and will probably give them a look for my next trip to Italy.

Where do you boys go for cute shoes?

Karen: crocs.com :-)

Update: I settled on the Dockers COIT pants, the ones that are 100% synthetic, made with cloth that uses coconut husk technology. They are pretty light weight, resisted wrinkles from my twist test, and fit comfortably. No zippered pockets, however. Thanks everyone for your help!

George,

I have a pair of those too and really like them. Read the care directions, you aren't supposed to use fabric softener on them (I assume it loses it's crease).

Brad - Thanks for the heads up. I bought these for travel and probably will end up washing them mostly by hand in sinks or bathtubs. I don't think they would be getting the fabric softener treatment anyhow . . . :)