Help? Need suggestions for women's travel pants.

I find I'm happiest and most comfortable wearing the same jeans I wear all the time at home, they're a premium brand called Hudson and they are very flattering, fit well due to a bit of spandex, don't lose their shape after several wears, can dress up or down and are a thinner denim so they wash easily and dry overnight in my hotel room.

Like Christa, I wear what I have at home. I travel with black NYDJ (Not your daughter's jeans) from Nordstroms and elsewhere I imagine. My last trip in May, they are all I took(2 pr). I like to dress business casual, but I do not feel underdressed with these. They are cotton with a little spandex and, IMO, they look nice. I don't tend to wear blue jeans. Before that I would bring one pair of nicer cotton black pants, but usually just wore them home on the plane. Mine are the bootleg style because my money belt is a leg belt. During my trip I sent one pair to the hotel laundry and washed the other pair in the sink. The sink pair dried overnight. I'm not sure what 'rather dressy' means to you. My other suggestion would be Banana Republic chinos, the ones with a bit of stretch, but they are not always in the store…just hit it once and wish I'd purchased more.

Check out Eddie Bauer. They have quite a variety of pants for both travel and every day. Even some of their every day pants would work well for travel because they are made of a fabric that won't wrinkle, but their Travex line is made specifically for travel. They have a lot of stuff on sale right now.

Eddie Bauer has a new Travex pant called Skimmer. Straight leg, very flattering! I travel with their other Travex pants that have wide legs and will now take these Skimmer pants as they look better!

Another vote for Eddie Bauer Travex. I bought some very slim pants last fall that never wrinkled, had some spandex so they were very comfortable, dried quickly overnight, and had a hidden zipper pocket. Loved them. Wore them almost every day for 4 weeks, including with dressier tops for dinner.

You might check out J Jill today. Their pants are all 25% off (http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/prodnav/filter.aspx?pfid=14&sk=M&h=M&click=hpperfectpants1).

I recently bought 2 pairs of their Wearever pants (http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/prodnav/filter.aspx?pfid=175&sk=M&h=M&BID=649658392), intended for travel. I got the full leg ones and they are very comfortable, but if you go to the link, you will see that they have slim leg ones as well.

Except maybe at Eddie Bauer or Amazon, I haven't seen much in the way of khaki, but you can find lots of black.

One caveat, both JJ and EB are slow on delivery, so if you have their stores in your area, I'd recommend going to them.

Depending on where you are going, you might also consider pants made of ponte knit. I got mine at Coldwater Creek when it still had stores, but I have seen them at Coldwater Creek online. Except for my jeans, I prefer knit pants for comfort and the smooth lines under tops which I never tuck in. They also seem to fit my high hips and short rise better than anything else.

Good luck with your search and with getting workable pants in time for your trip.

Thanks, all. We have an Eddie Bauer store in the closest big town, so I will head there tomorrow and keep my fingers crossed. Some of the jean suggestions looked great, but there were few to no khaki colors and I need that to fill in the gap in my wardrobe.

Thanks, everyone, for your great ideas!

You might try TravelSmith.com . They usually get items to you fairly quickly and do seem to have things in khaki. The clothing is designed for travel so you should be able to find something that would work for you.

Land's End is another option. This link, http://www.landsend.com/shop/womens-pants-crops/-/N-fy5, should show "Chinos for Everyone." I don't do pants in light colors because they get so dirty so easily. Well maybe any color pants get dirty, but the darker colors show it less! Anyway, Sears used to carry the brand in their stores, but I'm not sure if they do anymore.

I've learned a lot about wardrobe coordination from the Vivienne Files (http://www.theviviennefiles.com/). The garments she shows are too dressy and too pricey for me, and she packs way more than I do, but the concepts are very helpful -- especially those under the tabs at the top called Packing and 4x4 Wardrobes.

Another vote for Eddie Bauer Travex. I purchased their dark grey and light cream long pants for travel to Europe last year. They take up very little room and don't wrinkle. I could wear them several days and they always looked nice. They don't have the "cargo pant" look. They would also dry easy overnight if you washed them yourself. From the other comments, it looks like they have even more selection now. My EB clothes are among the best travel clothes investment I've made, love them!

Hi, Lo --Another great "packing light" blog is http://ladylighttravel.com/ I used her idea for the blue striped sleep shirt that is perfect as a dress with a scarf and blazer. Some of her ideas are too expensive or not to my taste, but I was already using her concept of a capsule wardrobe (common sense, really) ... which is why I need khaki pants!

Love all the suggestions. Hoping Eddie Bauer will solve my problem tomorrow. Thanks, Ladies!

I'm currently in the market for travel pants as well. I just bought a pair yesterday from REI that I am quite happy with. The brand is Toad & Co and they are black straight leg pants. They are stretchy, wrinkle free and travel friendly. They can easily go from casual to dressy depending on what you pair them with. They don't come cheap, I think they were $80 (which is much more than I usually pay for pants), but with the amazing return policy at REI I know I can get my money back if they don't work for any reason.

I guess it will all depend on the fit. I was not pleased with Travelex from Eddie Bauer at all. Part of the problem was the body underneath the pants. Every fat dimple showed through the material. If you have no excess fat (good for you!) you should be fine. I wouldn't buy these pants without trying them on, just in case.....

I wore the pants that I usually wear at home on the trip and it was just fine. I had jeans and khakis. No real problems with over night laundry.

I just bought two pair of Athleta pants. They are light, very packable and easy to wash and dry. They come in regular and petite, have some stretch, and there are a variety of colors available. While they can be used for very casual wear, they dress up with a heels (or dressy flats), a scarf and big earrings.

Eddie Bauer Horizon Roll-up pants (which are Travex) come in a color Oyster, which is close to Khaki. I have a pair in another color. They are not a wide-leg look nor a cargo pant look. I like that they come in a longer length. Easy to sink wash, and they dry quickly. Amazon also has a great return policy, since you may not be able to find these in a store near you. The guide on our last RS trip who travels 6+ months a year swears by Craghopper pants. Again, not easy to find in a store. Like another poster, I like to travel with a pair of NYDJ jeans and also two pair of travel pants.

I would just wear a pair of dressy, black jeans, perhaps with some stretch material in them. They don't show the dirt, you can wear them everywhere and they are comfy.

I don't wear travel pants specifically, just regular pants. Jeans don't need to be washed very often, and you can find non-jean pants that happen to be in good travel fabrics in regular stores.

However, check out Athleta, if they have a store near you. They have workout clothes, but also regular clothes for "activity" which basically means travel.
Maybe this?
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1035855&vid=1&pid=439153012
or
http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1035855&vid=1&pid=711196002

I add a vote in favor of the Eddie Bauer Travex pants. I have long pants that can be rolled to capri length. These look nice when rolled but also great when full length. They are somewhat water resistant which is nice in rain. Also, recommend you try them for good fit. I find them to be quite comfortable. Also, EB has Travex capris and skirts which are very comfortable.

For me, it's L.L. Bean Perfect Fit Pants.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/56777?feat=622-GN1&page=perfect-fit-pants-straight-leg
Jersey knit cotton with Lycra. I have them in black. Comfortable, yet in black they can be worn with a dressy top and pretty scarf or jewelry to the theatre or out for a nice dinner. Lightweight, packs without wrinkling, east to sink hand wash, drip dry.

My Patagonia women's lightweight hiking pants in black did double duty as my dress pants in Italy. They worked great. However, you should try them on in a store first; Patagonia tends to run small.

I'll offer a different option. My favourite travel pants are 100% linen. I go for a wide leg which makes it quite comfortable. Love them because they work well when it's hot outside but also when you need a bit of extra warmth early in the morning or late at night. Mine are a light khaki color which can be combined with pretty much any top you can think of.

Yes they are wrinkly within 5 minutes of wearing them. But that's just the way it is and it's perfectly acceptable even for dressier occasions. It also means that it doesn't matter if they wrinkle a bit when rolled up inside your suitcase.

And they are easy to wash as they dry quite quickly.

I take jeans only in colder seasons.

Hi,

If you have an American Express card, you can sign up for shoprunner. This is a service for a bunch of retailers that will give you free 2 day shipping.

I vote for NYDJ or Eddie Bauer. Both of which are on shoprunner.

Mary

My wife loves her Rei Endeavor (http://www.rei.com/product/877904/rei-endeavor-pants-womens-petite-sizes) pants.

Eileen Fisher washable stretch crepe: dressy if you need it. Practical, non-wrinkly, wash and dry over night. They do everything. You can even layer silk long undies in the winter. They are full elastic waist however, kind of pricey (but cover all bases for travel or everyday life), available online from Eileen Fisher or large department stores like Nordstrom.

Well, this thread keeps popping back to the top so I will post what is my current new favorite. I'm a bit more than half-way thru a 5.5 week trip. I'm getting great use out of Christopher and Banks signature slimming pants. They are drying overnight or sooner. Only downside is they don't have pockets and I wish I had 2 pr!!

Lands' End Starfish pants. I don't think they'd qualify as quick drying, but they are so comfortable, and don't stretch out. At least mine that are a few years old are. The reviews indicate that they have changed the fabric and cut recently so you'll have to check them out.

I will second what Debbie said about Eileen Fisher. Yes, they are pricey. I have two pairs of EF's pants in rayon. I've had them for several years, put them through the wash countless times, and they still look and feel like a million bucks. I recommend her products.