In this post, I’m going to be discussing the best men’s pants for travel on a budget. I take into account everything from the pants’ durability and washability to cost and appearance.
Common Mistakes
One of the first things I experimented with for travel were pants. Initially, I only brought jeans. I quickly learned that this was a mistake. Jeans had no breathing room and were heavy in the bag. In addition, they can’t be rolled very tightly, at least not as tightly as hiking pants or shorts. I recommend bringing only one pair of jeans. Pick your favorite and make sure they are somewhat nice looking so that you can wear them to a nicer dinning establishment without looking like a bum.
The Best Pants for Travel on a Budget
The best overall pants for traveling for men are without a doubt Columbia’s convertible pants. These come in a few different styles and a lot of different colors.
Why do I recommend these particular pants? First, Because I’m on a budget and I’ve had two pairs for five years. The cost to use, therefore, is perfect. They’ve been with me to hell and back across two continents and on countless hiking trips. Thousands of hours of hard use and these pants don’t even have a stain. And if you ask my wife, I spend half my time in the dirt when I’m outside and get dirty within seconds.
The second reason I recommend these pants over all others is because they are versatile. They are convertible pants, meaning you can simply unzip them horizontally at the knees and they become shorts. This means they will work in the woods (where there are stinging nettles and, if you’re in America, poison ivy). They will work in the hot summer days of Italy as shorts. They will work in the Fall and Spring days in most climates. In the winter, you can wear a pair of thermals underneath and they will still serve you well.
The third reason these pants are the best on the market is their weight. You will never find a a pair of lighter pants on the market. With their ripstop nylon fabric, they clock in at just 10 oz. So, for 10 oz, you get two pairs of clothing: shorts and pants. You also get a pair that can fit in a variety of situations and look good both indoors and in the dirtiest of jungles. They can be tighly packed into a backpack and take up little space too.
Finally, these bad boys got a 50 SPF rating. No worries about those sunburns.
In all, they are a very versatile and hardy pair of pants. Ten out of ten would buy again.
When it comes to colors, I’d recommend their “Tusk” color. It’s a baige that works well for most dining establishments. I’ve found that two pairs of these pants works well. One pair can be worn and another can be washed. If one pair gets dirty and you don’t have time to wash it, you’ve always got a spare. I’ve never found myself needing a third pair of pants.