I’m on an eternal quest to find clothing that can do double duty. I want to be able to cycle in summer, go for a long hike, but also visit the office all wearing the same product.
I think I found it with the UA Chino Tapered Pants. For starters, these pants fit perfectly and have an elastic stretchy band that means a belt is not always required. (I still tend to wear a belt no matter what.) You can tell right away when wearing them that there are a lot of options for a workout, bike ride, walk or hike, or just lounging around. The pants move with you and do not have the usual stiffness of casual office pants.
And yet, these chinos live up to their name because they are also stylish and formal enough — like several of my favorite UA products — to wear at the office. Believe me, no one will notice you are wearing pants that will also work for a bike ride after work. The tapered leg, which is what I tend to see every other guy wearing at a remote office these days, also has the added benefit of clinging to your leg just enough for a hike or bike ride without flapping around.
I really like the side zippers on UA pants products. When I bike, I always use that side zippered pouch for my keys and other items as needed (minus my phone, which always sits in a waterproof handle-bar pouch or another mount). I remember testing Us pants many years ago that had a similar zippered compartment, and it really makes it easier to bike or hike after work without having to carry a satchel or any other bag.
The material is thick enough for winter, yet breathable and able to moisture-wick for those times when you are doing an outdoor adventure (as opposed to sitting at your desk).
UA mentions a “four-way stretch” on their product page with these pants, and I can see what they mean. You can move around really easily or even play golf. I was impressed with how the pants feel soft and yet durable at the same time. In some cases, I’ve tested pants and other apparel that were one or the other, but rarely both. Athleisure products like this tend to give you the best of both worlds because of the technology used to make the materials — in this case, a cotton-blend fabric. I can’t explain it exactly, but I will say I have US pants from quite a few years ago that are still warm and comfortable after all this time, with no holes or tears.
Longevity is a critical factor with a product like this, which costs $80. I’m pretty sure Patagonia started it all with highly durable products that cost a little more. I would have expected these pants to cost more like $120 or so, and my guess is they will last just as long as those other UA pants I’m still wearing on a semi-regular basis. The style is perfect, the fit was exactly right for me, and now I expect these pants to last for many years.
