In my search for a good looking, but performance based chino, I picked up Triple Aught Design’s Agent LST Chino to give them a go. These are very comfortable and very light, but they don’t pass for a standard chino pant.
There’s something here, I am just not sure where these work best. I’ve been using them for days when I know I won’t be leaving my desk all day.
Materials
These utilize a Schoeller fabric which is 59% Cotton, 36% Nylon, 5% Elastane and comes in at 185 g/m² (5.45 oz/yd²), they are treated with a 3XDry DWR. These are a twill, but they are rather smooth overall in appearance twill. There’s not a ton of visual texture on these.
They have a gusseted crotch, and darted knees to add to the mobility. The cut is rather trim through the leg, with a solid rise overall.
Wear & Style
For these, let’s start with how Triple Aught Design positions them:
Agent Chinos bring the ultimate balance of timeless style and durable capability into a versatile pant that blends in across environments worldwide.
When I tried them on, and showed my wife, her response:
Are those new hiking pants? They look like hiking pants.
These are, to my eye and those I have been around, very much not something that passes for a standard chino. In the same way in which performance pants from brands like Lululemon, Prana, or Western Rise also do not pass for a standard chino. There’s something about the fabric which looks too nylon, despite the high cotton count. Then there’s the cut, with the darted knees, the belt loops — they don’t look like chinos because the cut would not work well if it were fully cotton.
Stand 30 meters away, and sure you’ll think I have chinos on. Any closer and you won’t know what they are. Because of that, these are rather hard to style in any way except the most casual options you have.
And that’s really too bad because these pants are seriously comfortable to wear. They are light enough that they work well in summer. They move without restricting you at all. They don’t make synthetic pants sounds when you walk. The fabric is quite good, it’s just that the cut and design options for the pants don’t align with the looks you’d need.
Which also means I don’t know where these work best. I like them for the comfort, but the style of these read hiking pant / jogger to my eye. If the leg was trim, but straight, the darts gone — you might have something which passes more for a chino. As they are, perhaps, best paired with a synthetic golf polo.
Overall
There’s something great about these, and I am sure there’s a segment of people who know exactly what these are great for. I’ll toss them on working at my home office all day. Or perhaps for a long road trip where comfort outweighs all else. But they aren’t something I find easy to style, and they leave me wanting for a pair with a less trim cut, and no darts — I am guessing those would look much better.
Mixed bag for me.