Travel Light: Outlier Futureworks

After I last posted about travel pants, I had a pretty comfortable routine for my life: Icebreakers were my day-to-day pants, and the Bluffworks and Ministry of Supply pants were what I wore if I wanted to dress up a bit more. Sitting at the top of my “to test” list were the Outlier Futureworks. Aside from having a great name, they had a compelling promise:

These are the ones to take around the world. Classic looks meet technical movement in a lightweight yet durable pant.

At $140 they are more money than many other options you can buy, but they are the most inexpensive pants Outlier sells. I picked up a pair of them shortly after my last post on pants, and have been testing them nonstop ever since. I chose dark navy, as the color is versatile for both work and leisure.

The short version of this story: these are easily the best pants I have ever owned, and they are now my most worn pants.

Comfort & Fit

I saw a comment somewhere online which went like this: “These pants are like what I imagine wearing yoga pants all day feels like”. They are supremely comfortable and they are more like wearing sweat pants, than jeans or chinos.

They fit more like a standard chino however, and they only required some hemming on my part. The fit lends itself well for both work and play.

Looks

They are cut close to how a nicer pair chinos would be — similar to a pair of Bonobos I own — but they still drape in a non-cotton way. Far more natural than the Bluffworks, but still lacking some of the rigidity of cotton. That of course goes both ways, as there are virtually no wrinkles to worry about.

I don’t think you will pull these pants off as more formal, but they likely won’t garner a second glance in most office settings. (The OG Classics are pretty interesting more formal looking alternative, and are next on my buy list. Perhaps later this year.)

Durability

The pants are thin, light, and very durable. They don’t often need washing, and many times if something gets on them a damp cloth will clean it off. They are more durable than any of the other travel pants I have tried.

Despite the fact that I have been abusing them as I would any pair of jeans, they have held up better than jeans. They are far more durable than cotton pants. And unlike my cotton chinos, there is no fading to speak of.

Recommendation

I not only recommend these as the best travel pants I have found (easily moving from leisure and daily wear to office settings), but I recommend them as everyday options. Some of the clothing I have been looking at isn’t stuff I would want to wear daily, but these pants I do wear daily, and look forward to wearing.

These pants are fantastic. (You might find a limited selection, but I hear they often restock this pant in September. Either way, the email notifications are the best place to keep up with restock.)