Golf Pants (and shorts) are the Ideal Travel Pants for Men
As a digital nomad, I can't take a lot of clothes with me. I need some "do everything" pants. They need to:
- Look acceptable in any context
- Be stretchy and comfortable for travel
- Be quick drying and durable
Most brands selling "travel pants" or other athleisure / casual office wear will be very overpriced. The most popular are probably Lululemon ABC pants.
I don't play golf, but I discovered that you will find the perfect travel pants by just searching for Golf pants (and shorts).
So here's my setup for living on the road:
Nike Golf Dri-fit Pants
These are very affordable at just over $30. These look more like casual chinos rather than office pants.
Pros:
They're cheap, stretchy and give a lot of room around the upper leg. Very comfortable vertical-style pockets that you can casually keep your hands in. They also have a sticky rubbery strip of material on the inner waistband that helps them stay on your waist without wearing a belt.
Cons:
They're a little bit noisy while moving and being 50% cotton they get wrinkled more easily than the Adidas pants below.
Adidas Golf Go-to 5-Pocket Pant
These are a bit more premium, around $100. These are a bit more dressy than the Nike, and appropriate for the office or a nice restaurant.
Pros:
A very slick material that is quieter than the Nike dri-fit pants. It feels like a higher-quality material that is much nicer on the skin and also more stretchy than the Dri-fit.
The fit is a bit slimmer and more tapered, so it's great if you have long slim legs.
Cons:
They have high horizontal pockets (like jeans) that are hard to get into. You will never keep your hands in these pockets for warmth. If you have bigger thighs from the gym, you might find them too tight in the upper leg.
Under Armour Tech Tapered Golf Shorts
Very lightweight and stretchy shorts that are great for hot summer travel. You can even swim in these and they will dry quickly.
I have them in beige - every man needs a pair of beige chinos! Unfortunately, this exact model doesn't have a wide range of colors.
Under Armour Drive Tapered Golf Shorts
These are a bit more premium than the UA Tech shorts above. They come in plenty of colours so you can easily match them to your wardrobe.
They have the sticky rubber on the inner waistband that helps keep them up without a belt. The fabric feels much nicer on the skin than the Tech shorts.
That's all I travel with these days - two pairs of golf pants and two pairs of golf shorts. No need for trendy overpriced "travel pants" or clothing marketed towards Silicon Valley tech guys.
Golf pants are the perfect mix of looking classy while still being able to move and travel in comfort.