The Flint & Tinder 365 Jogger – $98
Joggers. Some of us love ’em, some of us hate ’em. They’re kind of a “mullet” in the menswear world, in that they can only be dressed up *so* much. Or can they? Flint and Tinder’s 365 Jogger seems to want to challenge that notion, with some premium detailing and a refined, slimmer silhouette. Now, when I say “mullet,” I really do mean mullet: the waistband and anklebands on the Flint and Tinder 365 Jogger are flat on the front side, and elasticized on the rear side. Business up front, party in the back.
Size 30 waist shown on Ryan, who is 5’9″/155.
Does that mean they’re office-ready? Having loved my old 365 Pants before the knee busted out on me, I always appreciated how they could go from the workplace to the weekend without missing a beat. I hoped that the 365 Jogger would be able to help fill that.. hole in my wardrobe (ba-dum-tss). More on that later.
Four colors to choose from.
The 365 Jogger comes in 4 colors: Charcoal, Slate, Moss, and Earth (reviewed). Flint and Tinder are known for their rich, subdued shades, that are less-saturated but far from boring. There are two slash pockets up front (no coin pocket), and two back welt pockets that come completely sewn/tacked shut. Not just a stitch or two for shipping, but almost 100% across. I found this a bit off-putting, as double back pockets are often my favorite feature of joggers. They’re there, but you gotta work for ’em. Use a small, sharp scissors to cut those shipping/tacking threads off (just like opening the pockets on a new suit jacket) and you’ll be on your way.
With the elastic (waist/cuffs) limited to the rear,
these joggers can sometimes look a little more chino like from the front.
As for sizing, there’s going to be a little play in the waist. I was a size 31 waist in the original 365 Pant, which was a slightly different material makeup (97% cotton, 3% Lycra) than these (98% cotton, 2% Spandex), but I prefer the slim cut of the 30 waist for these. I would say if you prefer a slightly looser, more casual fit, I would order your normal size. For a slimmer, perhaps bordering on “skinny” fit, size down.
Drawstring waist gives even more flexibility to the elastic waistband.
The familiar shotgun shank button and a new drawstring waist combine for the waist closure, along with the aforementioned elastic back. Nice thing about that elastic waist is that it flattens almost completely in real-world use, so you end up with basically a chino up top. And if you decide to use the included belt loops to don a belt? Well, you would never even know. Excellent for those of us trying to dress these up, but you’re not losing any comfort, either. The ankles, though? I found them to be tight. I would have preferred either a more forgiving elastic, a shorter elastic, or a wider opening. I know, joggers are meant to be quite slim at the ankles, but from the product photos, I expected a little bit of wiggle room.
Shotgun shank button and slash pockets adorn the front.
Flint and Tinder is still making some of their gear here in the USA, but now like the 365 pants, these joggers are made in Indonesia. The 365 pants were once made in the USA, but a couple years back they moved production overseas. So I suppose it’s no surprise that with the introduction of this new jogger style, they’d be made in the same place.
Quite comfortable. Ankle opening/elastic is on the tighter side though.
To that end, what I found most difficult to style was finding the right shoes. You can’t wear just anything with these. It has to be not only the right style match, but also the right ankle height. I attempted to wear boots with the ankle pulled down over, expecting the elastic to hold on, but I barely took a step before the ankle popped right over the top of the boot, giving me kind of an old-school military look. You’d be adjusting them all day. Sneakers seem to work best with this shade, but that lowers the “workplace” possibilities, for sure. The elastic on the ankles is just so.. scrunchy? The waist elastic disappears entirely, but the ankle elastic is very visible, and in this color, it contrasts a lot.
Scruuuuuuuunchy ankles. Aggressively so.
So, that brings us back to my original question, if it’s of interest to you: could they pull double duty, workplace to weekend? My answer would be yes, but maybe not in this shade (depending on your workplace – obviously, a lot of places are leaning a bit more casual these days). I think to really pull it off, you’re going to have to choose one of the darker colors. Charcoal or slate would better hide that ankle cinching that was so obvious to me with the Earth shade. There’s a reason the guy in the promo photos for this color isn’t wearing shoes in any of them. It’s tough. Either way, Flint and Tinder have made a great three-season pant here, and it can cover a lot of sartorial scenarios while keeping you comfortable.
About the Author: Ryan N. is a professional web developer for (and alum from) the University of Delaware, who keeps a close shave as to not be confused with his strongly-bearded twin brother. He plays guitar and drums, loves going to concerts watching livestream concerts with his wife, and loves being a dad.
