Tech-Pant / Performance-Pant (noun): A type of men’s casual trouser which uses scientifically-developed fabrics to provide moisture-wicking properties, breathability, ease of movement, and an overall higher level of comfort compared to all-cotton or mostly cotton traditional alternatives. Made for year-round use, these types of pants are especially favored during the hotter months, as they are particularly adept at preventing conditions such as “crotch-rot”, “monkey butt” and “swamp arse”.
A note on why a gusseted crotch is an asset: It’s the geometry. Human bodies aren’t flat. Cheaper, non-gusseted pants have all four seams (front rise, back rise, and both leg inseams) meet at one, particularly non-flexible, inelegant point. Imagine if your shoulders moved like your knees do. Limiting, right? Now imagine if your knees moved like your shoulders do. WOW that’d be fun! So in essence a gusset is an extra, articulating “joint” for a garment. Bottom line: pants made with a gusseted crotch move easier. A lot easier.
#1. Old Navy Slim or Straight Fit Tech Hybrid Pants – $40ish
- Size Shown: 32×32 SLIM on 5’10″/185
- Fabric: 100% Polyester
- Gusseted? No.
- Do they make a “Swish Swish” Noise: No.
- Sales? Yes. Often.
- Extras: Small on-seam “hidden” zip pocket.
- FIT note: Slim fit or straight fit available. Legs run maybe a touch long.
These are the 5-pocket style pants version of the shorts reviewed over here. And just like the shorts, the fabric is suspiciously like lululemon’s warpstreme twill (which we’ll get to on this list soon). Full performance material which moves great and feel great in all conditions… even brutally hot weather. They’re not an identical copy of lululemon’s bestseller as there’s no gusseted undercarriage for ease of movement, and the fabric may possibly be just a little bit lighter in weight, but they’re pretty close. And the price is significantly more palatable.
#2. lululemon Warpstreme ABC Pants – $128
- Size Shown: 33×30 Classic Fit on 5’10″/190 (2024 update: lululemon recently updated their fits: The ABC collection “now has a roomier feel in the glutes and thighs.” Therefor my 5’10″/185 now takes a slim fit, size 32 waist x 32 length. The new slim fit seems to ride a touch higher on the hips. Not a bad thing at all. Just had to up the length to 32″for my frame. They’re even more comfortable than before, which is saying something.)
- Fabric: 53% Elastomultiester | 47% recycled polyester
- Gusseted? YES.
- Do they make a “Swish Swish” Noise: No.
- Sales? Very much… no. Unless you somehow get lucky and a pair in your size ends up in their final sale “we made too much” section.
- Extras: Multiple fits. Plenty of colors. Available in either a 5-pocket style pants or the chino/dressier “trouser” style.
- FIT note: Available in classic or slim fit.
The standard in terms of feel, fit, and quality. Would have been #1 except for how much they cost. They are EXPENSIVE. Lululemon absolutely makes you pay for them. Flat out fantastic in every other metric. Multiple fits (and the fit is superb). Plenty of colors. Available in either a true chino-pocket-style (commission), or 5-pocket style (ABC). The fabric is downright perfect. Incredibly comfortable. They breathe, they stretch, they move with you, they wick… all of it. AND they don’t make the “swish swish” sound cheaper tech pants make. They can also be dressed up or down. How versatile are they? You can see them in action here here here and here.
#3. Target All in Motion Golf Pants – $40
- Size Shown: 32×30 on 5’10″/185
- Fabric: 54% Recycled Polyester | 46% Polyester
- Gusseted? No.
- Do they make a “Swish Swish” Noise: No.
- Sales? Sometimes. Not all that often.
- Extras: Small zippered coin pocket.
- FIT note: More of a straight fit than a slim fit.
Shockingly good, and the first ever to come pretty darn close to lululemon. Not identical to lululemon. But close. No triangular gusseted crotch on these, but the fabric is awfully similar to the Warpstreme material Lululemon uses, albeit a little thinner/lighter feeling here. Great stretch, feels nice and cool, wicking/breathable/etc. Fit is more straight than slim, which makes sense since they’re made as a golf/athletic wear pair of casual trousers…. but they look great with t-shirts and sneakers, polos, and chinos, etc. Color shown is the “dark gray” option, and it’s more of a medium gray in person. Eight colors to pick from.
#4. Banana Republic Core Temp Chinos – $100
- Size Shown: 32×30
- Fabric: 55% cotton | 39% recycled polyester | 6% spandex
- Gusseted? No.
- Do they make a “Swish Swish” Noise: No.
- Sales? Sometimes. But they’re unfortunately rare.
- Extras: They’ve actually become simpler over the years. No more rubberized front button, zippered rear pocket, etc.
- FIT note: These are a true slim. Not skinny. Athletic tapered is available, although in limited colors and with pleats.
Still a favorite for many if you can catch them during a rare discount. The quality is there, the mainly cotton blend fabric is smooth, has good stretch, and works both dressed up and down. BR claims these pants have something called “37.5 Technology and the power of active particles derived from volcanic sand” to help regulate your temperature. Pretty skeptical on the whole volcanic sand thing, but they truly are lighter in weight and even in the dead of summer, seem to help keep you cool. ESPECIALLY when compared to a standard all cotton or 98% cotton/2% spandex pair of chinos. Just wish they came in straight and/or athletic tapered. Slim is a true slim through the legs. A bit tight for some of us. Available in six colors, and they’re the colors you’d expect.
#5. Old Navy Ultimate Tech Built-In Flex Chino Pants for Men – $40ish
- Size Shown: 32×30 Slim fit on 5’10″/185
- Fabric: 60% cotton | 40% polyester
- Gusseted? No.
- Do they make a “Swish Swish” Noise: Very, very quietly. Not much, but it’s there.
- Sales? Always.
- Extras: Available in Slim, Straight, or Athletic fit. Subtle side zipper pocket on the left side.
They move good, they look good, they feel good. Compared to a standard all cotton or mainly cotton/bit of stretch chino, these feel lighter in weight. They move with you too. That 40% poly blend to the fabric is doing some sort of magic. “Soft washed twill” has an almost lightly sueded/brushed feel to it.
#6. VRST (Dick’s Sporting Goods) Limitless Pants – $88
- Size Shown: 32×30 ATHLETIC fit on 5’10″/185
- Fabric: 100% Polyester
- Gusseted? No.
- Do they make a “Swish Swish” Noise: Nope. Not a peep.
- Sales? Sometimes.
- Extras: Available in Athletic fit, Slim fit, and Skinny fit. Made in a slant-pocket style (above), five pocket style, and even a jogger. Welt-covered back zipper pockets.
VRST is a new-ish Dick’s Sporting Goods exclusive brand. Along with the fabric used in the Target All in Motion golf pants, the material they use with these VRST “Limitless” trousers are as close as you’re gonna find to Lululemon’s warpstreme material. VRST uses a 100% poly tricot, while Lulu = 53% Elastomultiester, 47% Recycled polyester. These don’t swish swish, they look professional, and they’re available in multiple styles (slant pocket traditional look, 5 pocket more casual look, etc.) But they aren’t gusseted. Which means while the fabric moves and stretches, the garment itself doesn’t have quite the easy-moving geometry of Lululemon with their gusseted crotch area. They’re very, very good. But the alternative from Target is half the price. Yet these VRST pants are almost fifty bucks less than Lululemon. Choices… right?
#6. 7. Crew Tech Pants in Slim, Straight or Athletic Fit – $68.60 w/ SHOP30 ($98)
- Size Shown: 32×30 STRAIGHT fit on 5’10″/185
- Fabric: 60% cotton | 30% Nylon | 10% Elastane
- Gusseted? No.
- Do they make a “Swish Swish” Noise: Yes they do. They’re loud.
- Sales? Often.
- Extras: Hidden side seam zip pocket. Interior gel gripper waistband detail to help keep shirts tucked. Clean, snap front closure.
They’re comfortable, they move well, they come in multiple fits and often go on sale… but they make that classic “swish swish” noise so many abhor. If you’re good with that (many of us don’t care, for real…) than they’re absolutely worth a look. Know they run a little generous in terms of sizing. A size 32×30 (shown above) is too big on my frame and I had to exchange them for a 31×30.
#8. PROOF (Huckberry) Rover Pants – $98 (or 2 for $185)
- Size Shown: 32×30 STRAIGHT fit on 5’10″/185
- Fabric: 73% cotton, 25% Sorbtek, 2% lycra
- Gusseted? YES!
- Do they make a “Swish Swish” Noise: No.
- Sales? Two for $198 drops them to $99 per.
- Extras: Slim or Straight fits. Seven colors with some not-the-norm shade options. Dart seams behind knees aide in movement. Sorbtek claims extra wicking capabilities, while rest of fabric makes for a harder-wearing canvas work style pant.
An outlier compared to all of the other pants on this list. They’re much, much more of a hard wearing stretch-canvas pant than a smoother tech chino. But the inclusion of Sorbtek into the mainly cotton blend means they wick “4x faster than the competition.” Apologies, we did not time how quickly they wick. But they are comfortable, the stretch is miles ahead of an average pair of Dickies, and the gusseted crotch is a very, very big deal for those of us who move around quite a bit while wearing our chosen trousers. Make sure you wash them separately on cold since excess pigment can bleed out for the first couple of washes. Wear the hell out of them though. You’ll want to.
#9. Amazon Essentials Men’s Slim-fit Stretch Golf Pant – $39
- Size Shown: 33×30 on 5’10″/190
- Fabric: 98% Polyester, 2% Spandex
- Gusseted? No.
- Do they make a “Swish Swish” Noise: No.
- Sales? Sometimes, depending on the Amazon pricing robots.
- Extras: Lots of colors available. It’s Amazon, so they’ll ship fast for Prime members. Easy returns.
Surprisingly not bad! Nice slim fit, five colors to choose from, fabric is soft and smooth. Kinda-sorta-maybe a super-budget “warpstreme” from lululemon? Okay, not that nice, but still, not bad! 98% poly, but no “swish swish” sound when you walk. But that permanent front crease down each leg is a bit budget country club looking. Reminds too many of us of bad school uniform chinos. Fabric does claim to be “performance” and moisture wicking, but it has a little bit of a circa 1997 “microfiber” feel to it. Doesn’t feel as airy as the other options on this list.
#10. Your favorite year-round wool trousers (suit or stand alone)
Suit shown above: Banana Republic’s Signature Italian Nailhead Wool Suit Jacket & Trouser = $600 total. If you wait for a 30% off sale, they’ll run $420. Hold tight for the rare 40% off Friends and Family discount, and they’ll drop to $360. Size shown above is a 36R jacket and 31 trouser on Ryan who is 5’9″/160.
If you own a year-round, basic wool suit, then you already own these things. No extra buying needed. Wool is nature’s tech fabric. It breathes, it wicks, it’s super comfortable. It resists wrinkles better than cotton and linen pants. But wearing suit pants separate from the jacket, with some frequency, will cause the trousers to wear out faster than the jacket. Solution? Suit up! Wear that jacket too. Just make sure it’s lined in something somewhat breathable like Bemberg, or only quarter lined (or not lined at all!) in the back. Don’t get heat stroke out there.
Got a favorite tech-pant/tech-chino that didn’t make the list? Send those suggestions into joe@dappered.com