Banana Republic Traveler Jeans 2.0 – $71.99 ($130)
Pricing note: These can often be stuck to full price, but they’re currently on sale and getting additional 20% off through today, Tues. 1/28.
- size and fit reviewed: 32×30 slim fit in dark rinse wash on 5’10″/185
- fabric: 71% cotton / 17% polyester / 11% lyocell / 1% elastane
- fits: Slim, Straight, or Skinny
- do they fit true to size? Feels like it.
- do they go on sale? Sometimes. They’re often excluded though.
- care: Machine wash cold with like colors, tumble dry low.
Size 32×30 slim on 5’10″/185.
Cut to the chase, bub. What’s the difference between these and the old BR Traveler Jeans they had been making in some form for over a decade but discontinued last year?
The texture. The Traveler 2.0 feels about 10% rougher* (*not science, sorry) than the previous version, which had been called the “luxe” traveler jean until they retired them. According to the 2.0’s product description, BR’s designers wanted to create a stretchy, flexible jean which also had a bit more texture to it. And they did that by tweaking the fabric:
- Previous “Luxe Traveler”: 44% cotton, 42% TENCEL, 13% polyester, 1% elastane. Looked like this.
- New 2.0 Luxe Traveler: 71% cotton, 17% recycled polyester, 11% TENCEL (lyocell), 1% elastane.
More cotton in the 2.0 than the previous version. Result is a more true-jean like texture.
So there’s more cotton in the new 2.0, and less Tencel, which is a brand name for lyocell, which is semi-synthetic and derived from wood pulp.
Still enough science-y stuff for significant stretch.
(Sidenote: If you don’t want to be confused, don’t read this next paragraph… It’s worth noting that the “luxe traveler” name has very recently been resurrected for a totally new jean which is 70%(!) Tencel and just 10% cotton. That’s not what’s being reviewed here, and that’s not the previous luxe traveler jean we’re comparing the 2.0 to either.)
The Traveler 2.0 is still soft. They are totally NOT some raw and rigid “authentic” pair of selvage. These are still a hybrid, extra-stretch type of jean. Visually they’re a pair of classic dark denim, but there’s enough science in the mix that they stretch noticeably more than an average pair of Levis.
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The result is a more traditional-denim feel in the hand. They’re still smoother and softer than average, and the stretch is still there. But they’re not as buttery soft as the original.
Flexibility for occasional running, jumping, etc.
They also still wash and dry up well with reasonable care (don’t cook them on hot in the washer or dryer), come in a bunch of washes as well as three fits, and avoid overt branding like patches or back pocket brand-specific stitching.
Clean back pockets. No patch at the waist either. No overt branding.
TL;DR: The new 2.0 is still very, very good, and a little more jean-y and a little less jegging-ish. Some will like the switch to more texture, while some will pine for the wildly soft days of traveler-jean yore. If you identify more with the latter, try the cheaper BR Factory version, as those are “just” 56% cotton, and therefor tend to feel softer and more true to the previous version.