Welcome to AFAR Approved: a deep dive into the travel items that we’re totally obsessed with, never leave behind, and can’t stop telling our friends about.
I have Opinions. Among them? That the perfect travel pants are not just any old pants. They must be as versatile as a Swiss Army knife: thick enough to withstand frigid airplane temperatures, thin enough to allow for breathability during steamy airplane rides, and with pockets—for a passport, AirPods, Sour Patch Kids—galore. They should be stretchy and comfortable; look as at home at a bar as they do a business meeting. Up until last year, though, these perfect pants have proved elusive.
That changed in February, when I got my hands on a pair of women’s No Sweat Everyday Pants from Duer, a Canadian company whose fashion focus is geared toward solving conundrums just like mine. Duer’s business model follows the adage that less is more, and the company focuses on producing multifunctional pants that are suitable for hiking, the office, or out to dinner. (Having to buy fewer pants is not only good for the consumer but better for the environment, too.)
The Women’s No Sweat Everyday Pant comes in five sizes.
Courtesy of Duer
The pull-on Women’s No Sweat Everyday Pant—which comes in “black, laurel, and bone” colors and XS, S, M, L, and XL sizes—feels like a grown-up, more public appropriate version of my favorite sweatpant: super stretchy, buttery soft and light, with deep front pockets, a standard back one, and a flexible waistband. The pants fit slim through the hip and then straight from the knee, with a 27-inch inseam that hits just above my ankle, perfect for showcasing my favorite pair of sandals, sneakers, or loafers. (I’m 5’11, so the pants would not be ankle length for shorter people.) At a work conference in New Orleans earlier this month, I wore the black version of the pants on the plane, to walk the Lower Garden District, and to sit through business meetings. At 30 percent lighter than traditional denim, the pants’ stretchiness definitely came in handy when I managed to snag a bologna sandwich at Turkey & The Wolf, too.
The No Sweat Everyday Pants also get serious points for their sustainability: 95 percent of Duer’s fabrics are plant based, made from eucalyptus, woodchips, or cotton; the other 5 percent is also responsibly sourced from recycled water bottles or ecomade Lycra. (Same goes for the men’s version of the pants.) Still, by creating such versatile pants, Duer might have set consumers up for a different problem—because one pair never seems like enough.
- Available colors: black, laurel (green), and bone (cream)
- Best for: Going from the airplane to lunch to a business meeting
- Buy now: $135, shopduer.com
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