I’m fairly picky about travel clothing. In general, I like to pack light, taking only what I absolutely need, and would rather wash something and let it dry overnight versus packing another same or similar item.
For over ten years, I’ve had a couple of pairs of Patagonia pants, also called “Nomad”, for this purpose. They’ve served me well. That said, they certainly leaned more casual in appearance. They were more of a hiking pant that one could use for travel as well. One could not get away with wearing them with a sport coat and have that look good. They were fine with a tee shirt, polo, or casual button down but paired with a dress shirt they just looked silly.
I’ve been on the lookout for a pair of travel pants that looked just as good dressed up as dressed down. Pants that I could wear with a blazer, shirt, and dress shoes as easily as I could with a t-shirt, hoodie, and sneakers. Basically, travel pants that had all of the features one would expect (stretch, DWR, lightweight, wash and dry fast) but looked like nice chinos.
I’ve finally found that in the Proof Nomad Pant. I own two pairs in different colors and could not be more impressed with every detail. According to the website they are, “Constructed from two-way stretch Japanese Toray twill that breathes easy on long trips”, which I’ve found to be very true.
I’ve now taken these pants on two separate trips (one of which involved two different climates) and these pants have exceeded all expectations. I wore them around New York City during a windy and cold January weekend. I walked around Miami in 80 degree heat and humidity and, later, during a rainstorm. Then, I took them with me for another long weekend in NYC in April with moderate spring temps, a day of rain, and sunny skies and mid-50s for the rest. They’ve never let me down.
I’ve dressed them up with a blazer, shirt, tie, and nice shoes. I’ve dressed them down with a casual button down, sweater, and sneakers. I’ve worn them to nice dinners and casual food stand lunches. I’ve worn them lying in the grass in the park, walking on the beach, and to Broadway shows. They’ve never looked out of place.
They are lightweight and comfortable. I’ve never felt they were too cold or warm because they regulate temperature very well. They move and stretch comfortably. And, in anything besides a heavy rain storm, water has just beaded right off of them. Even in that heavy rain they dried quickly once inside and never felt clingy and clammy when they were wet.
They have a nice, well hidden, zippered security pocket in the seam of the right hand pocket. It’s a full pocket and once zipped can’t be seen easily, thus your belongings always feel secure.
In short, these are the best, most versatile, travel pants that I’ve ever owned. In fact, they can easily be everyday wear and I’m betting I’ll find myself reaching for them in the morning when I have nowhere further to go than the grocery store.