Recommend pants for hot weather.

June 23, 2008 12:23 PM

I'm a huge baby. Southern California in the summer is too hot for me. I own two pairs of pants. Both are black denim. Are those tactical 511 pants very cool? I don't wear shorts. What do they wear in the desert? I'm looking for something really cool, really comfortable; not really concerned with fashion -except I hate baggy pants. I'm about 6 feet tall and skinny.
posted by low affect to clothing, beauty, & fashion (25 comments total)

Hiking pants, typically made of really lightweight nylon or polyester, probably fit the bill. The ones I have are convertable (you can zip off the leg bottoms to turn the pants into shorts), but they have regular pant versions. Easily available at REI, probably other sporting goods stores like Big 5. Even regular ol' track pants would be cooler (temperature-wise) than black jeans.
posted by LionIndex at 12:48 PM on June 23, 2008

I live in Palm Springs. Very hot. You might want to invest in either very lightweight pants, or get some shorts. There are longer shorts. Even the police and fire department people wear shorts.
posted by JAD'E at 12:51 PM on June 23, 2008

What do they wear in the desert?

Largely: baggy pants. Or shorts.

I don't know about those tactical pants but they don't look that promising. 100% cotton's good, but look for something with a thinner weave. Light colors are obviously helpful. You're in Southern California — everybody's hot and clothing retailers know it. I live in Florida, it's the same here. Go into some stores and try some stuff on. You'll be able to tell quickly whether or not it's going to work for you. If it feels heavy or stiff or thick, abandon them. And of course you'll have to choose based on what you need to be able to do in these pants. Basketball shorts are good enough for hanging around your own house, but it's not like you can go to work in them.

Linen, linen blends, thin cotton (like madras and crinkle cotton) are your friends. Or those really thin whispery nylon pants, the kind that have a bunch of zippers and get marketed to hikers.
posted by penduluum at 12:56 PM on June 23, 2008

Yoga pants.
posted by mkultra at 1:01 PM on June 23, 2008

I just got my first pair of white linen pants -- incredibly comfortable. I'm a little worried that they may not be very sturdy, but ... they're very comfortable.
posted by Comrade_robot at 1:02 PM on June 23, 2008

Levis' Slim-Straight 514s have gotten me through the last few D.C. summers comfortably.
posted by ryanshepard at 1:04 PM on June 23, 2008

In the 10 days a year in San Francisco when it's actually hot - or when we leave our pod of foggy coolness for the Central Valley or the Peninsula to go for a hike - I wear pants like these. I have the REI kind and the ex officio kind and probably some other kind, and they're all made out of some sort of poly material and have legs that zip off. Some brands are baggier than others, so you might want to try before you buy.
posted by rtha at 1:05 PM on June 23, 2008

I picked up some linen pants at Old Navy a few weeks ago for something like $30 - solid brown, relatively simple, and they let heat dissipate.
posted by mdonley at 1:13 PM on June 23, 2008

Natural High (2400 Main Street, Santa Monica) sells these amazing hemp/cotton pants. They're super-light and have drawstrings. They can be a bit naturally baggy, but they're easy enough to have hemmed for a few extra bucks. They come in all sorts of earthy colors and the styles even vary from batch to batch, as they're handmade. They sell nice shirts and such as well, if you're after an ensemble. I own three pairs and keep going back for more.
posted by mykescipark at 1:55 PM on June 23, 2008

Definitely go for the linen pants (or linen/cotton blends). You don't need to get white linen, black will do just fine since it's the lightness of the fabric that really helps with the cooling (at least it seems to be that way to me).
posted by bjrn at 1:57 PM on June 23, 2008

Summer in Washington DC isn't like the desert, more like the swamp, but here's some recent advice on hot weather pants in poplin, seersucker, and linen, from our local lifestyle magazine.

■ The difference among seersucker, poplin, and linen is weight. “Seersucker is the lightest,” ... “Linen is the heaviest and great on the beach or someplace breezy. Seersucker and poplin might be similar weights, but seersucker’s crinkled material makes it more breathable.”
posted by hhc5 at 2:02 PM on June 23, 2008

I'm assuming you're a guy. You don't wear shorts, but what about man-pris? Capri pants for dudes -- longer than Bermuda shorts, shorter than pants, they should hit below your knee/mid-calf. You can find them in all sorts of colours, fabrics, etc. Not really great as work attire (depending on your office), but definitely a good, very laid-back look for off-time.
posted by pised at 2:16 PM on June 23, 2008

ryansheperd sez: Levis' Slim-Straight 514s have gotten me through the last few D.C. summers comfortably.

I match your described body type and live in LA, and I am wearing gray 511s right now. I prefer them for summer over my other slim-fitting jeans. I think they look good, not too tight, not too heavy, light in color so they don't absorb as much heat (though they are a few shades darker than the example photo. Got them at Urban Outfitters, but I've seen them cheap on Amazon.
posted by thedaniel at 2:47 PM on June 23, 2008

Capri pants for dudes -- longer than Bermuda shorts

I know you don't care about fashion, but please DO NOT WEAR CAPRI PANTS.

Or a utilikilt.

As mentioned above, linen pants are great for hot weather, as are some of the REI-type hiking pants.

But please allow me to reiterate:

NO MAN-PRIS. NONE. EVER.
posted by dersins at 3:28 PM on June 23, 2008 [1 favorite]

I like the REI Convertible Pants. Not super stylish, but good in the heat.

Any clothes made for summer hiking will be better than cottons/denim in the summer heat.
posted by Argyle at 3:37 PM on June 23, 2008

Don't worry, guys. I'd never wear capris. I don't even let my wife wear capris.
posted by low affect at 3:51 PM on June 23, 2008

I dunno, OP, I went to Vegas this weekend and even I-- a confirmed wearer of BDUs in all conditions-- broke and bought a pair of Carhartt cotton duck shorts. *And* I had a kilt with me, same material, made by the fine folks at Freedom Kilts.

And it was damned comfortable in 109-degree weather. You might consider it.

(I'm a chick who tends to dress like a dude. Your mileage may vary.)
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 4:00 PM on June 23, 2008

My husband wears 511s almost exclusively (except for his utilikilt). He only had pants until we were driving across the southwest, when he opted to buy some 511 shorts. They worked great in the heat, and look just as nice as the pants.

Just avoid any style with the word "academy" in their name. Those are short shorts.
posted by nursegracer at 5:41 PM on June 23, 2008

I just got back from the mall. It sucked. I went to the two denim stores. We called ahead and they said they had the really light 514s like ryansheperd and thedaniel linked to. The two pants that I own are actually 514s. I also have a pair of really old Levis that don't even have a number on them. The are really light blue and 50% spandex. I can't really wear them anymore because my underwear shows through the backside now they are so thin. Those were my favorite pants ever.

Anyways, I found some white linen pants that looked OK, but I didn't buy them because they $50 or more, which seems to me a little steep for pajamas.

Hey you guys that have linen pants, where did you acquire them?
posted by low affect at 7:18 PM on June 23, 2008

Last summer I got some great linen pants at H&M.They were beige, but if memory serves me, they also carry a gray pair.
posted by Kronoss at 7:34 PM on June 23, 2008

Levi 511's are pretty nice. Not the coolest pant's you'll wear, but comfortable and good-looking.
posted by alitorbati at 11:26 PM on June 23, 2008

check target, unless your morally opposed. i've gotten great linen and summery things there, they do cheap fabrics well.

you know, i don't think anyone has mentioned this? maybe i didn't read closely enough, but KHAKIS, they're awesome, and can have a jeansy feel to them in that they still have a tailored cut to them.

also, i have to say, no matter what other people have said, denim is the worst in heat and humidity, no matter how baggy. they just hold onto the heat, they don't breath AT ALL and so you get sweaty legs and then the denim sticks to your legs and makes it difficult to walk. just sayin, i've been doing hot farm work in jeans for a while now, because they're all i've got at the moment, and i hate it every day.
posted by dahliachewswell at 12:56 AM on June 24, 2008

I got a pair of linen pants at a Banana Republic Outlet (very comfy, $40), and another pair at a Macy's Father's Day sale (not quite as comfy, ~$25)
posted by Comrade_robot at 7:32 AM on June 24, 2008

Hey you guys that have linen pants, where did you acquire them?

Don't know how things arein the US, but over here H&M always have linen pants in various colours (usually at least white, black and something brown-ish) when spring and summer roll around.
posted by bjrn at 11:22 AM on June 24, 2008

I got my linen pants at Macy's (then Burdines) and at a Perry Ellis outlet. I do make an effort to look for things on sale ($30-40 or so depending on how good the sale is). But, honestly, $50 for a decent pair of linen pants is not at all a bad price.
posted by oddman at 8:36 AM on June 25, 2008