Last-Minute Savings on Peleton, Ski Gear, Winter Running Apparel, and More
Cracks Are Lame: Dark Energy Spectre Flexible Solar Panel Review Hooded Winter Jacket
2024 Hyundai Kona Electric First Drive Review: New Kona, Same Electric
‘Chasing the Wild:’ Kayaking, Climbing, Hunting in the Polaris XPEDITION UTV
Bringing Back the Buckle, Bailing on BOA and Velcro: SCARPA F1 XT Ski Touring Boot Review
The Headlamp That Helped Me Podium at Leadville 100: Black Diamond Distance 1500 Review
A Year With Whoop 4.0: A Personal Trainer Weighs In
CRKT MinimalX Review: Brute Force Blade Does What Others Can’t
Work pants provide functional utility for carpentry, construction, ranch work, or DIY home projects. These are the best work pants we have found in 2023.
Kneeling for hours in grubby conditions, fending off sparks and debris, stashing greasy tools — work pants have to deal with a lot. Whether you are a professional tradesman, or DIY fiend paying your dues on personal projects, narrowing in on the perfect pair of work pants for your needs is important for efficiency and safety on the job site.
Our team has collectively put hundreds of different work pants through the wringer on tasks around homesteads, construction jobs, and everyday yard work. When assessing work pants, we consider how well the pants do hard jobs while protecting the body. We also consider durability and how it relates to pricing, comfort, and overall construction.
Editors Chris Carter and Sean McCoy teamed up for the creation of this guide, putting a plethora of work pants to the test on work sites, arborist jobs, and home repairs to narrow in on the streamlined selection of six worthy pants you see today.
The pants below will suit many full-time tradesmen. They will easily suffice for the weekend DIYer or someone who needs something a bit tougher than jeans (especially those new soft, stretchy ones) but are probably not going as far as adding a tool belt to their ensemble.
In regards to selection, we didn’t dive into several great brands aimed specifically at the tradesperson like Jobman Workwear, Blackrock Workwear, Walls, and Snickers Workwear. Although they make excellent clothing, these don’t bridge into the recreational DIY apparel that this review targets.
Scroll through our selection below, or hop down to our buyer’s guide, comparison chart, or FAQ for help in narrowing in on your perfect pair.
Editor’s Note: We refreshed this guide on December 20, 2023, adding several new models, and writing the buyer’s guide. We also made sure our product list is up-to-date with current models, colorways, and designs.
For the second test in a row, after trying lots of pairs of pants, the Double Knee Utility Pant 2.0 ($198) from 1620 Workwear reigned supreme. We love these pants and wear them nearly every day.
Not only is the cut of these pants a perfect fit, but the pocket configuration matches our EDC needs perfectly — no matter if we’re working in the field, guiding, sitting at a desk, or traveling. In short, they sport a modern regular cut, as well as a true-to-size waist and inseam.
They also have a great feel and functionality with a stretch nylon-cotton fabric, aka NYCO (a cotton/CORDURA/spandex blend) or Tweave Durastretch Tech Stretch fabric (CORDURA/nylon/spandex).
The only argument against 1620 is that it’s pricey. However, since it launched in 2016 when we started testing its pants, the prices have come down and it occasionally puts items on sale. Buying products from 1620 means paying for American-made fabrics (North Carolina) and American labor (designed and sewn in a shop in Massachusetts — 1620 just upgraded to a larger space). It’s worth checking out its take on justifying the price tag on its about page.
These pants are tough. The NYCO fabric meets NFPA 1975 No Melt No Drip thermal standards and has been lab-tested. It’s 10 times more abrasion-resistant and dries twice as fast as 100% cotton canvas of a similar weight and construction.
This keeps them out of landfills for as long as possible. The brand even has a buyback and resell program called Patina — a great place to find discounts.
All 1620’s pants have innovative pocket designs, including slanted rear pockets for easy access (especially while sitting, and it keeps a clip knife in place), as well as easy-reach-in and good volume front hand pocket bags. And with the exception of the five-pocket Foundation Pant, it has useful mid-thigh utility pockets that sit behind the outseam.
Within the left-hand pocket is a traditional coin pocket that is too deep to dig coins out of. I like to use it for credit card-size items. The website describes it as a Watch Pocket, which I find amusingly nostalgic of them. All of 1620 Workwear’s pants include wide belt loops. The utility pocket layout on the Double Knee Utility Pant 2.0 is robust: back yoke welt pockets, dual watch pockets, right phone pocket, right zip key pocket, military-spec shank button, dual hammer loops, left leg utility pocket.
For just about any job you set your mind to, these pants are up for the task.
We’ve tested several Mountain Khakis before, and this round we jumped into a pair from the heritage line — the double-knee Camber 107 Pant ($99.95).
These pants are accurately described as a Classic Fit, which is between a Relaxed Fit and a Regular Fit. The 9-ounce, 98% cotton, 2% spandex canvas is very comfortable but doesn’t exude durability for harsh environments. The 32-inch waist feels true to size, as does the 34-inch inseam.
Like many MK pants, these have the mudflap feature, which is a reinforced patch at the heel side of the cuff. That’s a spot we tend to wear out when we wear flip-flops and the hem slips under our bare heels where the hem gets worn down. When wearing shoes or boots, however, the length is perfect.
The front hand pockets are a good depth and have a comfortable swooping horizontal cut that helps prevent items from dribbling out when sitting down. The rear pockets are a standard straight-across patch style.
The utility pocket on these pants is 6 inches wide with a snap button in the middle, and it straddles the outseam. That’s much bigger than all of the other pants in this review and is a borderline cargo pocket.
It will accommodate the biggest phones out there, maybe even small tablets. Our relatively small phone feels lost in there, but the snap button bumps our confidence that the phone isn’t going to jump out.
The double knee is cut chap style with a swoop from the middle of the patch down to the inseam. The patch has articulated darts around the knee, and it provides good coverage from mid-thigh to just below the knee. It does not have knee pad pockets. Though they aren’t the most durable, technical work pants out there, for the price, we’d say they punch well above their weight.
A reader’s comment on the original post of this review turned us onto this brand. They are the tough and durable pants one would expect from a brand targeting professionals climbing trees all day long. We opted to check out the product that launched its brand in the late ’90s, the Original Treeclimbers’ Pants ($95), which come in a comfortable Classic Fit.
Without any spandex in the weave, the 12.5-ounce ringspun 100% cotton canvas is a little less forgiving and features one of the tighter 32-inch waistbands of the test. These pants will be the most comfortable for waists that fit perfectly into them.
For anyone between sizes and sizing down, the pants will be tight and uncomfortable. Someone a little smaller will feel the pants are a little loose and will need a belt or suspenders.
But confidence in the durability of these pants is high. They are as tough as they feel and break in nicely to be a little more pliable after some rigorous use and the ensuing wash cycles.
The pockets are pretty standard with patch style in the rear and swooped horizontal bag-style hand pockets. Without any give in the fabric and the fact that our tester is on the plus size of its version of a 32-inch waist, the front hand pockets are a little tight. So, it takes a bit of a push to get our hands in and out of the pockets. But that’s just at the hem of the pockets — once our hands are in, the pocket bags are a good depth and are cut to a comfortable volume.
Our biggest gripe with these Treeclimber Pants is the minuscule utility pocket on the right thigh. This patch-style pocket is only 3 inches wide with a half-inch opening. Clearly, it’s not designed to hold a phone. Maybe an old clam-shell phone could be wedged in.
Instead, many arborists use it to hold a chainsaw scrench or a clip knife for when they’re in the trees while their back pocket is covered by a harness. The thigh pocket sits on the front side of the outseam.
The double-knee reinforcement is stitched straight across the upper thigh from the outseam to the inseam and reaches down to just below the knee. There are no articulated darts or pockets for knee pads.
The brushed twill exterior of the fabric used on the Free Rydr ($99) has a nice hand feel, and the substantial 10.8-ounce, 98% cotton, 2% spandex feels protective and durable. Kühl describes this pant as a lean fit, but it feels more like a regular fit to me with plenty of room for the legs with articulated knees.
It’s only a single-knee construction, but it does sport a few other reinforced areas. These include along the tops of the front and back pockets for clipping a knife or tape measure, as well as on the hem above the heel as scuff guards.
The swooping horizontal hand pockets are a little tight to reach into, thanks in part to the reinforced layer along the cuff of the pocket. But they are a good depth and have a moderate amount of volume to the pocket bags. The coin pocket is on the right side, not too deep, and easy to reach into with the index finger.
The cellphone pocket is on the right side and behind the outseam with an eighth of an inch lip above the pocket to help catch a phone from slipping out while sitting. The back pockets are deeper than usual with 8-inch-deep, patch-style pockets (most are 6 inches).
OK — you caught us. While the legendary Keb Trousers ($240) are technically for tough hiking, they just so happen to serve as stellar work pants. And let’s be honest, they look like you could wear them into battle. We’ve been trotting around in our Kebs for a while now, and use them for much more than trekking. Bucking logs in the backyard, ripping around on our motorcycle, or bushwhacking through briars — there’s not much we don’t do with these versatile, ventilated wonders.
Before we get much further let’s address the elephant in the room: the price tag. As the most expensive option on this list, it had better have the performance to back it. Lucky for the Kebs — it does. These things are simply incredible to wear for any technical task you put your mind to, and shrug off significant torture, keeping you cool when the pace picks up.
These are some of our favorite pants for jobs that boost our heart rates in hot temps. Think, hauling load after load of wood or brush back and forth in a wheelbarrow all day. Thanks to deep hip-to-knee ventilation zippers that run down the outside of the legs, a simple tug and your bare legs are exposed to fresh air. Need even more A/C? Throw the calf zippers down and expose the lower leg, quickly dumping heat.
Despite being some of the thicker, tougher pants we own, these vents allow us to wear them in seriously toasty temps. Senior Editor Chris Carter recently wore these on an overland motorcycle trip in Kenya, and quickly found himself with a flat tire and other mechanical issues in the middle of the blazing African heat. It took hours to fix the issue, and he was praising each bit of ventilation the Kebs afforded him, while still allowing him to kneel on the rocky ground and rub grease indiscriminately all over the pants.
The Kebs are constructed of two types of fabric: proprietary waxed G-1000, a durable polycotton material, and a stretchy polyamide. G-1000 is used around the front of the legs (up to the upper thigh), backside, ankles, and knees. The reinforced knees also have openings to insert pads if the need arises. All the bases are covered. This does introduce a lot of stitching, which contributes to their heft. Despite a large number of potential fail-points along the seams, we’ve had no durability issues with the Kebs, and still abuse them like we did on day one.
Organization on the Kebs is pretty basic, with two leg pockets with buttoned flaps, and a mesh pocket inside one of the leg pockets (in addition to two hand pockets). We like the simplicity though, and rarely find ourselves wishing for more. It helps keep them lighter and more mobile.
For tough, active jobs that require some exercise in hot environments, these pants are hard to beat. You won’t have to worry about ripping them, but they regulate temperature better than anything we’ve tested. Is the $250 price point worth it? If we have any say in the matter — yes.
If you haven’t caught on — we’re pretty big fans of Kühl. They just don’t miss! And following suit is the sleek, stylish, and supremely flexible Resistor Jean ($129). For reliable durability with uncompromising mobility, these are the pants to snag. These “jeans” shine on jobs that require a bit of contortion, or for those who love a snug fit that doesn’t feel constraining. The Resistors feature a good-looking, slightly tapered fit, but move with you better than most pants we’ve tried on.
Climbing around rickety scaffolding, high-stepping over bucked-up logs, or simply kneeling down to drive in a screw — these aren’t going to hold you back. We have plenty of pants in our closet with top-shelf flexibility, but few of them also boast bombproof durability. Kühl’s exclusive performance fabric has unparalleled stretch with a noticeable rebound in the material that resists bagging out over time. A gusseted crotch and articulated knees also contribute to its peerless mobility.
The cotton/nylon/spandex blend is battle-ready, but somehow clings to a soft, smooth texture for next-to-skin comfort. What wizardry Kühl uses, we know not.
The “jean” element of these pants comes from characteristic jean-style front and back hand pockets with rivets. A discrete drop-in pocket on the left leg stashes a phone, and a generous 3D drop-in pocket decorates the right leg. We use the phone pocket a lot, but the 3D pocket seems too loose and shallow for most things — unless we don’t care to lose them. That one generally goes unused.
Cuff guards at the bottom hem help with fraying, but we wish the rear and/or knees were reinforced. Eschewing this does keep the weight down and boost mobility, though, so we can’t be too picky. Aside from these quibbles, the only other con we noticed was the relatively thick stitching at the lip of the hand pockets. It makes sliding a knife clip over the pocket a bit more challenging than other pants in our rotation.
After months of testing the pants in a variety of conditions, we’re convinced that Kühl’s Resistor Jeans are just about the best work pants for unfettered mobility on the market. They have stellar durability but are made with soft fabric that seems to flow with every movement.
From full-time homesteaders to construction workers, and passionate tinkerers ticking off personal projects over the weekend — the GearJunkie team knows how to get their hands dirty. To accommodate their lifestyles, they’ve put countless models of work pants through the wringer on just as many job sites and pooled their collective experience to form this comprehensive guide.
Editors Chris Carter and Sean McCoy joined forces in curating the streamlined selection of six pants you see today. They bucked logs in the backcountry, chipped away at construction projects, and generally abused a whole slew of work pants to narrow in on the best of the best. Rest assured — we would rely on any of the models above to tackle demanding jobs.
We know that the work pants podium is competitive and constantly evolving, which is why we’ve slotted this guide into an iterative update schedule. We are perpetually scouring the internet, attending gear shows, and bugging the pros to make sure we test and review the most current, deserving pants on the market.
Like most things out there, work pants come in all shapes and sizes, and there are enough options to make your head spin. Since you’ll be doing more in these pants than just walking or hanging around, it’s important to consider the materials, features, and intended use of work pants before making your selection. We’ve highlighted a number of our top picks above, but are continually testing more models as they come out and updating our list of favorites.
The two key factors in picking the best pair of work pants for you are fit and function. Each brand has its own cut or silhouette. And while we try our best to describe how each of the above pairs of pants fit us, the only way to really know how they fit you is by trying them on.
When shopping at a store, that’s easy to solve by jumping into the fitting room. But when buying a brand for the first time online, be sure to check out its return policy in case they don’t fit how you like and you need to send them back.
Pro tip: Order a few different sizes in the first batch to avoid a bunch of shipping back and forth. Try them all on and just send back the pairs that don’t fit right.
Things to consider are features like articulated knees or a gusseted crotch. These are important depending on how much squatting, kneeling, or climbing you will be doing in the pants. A pair of pants that don’t fit well won’t get worn or will just cause endless frustration.
The second factor is function. Some key features to consider are pocket configuration, reinforced areas (pockets, knees, hemlines, etc.), hammer loops, and the ability to take knee pads. These vary in importance depending on what you will be doing in these pants. Below, we’ll take a look at what makes a good pair of work pants.
It’s also worth noting that this guide covers features and materials specific to sturdy work pants, which tend to fit pretty niche purposes. For information on other outdoor pants categories, check out our comprehensive guides on the Best Hiking Pants and the Best Travel Pants.
Work pants, as with other pants, fall into a few different categories that can give you an idea of how they will fit without actually trying them on. Most work pants fall into one of the following categories: relaxed, regular, classic, or slim.
The type of pants you go with purely depends on personal preference and the type of jobs you plan to be tackling in them.
The feature sets on work pants are diverse and job-specific and contribute to their useability. Consider the type of tasks you want to accomplish in your pants and select a feature set accordingly. While it may seem awesome to have a million pockets, loops, and zippers on your pants, these can get in the way if your job requires you to be quick and mobile. Additional features add fail points to the pants and contribute to the overall weight. They can also reduce the ventilating abilities of the pants — so choose with care.
We are seriously skeptical of work pants if they don’t have these. A gusseted crotch is a diamond-shaped piece of fabric sewn into the crotch area. A gusset eliminates four seams coming together where the legs join, which limits mobility and can be uncomfortable. A gusset also helps disperse stress around the crotch, boosting pants’ durability and making it easier to crouch down or high-step over obstacles.
Similar to gusseted crotches, articulated knees provide a bit more flexion in the knee area allowing you to bend and kneel more easily. These come in incredibly handy if you find yourself climbing up and down a ladder or navigating scaffolding at your work site. Articulated knees are created by sewing “darts” — a seamstress term for a simple fold sewn into the pant’s material — into the knees, like in the photo above.
Kneeling for hours on rocky ground, sitting on rough concrete, or rubbing against abrasive surfaces — work pants deal with loads of abuse. It’s not uncommon to see extra patches of thicker fabric sewn over high-use areas like the knees or rear in these stalwart trousers. These afford extra protection for your legs, while also prolonging the life of your pants. Just be aware that reinforcement patches add weight and extra stitching, and can limit the pant’s ventilation.
Work pants are often specced out with some seriously sweet accessories, like dedicated phone pockets, zip and cargo pockets, shank buttons, or hammer loops. These can all be used to store EDC items like knives, phones, and multitools, and also allow you to quickly stash tools or materials as they amass mid-job.
We particularly appreciate side drop-in pockets — if they are deep and tight enough — for throwing a handful of nails or screws in if we are going to be standing in one place for a while putting something together. These aren’t often the most secure pockets (unless they are zippered or buckled closed), so it’s best to not keep dangerous materials in them for too long.
Of all the pants in our closet, work pants are the most battle-ready. Reinforcement patches, thick stitching, and expensive materials generally decorate these models, and they are designed to withstand years of torture. These features make work pants great for more than just a job site. We find ourselves grabbing them for backcountry bushwhacks, motorcycle tours, and any activity that would threaten to shred our legs.
Work pants are usually constructed with several different materials, blending fabrics to deliver the highest quality of each material. Here are some of the primary materials used in work pants:
Mixing spandex, or other elastic materials, with cotton or polyester, manufacturers are able to craft pants that withstand the rigors of work, while moving with you as you bop around the job site. We find the mobility of work pants to be one of the most important elements we look for. If we feel constricted while bending down, crouching, or climbing a ladder, it limits our efficiency and is just downright uncomfortable.
While most of the pants we tested passed the mobility test, some were definitely better than others. The Kühl Resistor Jeans, pictured above, stood out with the best flexibility-to-durability ratio of the work pants we tried on. They shrugged off significant torture, without restricting our movement — no matter what position we found ourselves in.
Durability is usually a tradeoff with comfort. The softer and more comfortable the pant, the more likely it’s going to be less durable. But it may not matter. If you’re not rubbing or scraping up against rough surfaces, you can get away with a less durable and more comfortable pant.
If you work in a high-abrasion environment, it will be worth getting a stiffer pant that won’t move as easily but will last longer. For a more durable pant, look for a higher denier count, heavier fabric, or brands that use tough fabrics like CORDURA.
Similar to the durability question above, the tradeoff is usually between thinner, more breathable pants that are comfortable in hot weather and thicker, more durable pants. Another factor that can help in hot weather is a looser cut or fit to allow for some air circulation within the pant.
Finally, the material used can play a role. But usually, the more breathable a pant fabric is, the less durable it is. Fjallraven’s Keb Trousers stand in contrast to this, boasting incredible ventilation despite featuring thick, resilient materials. Zippered vents allow you to wear these in hot environments without sacrificing durability.
Most clothing is expected to last about 30-40 wash cycles, but our experience has shown that work pants last longer than that. The biggest factor is how the pants are used. If you’re going to a job site and bending and squatting all day or hauling cinder blocks every day for work, the pants are going to wear out much faster than occasional DIY projects at home.
For women with tough and demanding gigs, here are the workwear pants that hold up.
Intense work can tread over sharps, hot surfaces, high voltage, and dangerous objects. Protect your feet with one of our picks for the best work boots!
Based in beautiful Chattanooga, Tennessee, Chris Carter is a Senior Editor for GearJunkie, while squeezing in side gigs as an adventure filmmaker and content creator in the outdoor industry. Drawing from his childhood in Africa, experience as a rock climbing and backpacking guide, ultra-marathon running, and years of extensive thru-hiking, he’s passionate about journalism that gets people into the wild. He has thru-hiked the Triple Crown of long trails in America: the Pacific Crest Trail (2018), the Continental Divide Trail (2021), and the Appalachian Trail (2021), and has explored, rock-climbed, and backpacked all over the world. He hopes to spread his love of adventure and travel through his writing, art, and videography.
Sean McCoy is the Editorial Director of GearJunkie, and 5+ other All Gear websites.
He has been writing about hunting, fishing, trail running, camping, skiing, and more for 15+ years.
Prior to GearJunkie, he was the chief photographer for the Virgin Islands Daily News and former Editor In Chief for GearJunkie. Based in Denver, Colorado, McCoy is an avid trail runner, camper, hunter, angler, mountain biker, skier, and beer tester.
Sign up to receive GearJunkie content direct to your inbox.
Athletic Shorts Men With Pockets Sign up to receive GearJunkie content direct to your inbox.