The last thing I want to do over the weekend is put on a pair of pants. I spend my whole week in jeans or slacks that I’d rather take off, so when the weekend comes around, it becomes an almost Herculean task to pull pants on. That said, I still like to leave the house on Saturdays and Sundays, so some kind of leg covering is necessary, at least during the winter.
My go-to lately has been the ($188), which fall somewhere between sweatpants and those warm-ups you might see on a soccer pro. Their lining is designed with a plush poly-cotton blend that’s kind to your skin and encourages long afternoons on the couch in front of a football game. Their exterior, however, has a wind- and water-resistant stretch nylon that’s perfect for walking the dog. Thanks to a svelte cut that tapers steeply as it reaches toward your ankles, the pants don’t look sloppy, so you’re fine in public and can also wear them to your favorite brunch spot or while grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s.
As an obsessive skier, I can attest that they’re the best to-and-from-the-hill pants I’ve ever found. The nylon shakes off snow when you’re loading your car and won’t totally wet out if you have to push someone’s car out of a ditch on the ski-hill road. After a day of tele turns, when my quads are screaming, the pants are a nice cush spot for those muscles to relax.
As a 37-year-old dad of two, I worried I might be too old to rock these stretch pants. Was I gonna look like a wannabe? Turns out, the pants are forgiving and look totally appropriate when I drop the kids off at school. Those of you a decade younger will look even better.
The only downside is the price. Nearly two Benjamins is a lot to throw down for pants that you can’t really ski in. But as I’ve written before, I’m willing to pay a higher price for things that have multiple uses and simplify my life.