The 9 Best Men's Pants for Summer 2024, Worn and Tested by Style Editors

Best Overall

Relwen Flyweight Flex Chino

The focus of our testing for the best summer pants was fabric and the Flyweight Flex Chino was hands down the best performer. Made from 97% cotton, it looks and styles like a traditional chino. The trick is the blending in of 3% spandex, which not only showed off an exceptional amount of stretch in our testing, but it allows for a thinner cotton weave without compromising durability. Essentially, you’ve got less cotton per-square-inch covering your leg, which enhances breathability.

As great as the fabric is, this Relwen summer pant topped our list because of the look. We tested the navy and couldn’t find an outfit or scenario where it didn’t work. It dressed up with an oxford shirt for the office and down with a plain white tee for the weekend. We rocked it with a floral short sleeve button down and a smooth knit polo. The conclusion our style editors came to is that this summer pant is a perfect replacement for jeans as an all-purpose pant with upgraded comfort and a fresh look.

NN07 Theo 1454 Tapered Linen Trousers

ConsNeeds ironing before wear

NNo7 had a breakout hit with a wool patchwork jacket worn prominently in The Bear. But the Copenhagen menswear brand does a lot of things really well, including linen trousers. The cut is spot on, with a roomy hip and thigh to promote air flow, then a gentle taper from the knee down to create a clean break around your shoe.

Good linen is pricey, but even at $220, this summer pant is a bargain. You can spot high quality linen pants by how rumpled and wrinkled they look after a long wear. We took the Theo pant for a spin and it still looked crips after a long day at the office, followed by an evening out. It was relatively low maintenance for the heat friendly textile, which is always a plus.

Fabric100% LinenWasitbandButton and zip flyFitStraight

Best Summer Pant for Travel

Everlane The Performance Traveler Chino

Handpicked to be tested by our Fashion Director Ted Stafford and then fitted on Bullet Train action star Andrew Koji, Everlane’s chinos move you from the tarmac to the resort without losing a second of relaxation, courtesy of the spandex four-way stretch.

While cotton is less cooling compared to linen, having tested these pants’ fabric, we guarantee that they’re indeed sweat-wicking and quick-drying to keep you cool and dry. Although the fit leans slim, it hasn’t stifled or smothered Koji’s legs, or ours in our testing.

Fabric94% Cotton, 6% ElastaneWasitbandElastic with button and zip flyFitStraight with taper

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Best Summer Pant for Nights and Weekends

Marine Layer Saturday Stretch Beach Pant

This is the type of pant that comes to mind when you start packing for a tropical vacation. The fit is loose and flowy, but by no means baggy. It resembles a chino just enough to have a refined edge. We tested plenty of drawstring summer pants and this was the most comfortable, thanks to the wide waistband and roomy fit.

Wearing this pant for a few months revealed the unique and functional design of the double cloth fabric. Essentially, it is two layers of very thin cotton stitched together. This gave a feel similar to linen, without the wrinkling and fragility of that more delicate fabric.

Fabric98% Cotton, 2% SpandexWasitbandDrawstringFitStraight

Best Performance Summer Pant

Bonobos Seersucker Golf Pant

Seersucker is another summer staple: the lightweight, thin fabric has an uneven, puckered texture that creates space between the fabric and the skin to bolster airflow and thus breathability; more importantly, it’s full of southern charm. Bonobos’ golf pant also uses polyester to ramp up performance like moisture-wicking and quick-drying.

Plus, our editors have worn these golf pants off the course and into the office, the subway, on the sidewalks, or just at a regular get-together and they’ve worked well every single time. The ventilation of seersucker and the anti-sweat tech of polyester in one truly let our legs get the best of both worlds.

Fabric70% Polyester, 30% CottonWaistbandSnap with zip flyFitSlim

Best Chino Summer Pant

Taylor Stitch The Democratic Foundation Pant

As the name suggests, Taylor Stitch designed this chino to be a foundational piece for any man’s wardrobe. After giving it a try, we think the California brand succeeded. No bells and whistles here, just a really nice mid-weight cotton cut into a fit that is loose enough for your legs to breathe, but trim enough for a stylish silhouette.

Pant fits are all over the place these days, and while our style editors insist that your preference is the deciding factor in what cut works for you, the search can get confusing. Of all the summer pants we’ve tested, this is the closest thing to a fit that really does work for everyone. There is plenty of room in the seat and hips, with a slight taper from the knee down to create a tailored finish.

Fabric100% CottonWasitbandButton and zip flyFitStraight leg with a slight taper

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Best Office Ready Summer Pant

J.Crew 770 Straight Fit Garment-Dyed Five-Pocket Pant

J.Crew doesn’t really explain what the fabric of the Five-Pocket Pant feels like online, so we will. It has a soft lightweight canvas texture, with a weight similar to denim. The stretch blend offers a little give, but not enough to feel like you’re wearing joggers. The five-pocket design is modeled after jeans, with rivets and all, but we noticed that the twill fabric actually breathes better than most denim.

A few of our style editors and writers have worn the Five-Pocket Pant for years and it really shines in versatility. All five earth-tone colors can be styled with a huge range of looks and make for absolute workhorse pants in any closet. The twill fabric holds up well over time and the weight works year round.

Fabric97% Cotton, 3% ElastaneWasitbandRivet button and zip flyFitStraight

Best Formal Summer Pant

Bonobos Jetsetter Italian Cotton Dress Pant

No matter how warm the weather gets, the details around the waist of this summer pant made us want to keep our shirt tucked in. Wait tabs have made a comeback in recent years, which our style editors are all for, but Bonobos also added a small waist pocket. This is sometimes called a ticket pocket, but it was also used for pocket watches back in the day. Either way, it only serves as an interesting little detail these days.

We love how Bonobos offers this lightweight cotton suiting trouser in three different fits and a wide range of sizes. No matter your body type and style preference, you can make it work. The royal blue and dusty khaki colors are extremely functional, but for our money, the dusty pink is too much fun to pass up.

Fabric97% Cotton, 3% ElastaneWaistbandButton and zip fly with a waist tabFitSlim

Best Wide Fit Summer Pant

Banana Republic Pleated Straight Linen Pant

Like it or not, wide fit pants are here to stay. It is a tricky look to pull off, but Banana Republic makes the best boxy summer pant we’ve tried. Expertly placed pleats allow for the wide leg to drape straight down, creating clean vertical lines that don’t look baggy at all. The subtle striped fabric, which resembles an oxford shirt, accentuates those vertical lines.

Style preferences aside, a wide fit makes the most sense for summer pants because it enhances air flow. Wide open cuffs and plenty of space between your legs and the fabric lets your body breathe better than any slim fit pant ever could. If you’re on the fence about the look, give this one a try and at least you’ll feel a little cooler in the summer heat.

Fabric100% LinenWasitbandHook and zip fly with a button waist tabFitWide

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What Is the Best Type of Pants to Wear in Summer?

Summer pants should be lightweight, breathable, and ideally moisture-wicking for when you’re breaking a sweat—in warm, heated weather, it’s the performance that matters the most, not the design. What defines performance in summer pants is the material and fabric.

Linen: Perhaps the most famous summer pants style is the linen pants. As a material, linen is lightweight and loosen woven, rendering the fabric incredibly breathable because the long fibers allow air to circulate. Otherwise, it’s also highly durable and absorbs moisture—and therefore, sweat—while drying quickly, all in all keeping you cool and dry on dog days.

Seersucker: Seersucker is a type of cloth weaved to be lightweight, thin, and breathable. The fabric has a puckered or crinkled texture that creates space between the fabric and the skin, thus allowing for more ventilation. While the material’s sweat-wicking property is up to debate, we do know for sure from testing is that the uneven texture decreases the fabric’s contact with the skin, thus lessening any “clammy” feeling, even though you might be perspiring.

Nylon: The activewear material is a beast at beating the heat. It’s breathable and durable enough to be used in workout clothes and often has a tad of natural stretch. As a synthetic fabric, it’s hydrophobic, meaning it can wick away sweat and dry fast in a heartbeat. Nylon can be found in hiking pants, chinos, or any sort of travel pants.

Hemp: Another hot-climate favorite is hemp whose breathability is way above cotton’s league. The lightweight hemp fabric naturally wicks away sweat by absorbing moisture from the skin and passing it to the outside air—i.e., hemp is hard to get wet and won’t hold moisture for long, so you’ll never feel clammy.

Cotton: Cotton is naturally breathable, though less so than hemp or linen or seersucker. While its moisture-wicking feat varies and often depends on whom you ask, it does absorb and retain sweat to keep you from feeling too damp. We also love how cotton can be easily made with elastane or spandex to produce four-way stretch fabric.

Polyester: Unfortunately, this plastic synthetic fiber often found in swim trunks isn’t breathable at all. But a poly-blend made with a substantial amount of breathable materials (see Bonobos seersucker golf pants and Lululemon’s ABC pants, for instance) can easily change it up to make the fabric breezy. Moreover, polyester is a monster at wicking moisture and drying fast, so no sweat with this one.

Ted Stafford is the Fashion Director of Men’s Health. He oversees all style and fashion content for the brand, and also styles their fashion stories. His active lifestyle informs his passion for translating great designs into real-life style, a favorite part of his job. Prior to joining Men’s Health he worked at GQ magazine and Calvin Klein

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