The Best Work Pants of 2024

For the second test in a row, after trying lots of pairs of pants, the 1620 Workwear Double Knee Utility Pant 2.0 ($198) 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.

The only argument against 1620 is that its pants are 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). 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.

Read Review: 8 Years and Counting: 1620 Work Pants Are Tough as Nails

Before you all start freaking out about why we went with the slim fit version of the Rugged Flex Utility Double Front Pants ($70) from Carhartt, it’s because they fit better than the Relaxed and Loose fits, overall. And that’s important when you’re working or playing. You need to be able to move around without feeling like your pants are hanging off of you. We found, in testing, that the Slim Fit provided a larger range of motion, in all conditions. Don’t worry — the leg opening is still ample enough to go over your favorite work boots.

That said, Carhartt has been the go-to work pant for a lot of folks for a long time. Where the brand used to only offer unwashed Duck material for its double-knee pants, expanding its double-knee line-up to its washed Duck fabric eliminates the break-in period found with the unwashed Duck, now called “Firm Duck” materials. Although, we’ll be honest — we do miss the rivets that are synonymous with the classic double-knee pants — it’s a fair trade for the flexibility that the 1% of spandex provides.

Unlike the 1620 Workwear Double Knee Utility Pant 2.0, the Rugged Flex Utility Doubles do not have any type of water resistance. Not only does this help keep costs down, but we didn’t find it to be a real issue. However, if you’re someone who works in wet environments, an easy way to make these pants water-repellant is to treat them with Nikwax TX.Direct Wash-In. Even at $15, adding that treatment still keeps these Carhartts well within the parameters to still be considered budget-friendly.

We really enjoyed how these pants kept up, even after a week’s worth of living and playing in the great outdoors. Even though they’re double-knee pants, the Rugged Flex Utility Double Front Pants don’t look overly aggressive and fit right in at the local pub, après work. Dirt and debris easily brush off the tight weave cotton/duck fabric, and they pair well with work boots, hiking boots, and Crocs. Yes, Crocs. Don’t knock ‘em until you rock ‘em.

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 Arborwear Original Tree Climbers’ 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 has 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 the Treeclimber’s 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 the Arborwear Original Tree Climbers’ 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.

Who says you can’t look good at work? Also, who says you have to wash your pants at all? The Filson Oil Finish Single Tin Cloth Pants ($195) are pants you don’t have to wash to look good working in. This is because these pants have been treated with water-resistant wax which allows dirt, mud, and sauce from that meatball grinder to slide right off the fabric instead of soaking into it. And no — oddly enough — they don’t stink after the long haul.

Stepping into a pair of these pants feels like stepping into history — like these were the pants Teddy Roosevelt wore when he met John Muir out in Yosemite all those years ago. It’s totally possible that they were being that Filson has been around since 1897, providing rugged and reliable outdoor clothing. 

That said, these pants haven’t changed much in form or function. You’ll find the legs to be straight and wide and the pockets to be able. With that comes the caveat that the waxed tin cloth is unrelenting. As durable and comfortable as these Oil Finish Single Tin Cloth Pants are, it takes a while to get them to the point of being considered comfortable at all. But, we can tell you that the more you work and play in them, the quicker they break in.  

We had a blast wearing these pants in the winter as not only does the wax block out wind, but it also makes them awesome snow pants for working and playing in the outdoors. We spent a few nights before dinner sledding with the kids until our knees felt like they were going to fall off from dragging them up the hill over and over again. But the pants never quit — we were dry as a bone.

For any of you wondering what “tin cloth” is, it’s just waxed cotton fabric. But we think we can all agree that “tin cloth” is a much more inspiring name.

OK — you caught us. While the legendary Fjällräven 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 go 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 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.

The Fjällräven Keb Trousers 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.

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 ($100).

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.

The brushed twill exterior of the fabric used on the KÜHL Free Rydr ($99) has a nice hand feel, and the substantial 10.8-ounce, 98% cotton, 2% spandex feels protective and durable. KÜHL describes these pants as a lean fit, but they feel more like a regular fit to us, with plenty of room for the legs and 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, behind the outseam, with an eighth-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).