Unbound Merino Travel Pants Review

My take: Destination weddings must be banned. Until we stability the broader social scales, nevertheless, I’m caught ponying up the dough to fly out to Cabo, or Maui, or no matter. If I can tack the ceremony onto the return leg of some far-flung place I truly need to go to, although, it’s sufficient of a balm to get me within the airplane seat. Or at the least a extra palatable use of airline miles.

Pulling this off requires a tailor-made journey closet, and this January, I packed the multipurpose Unbound Merino Travel Pants as I legged it all the way down to Costa Rica, hitting the Baja Peninsula in Mexico on the best way house to have fun the gorgeous bride and groom. 

The 100% Italian merino wool journey trousers lower a savvy profile even in coach, stayed cool within the humidity of near-equator locales, and saved my baggage rely low. When the time got here to look half-decent, they overperformed. Here’s the down-low on these looks-forward journey slacks.  

In brief: The Unbound Merino Travel Pants are luxuriously mushy, stretch like mad, and sure, are dear at $228. But for the pure utility of being each journey pants and one thing you might put on to a proper occasion? That’s simply good sense. 

Looking for a brand new pair of journey pants to your subsequent journey (or necessary familial gathering)? Check out how the Unbound Merino Travel Pants evaluate to our high picks in GearJunkie’s Best Men’s Travel Pants Buyer’s Guide.

Unbound Merino Travel Pants: Review

My luck with checked baggage thus far hasn’t been unhealthy. Yes, Iceland Air as soon as voided the social contract by leaving our overstuffed duffel on the tarmac for just a few days, however in any other case, I haven’t but been burned in the best way that retains you from touching the range once more.

Short journeys, nevertheless, are carry-on territory, and on this realm I could be downright ascetic. For 13 days off the receiver, I packed two pairs of pants, one pair of shorts (doubled as trunks for swimming), a small grip of T-shirts, and a wholesome stack of books. 

The pair of gown sneakers I wanted to pack for the marriage, nevertheless, caught out like a sore thumb, and I begrudgingly jammed them into my carry-on. The trade-off can be the journey pants I’d put on onto the airplane, after which once more to a couple nicer dinners in Costa Rica, and at last to the marriage. 

This three-for-one deal reclaimed my treasured carry-on house, and right here’s how the pants carried out on this journey and since then.

The Merino Wool Difference

Most of the journey pants we’ve given the nod to right here on GearJunkie lean on a mix of nylon or polyester (typically with a contact of spandex for stretch, or typically cotton for added breathability). This makes them immune to the wear and tear and tear of lively journey, simple to launder, and well-suited to DWR finishes. 

The Unbound Merino pants I wore onto the airplane from Seattle to Liberia, Costa Rica, as an alternative, are nearly fully merino wool (with a 5% splash of elastane). The fast distinction I seen is simply how good these pants are to sit down in — they’re nearly loungewear — and throughout a whole 10+ hour journey day, they stayed cozy.

There aren’t many merino journey pants on the market (trace: it’s the worth), however our testing of Huckberry’s Proof-brand 72-Hour Merino 5-Pocket Pants proved that they are often a number of the most snug slacks for getting across the globe. Italy itself isn’t a lot of a producer of merino wool globally, however it’s house to a number of the most interesting vogue textile mills, and it’s put to good use in these pants.

Landing in Costa Rica’s humidity, the flexibility of merino impressed as soon as once more. Merino breathes in methods synthetics want they may, and even at 255 gsm (grams/meter), these pants stayed ethereal and didn’t get sticky.

An (Almost) Full Suite of Pockets

Travel pants dwell and die by their pockets. Go too gentle, and also you’re scrambling round searching for locations to place issues. Too festooned, and also you appear to be you parachuted into the bazaar. The Unbound Merino pants journey the road effectively, with a leg swung over the rail towards less-is-more, and provide the greatest model of the six pockets they tack on.

The two front-hand pockets are ample, and the built-in stretch makes them a pleasure to make use of. In the suitable pocket, a smaller coin sleeve is tucked away, and wrangled change with ease. On the rear of the pants, two stretchy pockets are patched on, and conceal a closing secret zippered pocket, splendid for travelling.

The zipper runs proper to left — an vital ergonomic nod that ensures you don’t get crossed up when going for a single-handed maneuver. In observe, I might get my passport tucked in right here together with my minimal journey pockets. Very good.

Unfortunately, the pants do lack a devoted system pocket — usually a thigh-bound sleeve of acceptable measurement to suit fashionable gadgets. All of the award winners in our Best Men’s Travel Pants Guide sport one, so the absence is noticeable right here. In equity, the presence of a thigh pocket on pants like these actually wouldn’t fly, and I made do exactly wonderful stashing the cellphone within the entrance pockets.

A Travel-Savvy Cut & Fit

These pants can be found in two cuts — a slim and a relaxed version — a useful providing. Not fairly a tailor-fit, however actually nicer than most get-what-you-get slacks. I personally examined the relaxed lower, which hangs away from the leg, whereas the slim lower seems extra trim with out trending skin-tight.

The leg size, ankle opening, and drape had been all on level, however the waist is what actually impressed me: the built-in stretch provides these pants quantity of room when sitting for a handful of hours. The single button clasp is handsome and straightforward to make use of, besides.

Otherwise, the Unbound Merino pants have the board lined in terms of sizing, providing waist sizes between 28 and 40, and two inseam lengths: 30 and 32”.

The Big Day

The final check for these pants can be this: might they fly beneath the radar at a marriage, verify the semi-formal field, and not appear to be I hadn’t washed them in 7 days? Based on the non-reaction I acquired (and one avuncular praise), I’d say so.

Weddings take a very long time to energy by, and require a stunning quantity of versatility out of your duds: good sufficient for images, snug sufficient to sit down by vows and speeches, and versatile sufficient to get jiggy with it on the dance ground on the reception. The Unbound Merino pants nailed it on all accounts.

Granted, dark-colored pants just like the black slacks I wore do effectively to hide smudges, however I’ve discovered that the lanolin oils in merino wool naturally shield in opposition to tenacious stains. It additionally overperforms in terms of scent containment, and even sitting within the scorching afternoon solar whereas vows had been exchanged, I’d argue I didn’t scent any worse than the remainder of the gang.

Room for Improvement

Fashion-forward journey pants just like the Unbound Merino providing are at all times going to get dinged in terms of pure versatility, and that’s no totally different right here. While we at GearJunkie aren’t precisely parading round Paris or Zurich on the common, we nonetheless admire wanting respectable when going overseas. Just don’t count on these pants to additionally double as operating shorts or work pants.

In journey pants, thigh pocket is at all times appreciated. Unfortunately, there’s simply no manner that will fly on pants that look this good. The reply, I’d provide, is to simply pack two totally different pairs: these pants for journey, nights out in town, and so on, and one thing just like the Outdoor Research Ferrosi Pants — hiking pants so good we’ve also reviewed them in-depth.

The 100% merino wool fabric on these pants is luxe — and a little fussy to launder, requiring a cold wash and hang-to-dry treatment. If you’re like me (someone who has unashamedly scrubbed trail clothes clean in motel sinks), this can be a bit of house-training to overcome. For the rest of civil society, I’m sure you’ll manage.

Finally, $228 is bound to raise an eyebrow or two. Most solid travel pants these days will run you between $100 and $150, so it’s a good jump up to get into merino wool pants like these. Consider how much value you might be able to get from them before pulling out your wallet.

Unbound Merino Travel Pants: Conclusion

The Unbound Merino Travel Pants might be the nicest pair of pants I own. They certainly are the nicest pair of travel-specific slacks I’ve got kicking around, and because they cover a lot of bases, the number of trips I find myself bringing them along on is only going up.

I was pretty dang impressed by the performance I wrung out of these pants during both my travels in Costa Rica and the wedding in Mexico. While I don’t think these pants are quite the quiver-killer, do-everything option that’ll have you living out of a single pair on every trip you find yourself in the future, they do cover plenty of needs, and will downsize your travel closet, even if they aren’t a merino wool Swiss Army knife.

Looking to upgrade your travel closet — and have a spare $230 kicking around? It’s tough to argue that your faith would be ill-placed in the Unbound Merino Travel Pants — they’ve got a permanent spot in my travel kit now.