My personal favorite type of clothing I have now worn for over 11 years are mens convertible pants. In May of 2013 I was preparing for my first light gear solo trip around the world and I needed to choose a style of trousers that would fit my needs for the trip. The pants needed to be durable enough to endure heavy daily use but easy to clean even if that may be in a bathroom sink. I would not be traveling on a schedule and would just be roaming the world. The pants needed to have strong functionality so plenty of pockets would be a must. The final requirement and probably most important is they needed to be really comfortable and the nylon blend material is nice. Since I would only be taking one extra change of clothes I really needed to make sure that the pants would be lightweight. I would be carrying the extra pair of pants with me everywhere I traveled and at only 13.4 ounces they were super light. I visited my local REI and purchased two pairs of the Men’s REI Co-op Sahara Convertible Pants in the tent green color.
The pants were exactly what I had hoped for as I used them on the full trip around the world. I could wear them for days on end and have them washed easily by anyone that had a washing machine. In places that I did not have access to laundry service I could even wash them by hand in a sink or bathtub and leave them to hang dry. The lightweight nylon fabric dries quickly and you can throw the washed pair in your day pack and move on to the next place. The convertible pants at the time of purchase actually came with a super easy to use and comfortable pull to tighten belt. I love the belt because it stays tight and if you need to loosen it you simply pull the plastic clip and the locking mechanism releases.
The term convertible references toward the fact that these pants have zippers at the knees that can be removed creating cargo shorts instead of pants. Now you have the option within seconds to be wearing shorts in the hotter climates, hiking or even swim shorts. The pants have tons of pockets and it really makes it easy to carry essentials and access them quickly when on the go. Some of the pockets even have zippers within so it made it easier to keep items safe from some of the higher pickpocket areas that I explored like the subways in Madrid.
After returning from my trip I knew I would wear the convertible pants more. Little did I know that they would be all I wore every chance I got. Being that you can slip them on easily I stopped wearing jeans as much and in most photos since 2013 I was wearing the pants. I started buying more of the colors as the years went on and they became my go to for any adventure. The are great hiking pants and have enough stretch in them to get past tight spots crawling in canyons.
As time went on I bought the kids version of the pants for my son and the women’s version for my wife. I even talked my friend Abel into buying a couple of pairs and he has worn them for years around the world.
Now in 2024 I can easily say I know every inch of these pants and they are my go to trousers on a daily basis. The pants have had design changes over the years and sometimes I search for the older version of them that had the snap front button instead of the plastic button.
You can still find them sometimes new old stock online. One thing I like about some of the older versions is they had a small zipper on the small corner pocket. Perfect for a car key or coins/change.
