Ask the Strategist: Where Can a Guy Buy Some Good Pull-On Pants?

The Gramicci Pant was created in 1982 when rock climber Mike Graham realized that he could make the perfect climbing pant by combining the high-kicking flexibility of kung fu pants with the durability of army surplus canvas. While the materials and fit have been adjusted over time to reflect the trends of the era, the basic design has remained constant: an elastic waist with an integrated webbing belt, four pockets, and a zip fly. “They’re one of the OG outdoor brands that pioneered the webbing belted climbing pant,” says Gentile of Gramicci. I moved on from the pair I bought in 2013 because I found them to be too tight in the butt once I started cycling regularly, but the latest versions feature a more relaxed cut.

While pull-on pants are only now gaining popularity with American men, they have been a Japanese wardrobe staple for much longer. “When I went to Japan for the first time, about 11 years ago, I was seeing these elastic-waist pants made out of beautiful materials and fabrics in every shop we visited,” recalls Gentile. For an affordable, contemporary take on this style, Muji’s Easy Pants are a safe bet. They feature spacious front and rear pockets, an internal drawstring, a decorative fly, and a relaxed fit that runs a touch large. Just be aware that the inseam ranges from 29.5 inches for the XS to 31.1 inches for the XL, which may appear quite cropped on many men’s bodies.

On the higher end of Japanese pull-on pants, consider OrSlow’s French Work Pants, which were part of Gentile’s daily uniform when he was building out his Williamsburg retail space. “When you’re bending down and standing up all day long, that elastic in the waist has to give,” he explains. “They were super-comfortable and functional.” They also look surprisingly sharp because all the elastic is located in the back of the waistband so that the front stays flat and classy. Although sadly unavailable in my size and impossible to capture on-camera, the navy colorway is a strikingly overdyed indigo that reads as an inky twilight sky from some angles and a deep oceanic cobalt from others.

Pilgrim’s Salathe Climbing Pant is another higher-end option available in various materials and colors depending on the season, ranging from tan corduroy to slate recycled polyester. What stays the same is the roomy fit, integrated webbing belt, gusseted crotch, and its unique and roomy seven-pocket layout: two in the front, a zippered right thigh pocket, and two zippered rear pockets, each contained within a larger snap-button pocket. Combined with the roomy fit — wider than Carhartts but short of clownish — it’s more than enough cargo capacity to swallow your phone, wallet, keys, and whatever else the day throws your way without betraying unsightly bulges.

For even more cargo capacity, 18 East’s combination studio storefront is right on the other side of the Williamsburg Bridge. I’ve owned a purple pair of theirGorecki Cargo Pantssince 2019 and get complimented pretty much every time I wear them. They’re currently low on stock, so I asked founder and head designer Antonio Ciongoli what he’d recommend today, and he suggested the newly released TAC cargo pants. These feature a similar pattern and fit to the Gorecki but are made from ripstop instead of jacquard-patterned cotton and have a Velcro-adjustable waist instead of a drawstring. Ciongoli recently posted apic of his sample pairafter eight months of near-daily wear, referring to them as “my favorite piece of clothing I’ve ever designed,” adding that “if you own one piece from 18 East, it should be these.”

If you like technical fabrics but don’t like cargo pockets, the Outlier Futureyeses are a versatile choice for walking around town or hiking up a mountain. These five-pocket pants are made from Outlier’s signature Swedish-milled Futurecloth, which is mainly made of water-resistant nylon, yet has the texture of canvas and the flexibility of stretch denim. My favorite part is the paracord drawstring waist, which uses a unique one-piece cinch tab. You tighten it by pulling on the strings, and release it by pulling on the tab. It’s much simpler than dealing with knots.

For something a bit flashier, Stone Island’s signature Metal pants are as shiny as they come without resorting to sequins. The silky-soft fabric glistens like a trout breaching a stream and is highly wind resistant despite being breathable enough to wear in hot weather. I never considered myself the type to buy luxury streetwear, but I came across an electric-orange pair of these at a thrift store a few years back at a price I couldn’t refuse, and they quickly became my favorite pants for going out. They’re perfect for those cool late nights that morph into balmy early mornings.

On arecent podcast,Chef’s Tablecreator David Gelb described Sukiyabashi Jiro (ofJiro Dreams of Sushifame) as “some double black diamond sushi” because “they’re gonna give you some weird shit that is an acquired taste.” Kapital is like the Jiro of pull-on pants. I’ll never forget my first visit to its Tokyo flagship in 2017, where I spent more than three hours browsing both floors of the sandalwood-scented warren of clothing racks, overstuffed with thousands of uniquely distressed, patched, and retorn pieces featuring pockets, closures, and appliqués in all the wrong places. My wife and I both tried on dozens of pieces, each more radical than its predecessor — a mesmerizing experience akin to entering a hall of mirrors on LSD (recounted more memorably by David Sedaris inThe New Yorker). Prices were higher than I was used to spending on clothes, but reasonable for the amount of skilled Japanese labor involved in their production. I eventually walked out with two pairs of pants and two shirts that still make me smile whenever I even think of wearing them. Limited quantities of the brand’s collections have become more widely imported in the intervening years, but the markups are substantial. Still, it’s more affordable than a round-trip flight to Asia.

Finally, I’ll leave you with Issey Miyake’s Homme Plissé Basic Trousers, which are an answer to a question no one else thought to ask: What if the elastic waistband was the pants? This is the kind of garment that nobody thinks they can pull off yet looks sharp on anyone bold enough to give it a try. The repetitive vertical pleats — which are a bit wider and rounder compared to the feminine-oriented Pleats Please line — are infinitely adaptable to whatever contours they encounter as if magically tailoring themselves. I try them on every time I spot them on a rack, but I always end up balking at the price. I guess you could say that when it comes to pull-on pants, these are my wide wale.