The Best Pants for Men with Big Thighs

Bottom Line Up Front: After years of research into pants for those of us with thick thighs, here is a review of the best pants for men with big thighs that I have found.

Pants Have Come a Long Way

I first wrote this post in 2016. At that time, there were not a lot of pants with stretch built into them. Today it seems like you can’t find a pair that doesn’t. So it’s really not that hard to find pants that fit me very well now. I thought I’d update this article to just let people know which pants I own so it may speed up their research.

My Pants History

I have not often been able to find pants that fit me well. 25 years ago it was because I was a fat kid. Today it is kind of the same problem – I don’t fit the normal measurements of those who make pants. If I pull a pair of 32-inch-waisted pants off most racks, my thighs and glutes either won’t fit at all or they would split the pants if I sat down. Most of my adult life I just wore larger-waisted pants than I needed to cover for this. Recently with a slimmer style in vogue, it didn’t allow for the tapered appearance I was looking for. It was also annoying to constantly be wearing belts with extra pants material bunched up all the time.

Many years ago, I decided I was going to suck up the tight thighs and butt in favor of wearing pants that matched my waist. I got ten+ pairs of new pants & shorts, all that basically allowed me to be semi-comfortable standing only. I had no room for a phone, wallet, or keys (my ass took that all up). This was all in the name of style! It took a few years of this to wear off. I now have pants that actually fit. Here are my recommendations.

My Recommendations and Notes

Origin Jeans & MOAB Pants

This is a company that makes all of their items from all American materials and labor, so I try to support it whenever I can. I have thousands of dollars of their clothing. For pants, I have pairs of the Delta Flex Jeans in Straight Cut and the MOAB Stretch Cotton Pants in Straight Cut.

Sizing/Style Notes: For the jeans, which are very stretchy, I had to go down one waist size. For the MOAB pants (and also the MOAB shorts I have) the waist was spot on. They also have stretch performance fabric. Length was normal for both of them for the most part. Regarding the styles, they currently have Straight and Taper for the MOABs. The taper fit like what I would call “skinny” fit, i.e. they were like leggings. The calves were way too tight. The Straight cut actually fit like what I would call tapered honestly. The leg opening is not very wide. For the jeans, they have Straight, Taper, and Relaxed. Same notes apply regarding Straight vs Taper. Tapered were way too tight along the whole leg. Straight fit me like I would expect a tapered pair to fit. I didn’t try on the Relaxed, but for my body type, Straight is neither too loose nor too tight.

I should note they have a great return process. I bought more than ten different pairs in various sizes and styles. Kept three after being able to compare them all.

Kuhl Pants

This is an outdoor performance company that basically offers performance pants that can look like normal casual pants. I had one pair that I got for hiking that I wore on an elk hunt in Colorado. I wore for them five days straight, hiking all day, cleaned a full elk in them/got blood all over them, and threw them in a garbage bag for my drive home. Put them in the wash. They came out completely clean without a rip or tear. I have them today, probably my favorite pair of pants. This completely sold me on the brand. I found they had many many styles didn’t look like I bought all my clothes at REI. If you browse the website, you can see a lot of options.

Sizing/Style Notes: Not all of these are for people with thick thighs. Every pair is performance material, but not every pair are comfortable for me. You will have to try them on. REI is a great place to do that outside of a Kuhl store, which are rare. I have found the waist and lengths to be good for the most part. Some of the lengths were actually a little shorter then labeled (I measured).

I have the Free Radikl in Klassik (these are the ones I was talking about earlier from Colorado) and also in Tapered in a few colors (five pairs total). The Klassiks do have a pretty wide boot opening, but the Tapered is definitely tapered at the ankle. Klassiks have wider thighs and butt, but the Tapered are just on the edge of OK. These actually have stretchy material separating the pants into different panels. You will see if you look at the photos. I thought these would quickly get ripped, but, again, the fact that these have been through pants hell and are completely wearable today sold me. Don’t worry about that piece.

I also have the Revolt Jean, which are tapered and fit perfectly. They advertise them as comfort of sweatpants and the style of jeans, which is definitely correct. These are pants, but I think because they have pockets like jeans, they call them jeans. They aren’t denim is the point. Many many colors too.

All of them (I think) have some strategic leg pockets for phones, which I love too. Some look like technical hiking pants because they are, but some can be worn for basic casual wear.

Vineyard Vines Men’s Performance On-The-Go Pants

Great pair of slightly more formal pants. The kind of pants you’d wear to a graduation or Easter brunch with a button down, maybe a tie. They could be pure casual but can be dressed up nicely. Tried these on in a store one day and immediately got them. The material is really comfortable and durable.

Sizing/Style Notes: These come in single inch waist options (29, 30, 31, 32, etc.). For me, I had to go down one inch from my normal pants to get the right fit. Length was good. Leg and thighs fit perfectly/not too tight or too loose in the Straight cut. I think the Original and 5-Pocket styles were too tight, but I can’t recall now. I know the Straight cut is roomier in the thigh and the leg opening isn’t too wide, so it still gives the slightly tapered appearance. I think the “Performance” series of pants have more stretch. So while they may have other pants options at VV, I remember only finding true comfort in the performance on-the-go line. If you look at the website, it doesn’t scream “pants for guys who squat heavy”, but the pair I have is legit.

The North Face Men’s Sprag 5-Pocket Pant

Arguably my favorite pair of pants because they are simple and lightweight. I have two pairs of these. Sizing/Style Notes: Order normal size. I found the waist on a few pairs to be tighter than normal for some reason. I had one color that fits perfectly and another I had to return because they were much tighter and yet another I kept but are a little tight still, all at the same waist.

Carhartt Men’s Relaxed Straight Rigby Lined Dungaree

I got these because they are fleece lined for really cold weather. They are basically work pants that are very durable, actually really comfortable, and warm. I break them out if I have to do work outside in the winter or even to go for a walk with my dog when it’s below freezing.

Sizing/Style Notes: Normal waist size is too small on these. I have two pairs, purchased five years apart and they both have the same size nuances. I had to get one inch larger to fit. Length is normal. These are not stylish, but you could wear them in public and not look like you came off a job site. Good amount of stretch, very comfortable.

Other Places to Look

With so many brands that offer performance materials, it’s easy to find them now. But here are some places I’d look if I were trying to find new stores/brands to try:

1. REI. While this is a performance store, they do carry a lot of brands that I have mentioned which have normal looking apparel. This is the best place to find the most diversity of comfortable pants in person to actually try on, even if just to get the right sizing for a particular brand.
2. Fresh Clean Threads. I have a ton of legit tee shirts, sweatshirts, and shorts from this place. I haven’t tried the pants, but I’d look here for sure. They do returns really well too.
3. Mizzen and Main. Most of my button downs are some M&M. Unbelievably durable, looks great, all performance materials. Not cheap but worth it. I tried on the pants once, which were nice, but they were basically just like the Vineyard Vines ones so I didn’t get them.
4. Vuori. I am hit or miss on this stuff sometimes for sizing, but it’s really good quality, looks nice.
5. Lululemon. Same comments as with Vuori here for Lulu.