Just a few years ago, Googling ‘best sweatpants for men’ would’ve been a weird stain on your browser history. The search results would’ve yielded, “Really? Sweatpants?” See, sweatpants were the kind of thing you wore in your most lethargic, can’t-be-arsed moments—couch-bound with a cold, hungover in a college lecture, hungover not in a college lecture, picking your kids up from soccer practice without ever getting out of the car—never something for true public consumption. So why put any effort into buying something made for your lowest-effort fits?
Things are a bit different now. The idea of spending time and money to track down the absolute best pair of sweatpants no longer seems extra. On the contrary, if you haven’t spent a considerable amount of time and money on several pairs of sweatpants, you might actually be in the minority. First the athleisure movement happened, and everything changed. Then a full-blown pandemic hit, and everything really changed. Sweatpants went from cozy weekend attire to daily essential for Zoom meetings and CVS runs for toilet paper—all in the span of a couple of hours.
Thankfully, we’re well past the height of lockdown, but the idea of owning truly great sweatpants has stuck around for good. They’ve moved from loungewear to streetwear seamlessly and with the right pair—i.e. sweatpants that are hyper-soft but still have some structure, that are tailored in a way that accentuates your legs instead of drowning them, with a decent number of pockets and a waistband that won’t stretch out—you’ll be able to cruise through the week, save for the occasional jaunt into the office, without ever changing your bottoms. If you’re looking to comfy up right, we did the hard work of lazing about in fleece and definitively determined the 43 best sweatpants for men—and everyone—in 2022.
The Best Sweatpants Shopping Guide
The Best Elevated Sweatpants
John Elliott LA sweatpants
When they launched in 2013, John Elliott’s Escobar pants quickly came to define the athleisure movement, and paved the way for men getting away with wearing what was once workout gear in public without looking lazy. Times have…changed. Where the Escobar was aggressively tapered and overly engineered, the LA is cut roomy and relaxed, with an elastic cinch cord at the waist that doesn’t bunch—giving the normally sloppy sweat a cleaner look. Crafted from a dense, proprietary French terry cotton, they’ll actually get comfier the more you wear them, which is really saying something since they start out pretty darn cozy as it is.
More Highfalutin Sweatpants We Love
Thom Browne engineered 4-bar jersey sweatpant
Yes, Thom Browne—the guy who makes our favorite shrunken suit and who literally goes running in a polo shirt—makes some of the best sweatpants money can buy. They’re pricey, but like Browne’s suits, Oxford cloth shirts, and wingtips, you can feel that these made-in-Japan sweats are built to last.
Needles boot-cut track pant
Arguably the brand that brought sweats and track pants back into the fashion conversation, Needles’ sporty trousers are still some of the freshest lounge-y pants out there.
Wales Bonner three-stripe jersey track pants
Wales Bonner’s masterful touch can turn even sweatpants into fresh pants.
Lady White Co. Band pant
Should your humble sweatpants need to stand in as a respectable office pant, here ya go.
Essentials relaxed lounge pants
These days, the Fear of God universe encompasses a lot more than just sweats. But sweatpants remain one of its hero products, and when they look this good it’s easy to see why.
The Best Athletic Sweatpants
Nike sportswear tech fleece pants
As far as Nike innovations go, these Tech Fleece pants may be one of the Swoosh’s all-time greatest. The fabric brings that classic spongy and elastic feel that makes it perfect for sweatpants, combined with a space-age, structured silhouette. They have a trimmer fit and reinforced knees, but because they’re Nike, you can sweat your ass off in them without feeling guilty.
More Gym-Ready Sweatpants We Love
Outdoor Voices All Day sweatpant
Comfy enough to sleep in, stretchy enough to keep on for your early-morning jog.
Lululemon city sweat jogger
Look like you’re forever en route to a workout, even if the last time you broke a sweat was straining to reach the right remote.
Vuori Ponto performance pant
These newborn-kitten-soft bottoms are engineered to handle just about anything you throw their way, from weightlifting to HIIT.
The Best Standard-Setting Sweatpants
Todd Snyder + Champion midweight slim jogger sweatpants
Todd Snyder’s longstanding collaboration with Champion is responsible for our favorite crewneck sweatshirt, so it stands to reason that they also make a top-notch sweatpant. For once, an assumption won’t make an ass out of you and me—but it will make your ass look mighty damn fine. (Sorry.) Because, of course, the Todd Snyder + Champion line’s sweatpants are great, and for many of the same reasons as their upper body counterpart: the fit is tailored and on point, the details are handsome and vintage-inspired—plus the French terry fabric has just the right mix of structure and softness. If you’re looking for a simple, classic pair of sweatpants executed flawlessly, these are the way to go.
More Genre-Defining Sweatpants We Love
The Real McCoy’s MC22103 USN sweatpants
For the historically accurate menswear dudes among us, just get these joints from The Real McCoy’s. They’re made to vintage standards using rare loopwheel fabric and a roomy fit.
J.Crew Heritage 14 Oz. fleece sweatpant
Sorry Kermit: it’s actually quite easy being green.
National Athletic Goods slim gym sweatpant
Prefer your sweatpants on the slim side? National Athletic Goods sweats are tailored with a clean silhouette so you won’t feel look like a total slob on the outside (even after emerging from Cheeto-laden sofa).
Everlane track pant
Everlane’s newest sweatpants are ethically made from crisp organic cotton.
The Best Budget Sweatpants
Russell Athletic Cotton Rich 2.0 premium fleece sweatpants
At this stage, you might be thinking: OK, GQ, these fancy-pants sweats are all fine and dandy. But what about sweatpants for sweatpants’ sake? The kind you spend next to nothing on, wear into the ground, and don’t mind occasionally wiping off your Cheeto dust on? These are those sweats. Russell has been in the athleticwear game since the early 1900s, and its standard-fit, open-bottom sweatpants continue to deliver some of the absolute best value in the business. You won’t find a better basic sweatpant for under $30.
More Wallet-Friendly Sweatpants We Love
Uniqlo HEATTECH pile-lined sweatpants
Lined with fuzzy fleece to keep your legs nice and comfortable, even on the worst of winter days.
Land’s End serious sweats sweatpant
Yes, the Land’s End sweats of your youth still hold up today.
Champion LIFE Reverse Weave pants
Even without Todd Snyder’s input, Champion makes a damn-near definitive pair of sweatpants.
The Best Built Tough Sweatpants
Reigning Champ midweight terry cuffed sweatpant
The details help to separate Reigning Champ’s sweats from the pack: reinforced seams, a subtle taper, and a wide waistband with a thick rope drawstring that sits right on your hips instead of below them. But it’s the Canadian-made fleece itself—thick and tough on the outside, brushed and soft on the inside, with plenty of gorgeous texture—that really earns them a spot on this list.
More Life-Lasting Sweatpants We Love
Camber Cross Knit Sweat Pants
Camber’s dedication to making the highest-quality, burliest hoodies and crewnecks thankfully extends to sweatpants. These are made from the same Cross Knit fabric that Camber uses for its legendary hoodies, so you can bet you’ll be wearing these well into the next decade.
Carhartt WIP “Chase” sweatpant
As beefy and tough as you’d expect from the first name in workwear.
Goodwear fleece sweatpants with side pockets
If you’re looking for something made a little closer to home, these sweats from Goodwear offer hefty quality that’s cut and sewn stateside.
Plus 19 More Cozy-As-Hell Sweatpants We Can’t Quit
Mr P. circular-knit cashmere sweatpants
If the loopwheel fabric from The Real McCoy’s wasn’t luxe enough, upgrade to these bad boys. They come in a circular-knit fabric which, like loopwheel, means there are no fussy side seams. But the real draw is that they’re also made from high-quality, impossibly soft cashmere.
Y/Project x Jean Paul Gaultier lounge pants
A trippy tromp l’oeil of a lounge pant that’ll garner more than a few double takes.
Everybody.World Apartment pants
Everybody.World’s Apartment pants shouldn’t be confined to your home (apartment or not). They’re made using 100% recycled cotton and come in an array of colors to match any palette.
Maison Kitsuné embroidered sweatpants
Lean into the idea that sweatpants are supposed to be comfy and slip into Maison Kitsuné’s wide-as-hell version.
Adidas Adicolor Heritage Now striped track pants
If the options from Needles and Wales Bonner were a little too pricey for you, Adidas has heard your cry. Wear ‘em with your favorite pair of loafers and a slick blazer to garner the trendy track pant’s full potential.
Chet Lo Mammoth trousers
You may have your head in the clouds during those redundant Zoom meetings, so why not have your legs in the clouds too?
Our Legacy Reduced trousers
Fuzzy wuzzy was a sick pair of sweat pants.
The Elder Statesman Zig tie dye cashmere joggers
Looking at any one of The Elder Statesman’s trippy cashmere pieces is like looking at sweatpants through a stained-glass window while on mushrooms. In other words, a very, very good time.
Merely Made cotton-fleece sweatpants
These knockout sweatpants from Merely Made are giving Muhammad Ali vibes. All you need now is a matching hoodie.
Rick Owens Drkshdw drawstring lounge pants
Hey, the Dark Lord of fashion deserves a cozy pant too.
Kapital Yosemite fleece sweatpants
Warning: strangers will ask to feel your fuzzy fleece sweatpants.
Outerknown hightide sweatpants
Next-level comfort cut from a mix of organic cotton and recycled polyester.
Ghiaia cotton knitted jogger
If you’ve never dropped serious guap on a pair of next-level sweats, your legs are in for a galaxy-brain awakening.
Alchemist Know U Riders lounge pants
You can still be mad extra even on your days off.
Buck Mason brushed loopback trouser
Fits and feels like a well-worn pair of chinos.
Dickies “Mapleton” sweatpants
If you’re looking for a burly pair of sweats you can treat with as much reckless abandon as your toughest work pants, look no further.
Pangaia 365 track pants
Think pink.
Polo Ralph Lauren fleece sweatpant
A classic is a classic is a classic.
Aime Leon Dore fleece sweatpants
Become your childhood teddy bear.
