Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

These are the best tactical pants for all of your outdoor adventures

Your adventurous lifestyle is made better with the best tactical pants on the market

By
Vertx Recon Pant
Vertx

Few styles of pants have a more functional combination of features than tactical pants. Many of them are designed specifically for law enforcement officers and military personnel, meaning they have to be durable for the most demanding environments in the world. The best way to keep them in that arena and on the top of the list of options for the soldiers and officers that wear them is a combination of durable workwear and movable hiking gear.

Of course, you don’t have to wear a badge or join the military to find uses for these pants. Wilderness survival experts, photographers, explorers, hikers, and many others find these pants the best combination to support their lifestyle. Forget jeans or cargo pants; tactical pants for men are the way to go. While there are countless options for you to choose from, we have done what we do and put together a list of the best of the best for you to choose from.

Man kneeling in the 5.11 Apex Pant
Courtesy of 5.11 / 5.11

5.11 Tactical Pants – The Apex Pant

The more self-reliant they are, the more they can be relied upon. The more strength they build, the more they can protect others. This is the beginning of the mission statement for 5.11 Tactical. And with the slogan, “Always Be Ready,” they accel at providing some of the best products for the man on the go. The Apex Pant features 5.11’s Flex-Tac stretchable canvas, giving them maximum flexibility without losing any durability. And the stretchable waistband is CCW-ready, making these pants one of your go-to as you shop.

Man kneeling in water in Vertx Recon Pant
Courtesy of Vertx / Vertx

Vertx Recon Pant

When a top federal agency reaches out and asks you to give them low-profile tactical pants for their officers, you have to pull through. The way Vertx approached the request was to team up with some of the top operators of the field and leverage over 175 years of experience to produce some of the most popular products in the industry. The Recon pant offers maximum storage and balance to keep you on your feet and prepared.

Prometheus Design Werx Raider Field Pant
Prometheus Design Werx

Prometheus Design Werx Raider Field Pant

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo Da Vinci. Prometheus Design Werx is focused on simplicity. By their own admission, they don’t do racing stripes, garish flourishments, or superfluous details. Every part of every product serves a specific purpose to help you accomplish what your life necessitates. The Raider Field pant is the most feature-rich pant in their arsenal, with the four-way stretch allowing as much movement as possible. Of course, they also focus on the EDC crowd with tons of pockets that still allow for a streamlined look.

Viktos Wartorn Insulated Pant
Courtesy of Viktos / Viktos

Viktos Wartorn Insulated Pant

Made by veterans of the military and the law enforcement communities for those that still carry the burden, Viktos works closely with those who serve so they can offer the best gear and apparel for the lifestyle. Now, you don’t have to carry a badge or live on the front line of the most dangerous places in the world to wear these pants. But if their Wartorn insulated pant is good enough for that group, then they can absolutely handle whatever your life throws at them.

Recommended Videos

Winter weather means you have to wear more clothing because winter storms and polar vortexes won’t stop the people in the market for these styles of pants. This is the only pant on the list that is made for the cold weather. So if you are going to the front line in a winter environment or vacationing in Antarctica, these are the pants for you.

Zero Foxtrot Tac Pant
Courtesy of Zero Foxtrot / Zero Foxtrot

Zero Foxtrot Tac Pant

Zero Foxtrot is a company that embodies the philosophies of soldiers and veterans everywhere. When facing the world’s obstacles, you have to turn the noise off, drink water, and drive on to overcome them. Soldiers replace many words with phonetic alphabet placeholders, like the name Zero Foxtrot promoting the philosophy of giving zero f*#%s what others think while you do you. Their Tac pant is the perfect range-day choice with multiple pockets to carry your gear. But they also have everyday features like an action waistband and tapered leg, making these pants perfect for your EDC needs.

Related

Tactical pants are the perfect addition to your wardrobe if you are a man on the go. Police, soldiers, first responders, explorers, and the men who want to be ready for anything the world could throw at them value the pant that supports that mentality. Of course, to enjoy good tactical pants, you can simply be someone who loves having a great pair of utility pants that can handle your everyday lifestyle. Whether you are mowing the lawn, working construction, or remodeling your kitchen, the best tactical pants for men are the ones that make your job easier.

When looking into which pair of tactical pants you want to invest in, keep in mind what you will use them for, but also have fun. You can upgrade your life with the right pair and eventually find that you can’t live without them. Whether you are the Adventurer Style Archetype or not, once you put your leg into your first pair of tactical pants, you will find your inner adventurer.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark McKee
Mark McKee
Contributor
Mark is a full-time freelance writer and men's coach. He spent time as a style consultant and bespoke suit salesman before…
Step up your shoe game with the best Oxford shoes for men
The best Oxford shoes for men to lace up in
Suede Dress Shoes

"Oxfords, not brogues." Thanks to The Kingsman, we now know that if you want to look your best at all times, you should always pick up a pair of Oxford shoes. Outside of the titular super spies from the movies, the Oxford dress shoe is one of the most classic in men's dress. Sometime around the early 1800s, male students at Oxford were wearing knee-high boots for everything. In a moment of rebellion, they began wearing low shoes with closed laces and the shoe became a hit. Of course, they adopted the name of their place of origin, and we have been wearing them as the ultimate dress shoe since.

Like always, we can't just tell you to run out and buy a pair of Oxfords. We have done the leg work for you and put together a list of some of the best on the market. Of course, we went the extra mile, and we want to make sure you know the difference between the Oxford, and the other popular dress shoe type, the Derby.

Read more
The best pants for men to buy in 2024: Jeans, joggers, chinos, and more
Pants: Make sure your closet is complete with the best of the best
Man sitting on steps in jeans and chukkas

Putting together a great outfit has a lot of moving parts. The right shoes can keep you on the move. The right shirt can grab attention. But the unspoken workhorse of the outfit is the pants. They can be subtle and keep you looking dignified. Or they can be bright and eye-catching to send a message. Whether you want to blend into the crowd or let the pants do the talking for you, there are many kinds of pants to choose from. But in the over-saturated market of pants, we scoured our extensive pant collection and picked out the best pants for men.

Travel pants
These are the do-everything go-anywhere pants that ensure supreme ease of movement without sacrificing their look. Whether you're working at the office, taking a flight to another city, or riding a bike, your travel pants will come in handy. Most of these are known for being non-iron and wrinkle-resistant. They also will be quite stretchy to allow you to shove yourself into the airline seats...at least your bottom half will be comfortable.

Read more
Dress in tailored style: The best men’s blazers
Walk out in style with these incredible blazers
Man in vest and blazer

Your wardrobe is an ever-changing animal. Whether it is changing through the seasons of the year or the seasons of your life, it is ever-evolving as time goes by. There are staples that the seasons offer which should always be in your closet regardless of how much you or the weather changes. Blazers are one of those staples. Whether you think you are someone who is always in a suit or someone who sees no need for one, a blazer is something you will unavoidably need. Of course, there is one aspect we need to get out of the way before we start listing out our favorite men's blazers.

Suit coat vs. blazer vs. sport coat
For the purposes of knowledge, we want to make sure you know and understand the differences between these three coats. Of course, in the fashion world, many brands and stylists use these three terms interchangeably. If you want to be a true sartorialist, you will want to know the difference. Even if this article focuses on all three under the banner of blazer.

Read more