There’s a misconception when it comes to buying into “techwear”: The only way to fill a wardrobe with the best pieces is to drop the equivalent of your monthly rent payment.

At least that’s how it looks online.

While statement outerwear might get the Instagram love, even the sleekest, most futuristic Acronym coat would look dangerously... well, silly, if worn over dad jeans. Literally and figuratively, pants are the foundation of any techwear fit.

The right techwear pant can elevate your entire wardrobe, streamlining a single piece of highly-designed outerwear into a full-on ‘fit. Don’t be mistaken though, the wrong kind of techwear pant will leave you looking like you’re just one logo away from wearing yoga leggings. It sounds simple, but because of the tight aesthetic codes of techwear it can be more challenging than you’d think to find the right pair of cargos or outdoor-ready trousers.That’s a lot to process to get the foundation.

If you’re not submerged in the techwear metaverse, sorting through a sea of functional sameness might feel like insanity. Consider this a search engine. From wildly engineered options that will break the bank to pants that should slide easily into your run-of-the-mill wardrobe (and in line with your budget), these are the best techwear pants to buy now.

This is the Grailed guide to techwear pants.

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Tags: sweatpants, nike-tech-pack, stone-island-shadow-project, stone-island, guerilla-group, the-north-face-purple-label, the-north-face, enfin-leve, outlier, techwear, gorpcore, errolson-hugh, nike-acg, nike, acronym