The Best Men's Sweatpants, From Basic to Baller

Stop for a moment and think about the foundations of your wardrobe. Next to the pile of trusty T-shirts, the pairs of rugged denim jeans, and the varied selection of sneakers, what’s the one thing you’re pulling out, day after day (and probably without even thinking too hard about it)? The answer: a pair of sweats. That said, we’d imagine your most trusted sweatpants have a lot of thought put into them; from design to branding, that ultra-comfy pair of house pants is far more than just the loungewear you throw on while you digest a giant meal or sit down to binge Netflix’s latest cringeworthy reality series after a long day on the clock. It’s 2023, and so many parts of our lives are more complicated than ever, but who knew that one of the most simplified, stripped-down pieces of clothing in our wardrobe—the sweatpant—could become such a commodity?

There’s a lot more to buying a pair of sweatpants these days than picking a pair that will help you nail your Rocky Balboa cosplay while you bang out miles on the treadmill or run outdoors in the cold. The origins of the sweatpant go back to the 1920s, when French sportswear brand Le Coq Sportif created the predecessor to the modern sweatpant for athletes to wear before and after competition. Roomier than traditional sporting garb and plenty practical (the use of cotton or terry cloth material is for absorbing sweat, obviously), the sweatpant was a symbol of athletic gear from the 1936 Olympics up until the 1980s. Thanks to the burgeoning workout craze (shout out Jane Fonda) and the rise of hip-hop, sportswear quickly became streetwear. Sure, as Seinfeld sums up perfectly, sweatpants may have become synonymous with those prioritizing comfort over style through the 1990s and 2000s, but by the time the athleisure craze of the mid-2010s sunk its teeth into the style world, elastic waistbands weren’t just confined to lazy Sundays, gym bags, and the main cabin of Air Force One.

Today, the best sweatpants for men are for more than just lounging around the house or making a trek to the bodega while battling that weekend’s hangover. With the rise of the jogger pant, proliferation of techy fabrics, and overall relaxation of wardrobes (to say nothing of post-2020 WFH life), a well-designed pair of sweatpants can function like a style Swiss army knife, regardless of your personal style POV. Besides: Who doesn’t try to prioritize comfort when picking out something to wear for the day? Whether you’re looking for your own pair of the classic gray sweatpant or something designed to appear more incognito, we’ve gone ahead and made shopping for sweatpants as easy as… well, slipping on a pair of sweats on a Saturday morning. Check out our favorite men’s sweatpant picks below.

I’m gonna be straight up with you: When someone says “sweatpants,” this pair from Champion is the image that pops into my mind. An icon of American sportswear—especially when it comes to sweats—these bad boys have probably inhabited your closet at some point in your life (if you’re not currently lounging in a pair as you read this). Made with Champion’s Powerblend fabric (in layman’s terms, a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester for equal parts soft comfort and shrink-resistance), this style is the platonic ideal of sweatpants, from the roomy straight leg silhouette to the open elastic cuffs on the bottom hems. While joggers have taken over thanks to the style’s compatibility with sneakers, you can’t go wrong with a classic like this from Champion.

If the aforementioned Champion staples are the sweatpants for the everyman, these slim-fitting, super-soft sweats are the clear upgrade. Part of Todd Snyder’s long-running collaboration with Champion, this is the classic Champion sweatpant… just with virtually every detail upgraded. Built with garment-dyed 18-ounce French terry, these sweats are tailored for a more fitted look (these are definitely not the baggy sweatpants your dad wore around the house). While the jogger-style cuff at the bottom hem accentuates the modern, slimmer leg silhouette, the vintage Champion sportswear logo (recalling a marathon runner breaking finish line tape) near the waistband and washed exterior give these sweatpants a well-loved, lived-in feel.

Nike Sportswear Tech Fleece Joggers

When it comes to “joggers,” there’s Nike Tech Fleece, and then there’s the rest of the competition. Sitting at the sweet spot between actual sportswear and something more style-focused, Nike’s Tech Fleece Joggers utilize the Swoosh’s signature “Tech Fleece,” which originally hit shelves all the way back in 2013 (or, if we’re being really technical, 2007, when the first Nike Tech Pack was released, setting the foundation for the inevitable release of Tech Fleece). A decade later, the style is still going strong, easily identifiable thanks to its roomy thigh-tapered leg silhouette. While the Tech Fleece Joggers have two side pockets, the zip pocket behind the right slash pocket is perfect for holding slightly larger cargo. Given that these are made by one of the most prolific sneaker companies on the planet, they’re a natural companion for heading to and from the gym or for showing off your latest sneaker cops. If you want to go for the full Tony Soprano, you can always scoop up the Tech Fleece Hoodie to match (which, like the jogger pant, is offered in a wide variety of colorways).

If you’re the type of guy who’s going to spend almost $1,000 on a pair of sweatpants, you’d better make sure they’re 1) easily identified as “designer” and 2) functional enough to pair with just about everything. Sure you can’t go wrong with a pair of designer sweats from Thom Browne, but—aside from the easily identifiable “4-Bar” branding—his sweats look a lot closer to something you could just scoop up from a sportswear brand like Champion or Adidas (or more accessible brands, like the aforementioned Todd Snyder). If you’re really going to go for it, you might as well go all in with this pair from Rick Owens DRKSHDW. For those unfamiliar, DRKSHDW is loosely defined as a diffusion line from fashion’s resident lord of darkness; the label usually creates loungewear or items that are less “high concept” than what the design would put in his mainline collections or show on the runway. That said, that doesn’t mean these don’t carry all the same designer bonafides as a mainline Rick Owens piece. Easily identified thanks to their extra-long drawstring (a hallmark of Rick Owens’ pants), these sweatpants actually have considerably more cargo space than you might think, including two large patch-and-flaps on the rear and six pockets total. Long story short, it’s not just the retail price that makes adding these designer drawers to your closet feel like you’re worth a million bucks.

If you’re looking to upgrade from Champion or Russell Athletic sweatpants, but don’t want to break the bank on something designer (we are talking about sweatpants, after all), Reigning Champ is the answer. Based in Canada (aka a place that knows a thing or two about being cold), Reigning Champ’s original legacy is in creating fine fabrics and sportswear under its white label business (effectively, producing blanks and/or fabrics for other brands to then put their own label on). With the birth of its own in-house label, Reigning Champ is able to share its love of high-quality fabrications with the public; for us regular consumers, this means a high-quality, well-made product that’s overseen and obsessed over from start to finish. Known in particular for its sweats, Reigning Champ’s Midweight Terry series features some of the best fabric in the business; it’s a no-brainer as to why multiple iterations of these sweatpants have become bestsellers. While the Midweight Terry Cuffed Sweatpant is a great upgrade to a basic pair of non-jogger-style cuffed sweatpants (like the aforementioned version from Champion), we’d be remiss to not spotlight the Relaxed Sweatpant. While both styles are made in Vancouver, feature jersey-lined pockets, and flatlock seams (which provide an overall cleaner silhouette and more durability long-term), the Relaxed Sweatpant has a roomier overall feel that finishes with an open cuff. Sure, you can use the integrated tonal drawstrings to tighten the cuff to your liking, but we like to just let the pant drape over top of our house shoes (aka Crocs).

We love Lunya for its top-tier sleepwear (shout out those sleep masks) but we think some of y’all might be… well, sleeping on the brand’s equally incredible sweatpants. As a brand with a foundation in keeping people comfortable when it’s time to hit the honk-shoo-mimimi button, the Restore Jogger lives up its name with a relaxed, roomy jogger that’s ready to perform under the covers (or, you know, over them; if that’s how you like to sleep, we don’t judge). Built with an encased waist (FOH, annoying drawstrings), the Restore Jogger’s most unique feature is the reverse entry pockets—which makes each slash pocket almost two pockets in one. Sure Lunya’s jogger is definitely an investment when compared to some other options on the market—but let’s be real: How much is a comfortable sleep really worth?

Don’t sweat it.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.