I waited almost a year to post this review to see if my initial conclusion was correct. Essentially it was. The bottom line is the Polo Ralph Lauren French Rib pants fit and feel the best of any pants. Unfortunately, they’re expensive and not available on Amazon. However, there are some pairs available on auction sites for reasonable prices. The next best is between the U.S. Polo Assn. Men's Fleece Cargo Pant and the Champion Men's Champion Eco Open Bottom Pant. The problem with the U.S. Polo Assn. Men's Fleece Cargo is that they pill a lot and because they’re made of nylon they don’t breathe well if at all. The problem with the Champion is they’re a bit long, a bit baggy and the waist is a bit big. The rest of them aren’t even worth trying. I’m looking forward to some affordable, high quality, great fitting sweat pants. Unfortunately, they don’t exist at the moment. Interesting note, I initially bought all the pants in size large, but they all seemed to fit a bit too tight not only in the waist but throughout the whole let as well. I like my sweatpants loose fitting so I reordered them all in XL and made my conclusions based on that.
Polo Ralph Lauren French Rib
They are 100% cotton, which is extremely hard to find. They may be the heaviest of all the pants (not necessarily good or bad), the most naturally soft (cotton soft compared to nylon “fleece” soft), and the best fit (loose, but not too loose, definitely not tight) throughout the waist and legs, and a good length (long enough that you may walk on the back of them when you’re not wearing shoes). The inseam is very low however. That is the one thing I would change. I’d raise the inseam up by 2 inches.
U.S. Polo Assn. Men's Fleece Cargo Pant, Black, Large
NOT AFFILIATED WITH POLO RALPH LAUREN CORP.
U.S. Polo Assn. Men's Fleece Cargo Pant
Nice fitting pants, but they’re 100% nylon “fleece” which have pilled horribly over a year and static cling often. Also, nylon pants don’t breathe well and cause an uncomfortable and unnecessary sweat.
U.S. Polo Assn. Men's Classic Fleece Pant, Dark Grey Heather, Large
NOT AFFILIATED WITH POLO RALPH LAUREN CORP.
U.S. Polo Assn. Men's Classic Fleece Pant
Compared to the cargo version of these they fit much tighter.
Champion Men's Champion Eco Open Bottom Pant, Oxford Gray, Large
Champion Men's Champion Eco Open Bottom Pant
A bit too long and a bit too loose in the waist.
Champion Men's Champion Eco Relaxed Band Pant, Oxford Gray, Large
Champion Men's Champion Eco Relaxed Band Pant
Tighter than the open bottom version and I dislike the band at the bottom of the leg.
Jerzees 974MP 8 oz. 50/50 Open Bottom Fleece Pant-Large-Oxford
NuBlend Open Bottom Sweatpant with Pocket
I kept these. They are a nice loose fit, but the material hasn’t held up as well as the Champion.
Russell Athletic Men's Athletic Open-Bottom Pant, Black Heather, Large
Russell Athletic Men's Cotton Performance Open Bottom Pant
These are very light pants. In fact, I kept them because they were so light. The size large fits like an XL compared to all the other pants. I rarely wear these because they’re so light.
Russell Athletic Men's Heavyweight Fleece Open-Bottom Pant - CD1 - L
Russell Athletic Men's Heavyweight Fleece Open-Bottom Pant
The waist band of even the XXL is unbelievable tight. This must be a design flaw. It’s unfortunate too because the material was nice and heavy.
Russell Athletic Men's Dri-Power Open Bottom Fleece Pocket Pant, Black Heather, Large
Russell Athletic Men's Dr-Power Fleece Open Bottom Pocket Pant
These fit tight compared to the others. The inseam is higher up as well. Also, it’s an odd feeling material that I don’t care for.
Fruit of the Loom 8 oz 50/50 Adult Open Bottom Sweatpants in Athletic Heather – Large
Fruit of the Loom 51300R 50/50 Fleece Pant with Mesh Pockets
These also fit tight compared to the others. The pockets were oddly short. In person you can tell they’re low quality.
Jennifer Olson