Author
Bob Myaing & Gabi Stadulis
Whether prepping for a backcountry ski trip or simply dealing with a stingy landlord who refuses to turn the heat up, having cozy, warm clothing to rely on is key to survival. We've long evangelized about down pants. But what about fleece pants? Well, they're great too!
There are many activities where fleece pants make sense. They’re literally just a more socially-acceptable version of pajama pants//track pants (which we all agree you should never leave the house in, right?), though some are nothing more than fleece sweatpants. Fleece pants are the perfect uniform for car camping, vanlife, and chilling in rustic cabins or a drafty apartment. They also can work well for use as a baselayer while skiing, climbing, or doing any of the other fun things we like to do outside (especially in the Northeast). Once the adventure is through, they're especially suitable for the post-workout cool down, or even just a comfy WFH uniform completed by your favorite sweatshirt or hoodie.
One thing to look out for when considering fleece, whether worn on top or bottom, is fiber shedding—high pile fleece looks great but often loses microfibers with wear and wash, which can end up polluting waterways. Another is if the material is recycled or recyclable.
A few other things to consider are knee and butt panels, which increase durability and weather resistance when used in outdoor environments. An elastic waistband or integrated belt is another useful design element to look out for; even a drawstring helps.
No matter how you wear them, warm fleece pants are a wise investment for any and all cozy bodies. The following 15 are our top picks for the best fleece pants out there, sure to make your winter more comfortable, whether around the campfire or at home.
Best Women’s and Men’s Fleece Pants for Keeping Cozy at Home & Camp
Patagonia Synchilla Fleece Pants
If you’ve never worn Patagonia's Synchilla on your body, have you ever truly even experienced fleece? Dramatics aside, the Fitzroy brand’s legendary recycled fleece fabric makes its way into this conventional sweatpant pattern with a pair of zip-up front pockets and a single rear zip pocket that echoes the design of the well-loved Classic Retro-X Jacket ($229), which is a longtime best seller for good reason. Though the pants only appear in the men’s clothing section of the site, a size range of XXS-3XL strongly suggest unisex intentions.
Women’s Option: Unisex Sizing
Price: $129
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The North Face Denali Pant
The North Face’s iconic fleece jacket, but now in a wonderfully comfortable pair of pull-on pants for the couch or (remote) office. And, much like the iconic Denali Jacket counterpart, the mid-rise fleece trousers feature panels of nylon at the seat and knees to provide protection to otherwise vulnerable areas of at-risk Polartec fleece with gathered cuffs for a jogger-like style. These fleece pants earn extra marks for offering an impressive range of standard and plus sizes ranging from small to XXL and even 3XL with three inseams for shorter folks in addition to the big & tall.
Gramicci Sherpa Pant
Not every single pant Gramicci puts out is intended for climbing, and surely this loose-cut deep pile sherpa fleece pant is one of them. Nothing about the pant screams “do not clip, crimp, or flag” but we’re pretty sure the material would be a magnet for climbing chalk. If you don’t mind the additional laundry that might come with it, they’d probably be pretty dang comfortable a cool-weather bouldering sesh–add a pair of thermal tights underneath and you should be solid for near-freezing temps.
Women’s Option: Unisex
Price: $140
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Backcountry GOAT Fleece Belted Pant
The online outfitters-turned-brick-and-mortar has quite an in-house offering of their own these days, spanning apparel and accessories for just about every mountain sport, from snow to surf. Named after their horned mascot, the Goat fleece pants complement a matching GOAT Full Zip Fleece Jacket ($127) with a wide leg, loungey cut and nylon-reinforced knees, just in case your aprés at the chalet turns up.
Outerknown Hightide Sweatpants
Kelly Slater’s brand Outerknown serves up lifestyle surf apparel in a flavor of SoCal cool (yes, we know he’s from Florida) that retail mall brands can only dream of matching. With sustainability at the brand’s core, Outerknown weaves a blend of cotton and 100% recycled cotton into a terrycloth that makes for a wildly comfortable sweatpant. This one is our top pick for warm pants to pull on after peeling off a cold wetsuit.
Burton Mine77 Sherpa Fleece Pant
Burton’s Mine77 line dedicates itself to preserving founder Jake Burton Carpenter’s legacy and passion for creating products from rider feedback. Thick, premium Italian fleece meets ample nylon panel blocking in a colorway that Jim Henson would surely approve of. Pop on the matching fleece jacket and aprés all day.
Women's Option: Unisex Sizing
Price: $150
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Topo Designs Fleece Pants
Topo’s primary colors and bright accents are easily spotted at any ski slope or trailhead. And like the rest of its gear, these fleece pants are a product made for the middle ground between a design-minded outdoorist and a sleek city-goer. With an adjustable waist and cuffs and zippered pockets for security and accessibility, and made with recycled Polartec fleece for the body with DWR-coated nylon reinforcements on the knees and bum, this pair makes a great base layer or outer layer to chill in anywhere.
Mountain Hardwear Polartec Fleece Pants
Mountain Hardwear's iconic Monkey Fleece is back, and now built for your bottom half. Made with Polartec fleece for maximum warmth and breathability, AND Polartec Power Stretch panels strategically placed for added durability and strength, these mid layer pants are the real deal. Zippered cargo pockets means you can boulder in them without losing your lunch money, too.
And Wander High Loft Fleece Pant
Another Japanese utilitarian designer, And Wander, consistently proves itself a favorite with high-quality materials and contemporary unisex styling. These are yet another pair on this list made with Polartec High Loft Fleece, which is known for its outstanding warmth to weight ratio. Huge zipper pockets. Integrated belt. These have it all.
Women's Option: Unisex Sizing
Price: $409
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Stan Ray Fleece Fat Pant
Apparel brand Stan Ray is known best for the military surplus styles it began offering in 1972 from its home state of Texas. These days, the brand also deals in streetwear-friendly pieces, including these loose fit unisex fleece pants. The Fleece Fat Pant lives up to its name with a generous loose cut that’s super on-trend, but the large patch cargo pockets reminiscent of a pair of OG-107’s keep them on brand for Stan.
Women's Option: Unisex Sizing
Price: $117
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Montbell Chameece Pants
A pieces from Japanese outdoor brand Montbell makes it to nearly every gear guide we put together for a good reason; style, functionality, and value. We’re not sure exactly where the name Chameece comes from, but it’s what they’ve decided to call their own brand of breathable, two-way stretch microfleece that makes up the minimally-style fleece pants. The bargain-buy fleece bottoms come in any color you want, just as long as it’s black.
Cotopaxi Abrazo Fleece Jogger
The llama-logo outdoor lifestyle brand is up to bat with a slim and sporty fleece jogger outfitted with stretch nylon panels on the knees to reduce wear as you traverse from your sofa to the fridge. Bet your old sweatpants wish they could do that. Complete the swathed-in-fleece look with the matching Abrazo fleece jacket. Walk, don’t jog, to your future coziest self.
Women's Option: No
Price: $110
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Orvis Grid Fleece Pants
The Vermont fly fishing outfitter doesn’t make it to many of our gear articles, but when they do, it’s because they’ve done something worth serious consideration, regardless of our reader’s angling experience. By now, you’ve probably seen some pretty stylish grid fleece hoodies that trap warmth in its latticed structure. These pull-on pants use that same fleece to keep legs warm, whether they're layered under a pair of waterproof fishing waders or just styled with your favorite t-shirt.
Women’s Option: No
Price: $79 $59
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Parks Project Yellowstone Geyser Jogger
Nothing says “I like fun” quite like these topo pattern-inspired, deep-pile fleece jogger pants from outdoor lifestyle apparel brand Parks Project. Not only will you bring sweater-like comfort to your legs, but help the brand give funds back to the parklands we all love. To date, they’ve raised over 2.5-million bucks since their founding in 2014. Fleece joggers with a purpose–how can you beat that?
Women’s Option: Unisex Sizing
Price: $120
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Foehn Moresby Polartec Fleece Pant
We might gravitate towards relaxed cuts for our loungewear, but we get that some of the sportier folks out there might prefer a slim fit for their cozy wear. Technical and modern sportswear brand Foehn uses a Polartec fleece on their fleece jogger/sweatpants with a light nylon for the zip-up patch pockets. Finished off with an integrated webbing belt, they’re ready for wear by the active and less-active alike.
Published 11-17-2022
