Best Track Pants of 2026

The zips are the whole argument. One runs up the outside of each ankle, so the Tiro goes on over cleats or trainers without untying and comes off the same way once you're warm, which is something a plain cuffed jogger simply can't do.

We rate these the best of the classic track pants here, and not only for the hardware. The tricot is mid-weight, the taper runs clean from hip to ankle, and the black-with-stripes version looks sharp enough to wear home from the field without changing. The pocket zips are sturdy and sit deep enough for keys or a phone.

Sizing is the least eventful part of these pants, which is a compliment: order your usual and the leg lands slim without gripping. The one spot to check is the ankle zip, which is snug by design, so pull them on over your game shoes before you cut the tags.

Open the ankle zips a couple of inches and the hem sits over a chunkier sneaker; close them and the leg is clean enough for the office. It's a small thing that makes them more useful than a warm-up pant has any right to be.

Brushed tricot is what you're buying here, and it changes the pant's job. The fleece-like inside holds warmth without much bulk, so this is the pair for a cold start rather than a July one, and it never feels like you're wearing a second layer.

The details are where the extra money goes. The zippered hand pockets are deep and well made, a phone stays where you put it, and the cut is neat through the leg instead of bunching at the cuff. These look like joggers you keep for outside the gym as well as in it.

We think the premium is worth paying if you want one pair that handles winter and still looks tidy on a coffee run. The catch is fit: these run a full size small through the waist and thigh, so go up unless you like them snug, and the waistband has less give than the rest of the pant. That sizing quirk is the only thing keeping them from being the easiest recommendation here.

Worth noting, too: the department is listed as unisex adult, so if you're a woman ordering from the men's chart, go by your measurements rather than the letter.

No elastic, no cuff, no taper: the Dayready hangs straight from hip to shoe, and that one decision makes it the most wearable pair here away from the gym. We think that's the whole appeal. An open hem reads as a trouser, not a warm-up, so you can go from a workout to lunch without changing.

The tricot has a smooth, dry hand that doesn't cling, and at 11.68 ounces it's light enough to wear year-round rather than just in shoulder season. The three stripes are the only loud thing about them, and stains lift easily, which matters on a light colorway.

Fit is the part to get right. The waist sits flat under a tee, the leg breaks cleanly over a sneaker, and the straight cut leaves room through the seat without looking wide. Order your usual size and leave the tall option alone unless you're prepared for the extra inches not to arrive.

Of every pair on this page, this is the one we reach for first, and it also happens to be the least expensive of our main picks. The taper does the work: these sit close through the thigh and narrow toward the ankle, so they read as track pants rather than a baggy sweatpant, and nothing about that shape pulls or binds mid-set.

What convinced us was how they hold their shape. The knit comes back after a long day instead of sagging at the knee, which is the failure that turns good track pants into yard pants. The fabric has a soft, silky hand that feels more expensive than it is, and the zippered side pockets are deep enough that a phone stays where you put it through a run rather than sliding around. There's a zippered back pocket too, and we ended up using it more than expected.

Sizing runs close to the label rather than generous, so if you're between two, take the larger. Ours have been through repeated washes without pilling, and we hang them rather than tumble them, which keeps the knee from bagging any faster than it needs to.

The waistband is what sold us. It's wide and gives enough that you can pull these up over a soft middle without anything digging in, and it stays put through a run instead of rolling down. On a track pant, that's the detail that decides whether it gets worn or lives in the drawer.

We recommend this pair first among the women's options because of the fabric. It's a substantial knit, thick enough for a cool-weather walk, yet it's cut close through the hip and thigh, so it looks tidy rather than slouchy, and it comes out of the wash holding its shape. The zippered pockets are the kind you actually use: a key and a card, both secure.

Length is where it can go wrong. These run long, and on a petite frame you'll either hem them or turn the cuff under; the Tapata pick below solves the same problem with a choice of inseams. At average height or above, order your usual and you're done.

Inseam choice is the reason to buy these. Tapata sells the same pant in six inseams, from 26 to 36 inches, which is a range nothing else on this page comes close to, and it's the difference between a track pant that skims your shoe and one that pools around it.

The cut is loose and straight through the leg, closer to a classic warm-up pant than a tapered jogger, with a waistband that sits flat and doesn't bite. There's enough fabric that it drapes instead of gripping, which is why these pass as polished enough for errands rather than just the gym.

The knit is a substantial polyester with a little vertical texture, and ours kept their length through the dryer, no shrinkage, which is not something we can say for every pair here. The zippered pockets hold a phone and a key, and they're placed high enough that sitting doesn't press them into your hip.

These earn their place on that inseam menu alone, and everything else, the forgiving waist, the zip pockets, the fabric that doesn't shrink, makes them an easy recommendation rather than a one-trick fix. If you're between lengths, take the longer one; the waistband sits high enough that a little extra at the hem doesn't drag.

Woven, not knit, is the first thing to understand here. The face of the fabric is smooth and crisp, so these slide on over shorts and feel closer to a warm-up shell than a sweatpant, and on a cool morning walk they block more chill than their weight suggests.

They're also the lightest-feeling pair here. You notice it most when you're moving, and they never get heavy or clingy the way a thick knit can. The cut is clean enough to wear into a store afterward, which isn't nothing for a technical pant.

Where we hesitate is the fit. These run small through the waist and thigh, so go up a size, and consider two if you're between, and the slick hand of the fabric won't suit anyone expecting a soft knit against the skin. We think the weight and the coverage are worth those trade-offs for warm-weather running, but if you want soft, the tricot jogger above is the safer buy.