While shorts are ideal when it’s cooking hot, sometimes you gotta wear pants for some reason such as hiking in bramble-infested areas or other reason. That means getting some type of cooling pant or pants that help prevent overheating is a good idea. Here are some suggestions.
Related: 50 Different Types of Pants for Women and Men
FYI, thanks to AI imagery software, we’re able to create very specific fashion and hairstyle examples to illustrate the points being made. In some cases, imagery is exaggerated to hammer home the point.
What Are Cooling Pants?
These pieces of clothing circulate cold air and regulate your body temperature to prevent heat exhaustion while driving. Cooling methods differ according to the technology used in the making of the pants you wear when you travel.
Types of Cooling Pants
If traveling alone, choosing the right cooling pants for your trip may seem simpler than if you have a child or a pet accompanying you. However, having other adults as a passenger doesn’t lessen the need to regulate your vehicle’s indoor temperature. Keep this in mind no matter how long it takes to arrive to your destination.
The Lightweight Pants
Lightweight cooling pants for cars typically come in nylon or polyester. When shopping, you also might find some pants for hot weather made of rayon, linen and similar fabrics. They typically don’t require any electric or battery power, whereas they just consist of the material and no extra features.
No “foolproof” pair of lightweight pants may exist but wearing less material on your legs usually keeps you feeling comfortable at hotter, more humid temperatures.
Pros
The loose fit of lightweight cooling pants allows air to flow through them. What’s more, they seem to move moisture away from your skin fast, a process known as wicking. If you sweat while wearing lightweight fabric, that perspiration will not drench the material.
They also don’t take up much space if you pack several pairs for a long trip. In addition, lightweight pants dry quickly if you decide to hand wash them when on the go.
Your lightweight pants will also not absorb most drink or food spills. This also makes it easier for them to clean, even if you won’t arrive to your destination for at least a few hours. In some cases, you can wipe away all on-the-road eating accidents without much effort.
If you need to scrub out stuck-on food or drink stains, some nylon or polyester materials can handle the pressure without much change to the fabric after the fact.
Cons
Lightweight pants sometimes easily rip if you accidentally collide with a sharp object when wearing them. Even with no rip accidents, they may not last as long as clothing made of thicker materials. Therefore, you might have to replace them often.
However, if you’re just wearing lightweight pants while driving, you probably don’t have to worry much about ripping or tearing them. Still, you must stay aware of your surroundings when out of your vehicle and shopping, refueling, sightseeing, etc.
SPF-Proof Pants
SPF-Proof pants usually consist of nylon, polyester or other fabric that doesn’t allow sun to reach the skin’s surface. You can find cooling pants in up to SPF 50 or more that block UV rays and prevent unwanted skin blemishes or harmful skin conditions. The SPF protection will shield you from the sun both when driving and when at rest stops or sightseeing.
Pros
SPF-proof cooling pants for cars come with reflective materials that will keep the sun off you when driving. This regulates your body temperature, which can prevent heat exhaustion or sunburn. What’s more, these pants cover your skin, which reduces your need to apply sunscreen.
You might consider this as an advantage over applying potentially toxic solutions to your skin to block the sun from burning you.
Cons
You might feel more heat on you than if you were to wear shorts or a skirt when driving. However, you may consider this a tradeoff if you don’t want to apply sunblock or install expensive window tinting to prevent sunburns. The negative effects depend on the distance you travel.
For longer periods, you may not want to consider SPF-proof pants because they can make you feel sweaty and uncomfortable after driving for longer than 15-30 minutes.
Stretch Pants
Stretch cooling pants for cars may consist of a variety of natural or synthetic materials. These include Spandex, elastane, Lycra, nylon or other stretchy and lightweight fabrics. They sometimes come lined and will insulate you any time of the year to control your body temperature. In warmer months, they keep you cool. When it starts to feel cold outside, they keep you warm.
Pros
Stretch pants conform to the body and don’t restrict natural movement much. Therefore, they can provide comfort when driving during long trips. The unrestricted nature of stretch pants also enables you to act quickly when you need to break for another driver you perhaps didn’t see you. You won’t feel “trapped” in stretch pants.
Some types that you bought for summer can also keep you at the right temperature during the spring, fall and winter. They also will resist liquids, and they won’t let sticky food substances seep through them.
Cons
It’s true that stretch cooling pant materials will enable you to move your legs in just about any direction you need while braking or accelerating. However, you might not like how they cling to your skin if you’re not used to wearing this kind of fabric. Some stretchy materials also might not allow sweat to leave your body as easily as you would like, depending on how they’re made.
Touring Pants
Touring pants resemble stretch pants but have advanced maneuvering and cooling technologies. Makers built them to provide comfort and protection not only for people driving motorcycles and self-peddled bicycles but also automobiles. Touring (or riding) pants usually combine a variety of lightweight, quick-drying materials that also have air vents.
Pros
Aside from having built-in cooling vents, touring pants may resist water. They also consist of breathable membranes that evaporate body sweat. The durable material also can protect your legs from scratches or bruises.
Touring pants may prevent the most injuries when you stop to refill your gas tank. What’s more, they provide you a safeguard again sharp elements, moisture and other obstructions when walking. In addition, they might serve useful when camping and jogging or during sports play. Afterward, you will dry off fast for the ride home.
Cons
Touring or riding pants may not seem as readily available as other cooling pants that don’t require electronic climate control. Therefore, people might have to invest more money in the touring or riding pants than they would standard lightweight or stretch pants.
You might not always find the style or construction of touring pants you want either. What’s more, it’s tough to sort out the touring pants listings from ones you would use for bicycle or car riding when shopping for them.
USB Air-Conditioned Pants
USB air-conditioned pants can keep you cool when summer has reached its peak temperatures. They typically require a power source for periodic recharging, but they can provide you hours of cooling.
Air-conditioned pants often have a pocket where you would keep a fan that sometimes comes with the pants you bought, or you might have to buy the cooling fans for the pants separately.
Pros
USB-powered cooling pants (air-conditioned pants) reduce the need for requiring a unit powered by an AC outlet or disposable batteries. What’s more, you have a variety of recharging options, such as plugging the USB-powered pants into a computer cord slot or a wall charging adapter. If you have enough energy to run them, they can provide you cooling comfort for your entire road trip.
Cons
You might not find your USB-powered pants convenient if the batteries that power them have no charge. If you’re able to find a pair of cooling pants that operate using disposable batteries, that might serve as a compromise for you. However, the disposable battery type doesn’t come available as often as the plug-in, rechargeable or USB type.
Homemade Cooling Pants
Perhaps you have gained some inspiration from the various types of cooling pants for cars you considered buying online. If so, you also maybe found ways to make your own pants cooling system. This typically would consist of lightweight pants of your choice that also include a cooling fan or ice packs attached to them.
Pros
Homemade cooling pants will help you stay at the proper temperature when driving at least for a few hours at a time. The cooling agents used for these pieces of clothing also might not require electricity or battery power, unlike other climate-controlled pants. At the same time, they still provide you with temperature regulation if you were to rely on cooling pants for cars that have no extra enhancements beyond the base material.
Cons
Cooling supplies for homemade pants could melt or rise in temperature if you don’t use them soon enough. You better make sure you can keep enough ice or other cooling supplies for the number of hours you plan to travel.