DUER, a company focused on clothing that stretches like performance wear but has a fit sharp enough for a night out, first came on my radar in 2022. I got a pair of the No Sweat pants for two reasons: one half of my year was overloaded with travel that had me jumping from long plane rides straight into dinners and meetings, while the other half was consumed with the birth of my daughter and learning to be a dad. Both required something comfortable, flexible, and presentable (well, presentability dropped in importance for the latter half of the year, but it was an added bonus).
Photo: DUER
Travel Editor Tested: DUER's Fall 2024 Line Will Have You Traveling in Comfort and Style For All Sorts of Autumn Adventures
Those black pants are still in regular rotation today. They feel similar to wearing joggers, but I don’t have to fall into the look of all-too-casual travel attire whether it’s a road trip, flight, or train ride. Plus, they’re the rare black pants that feel light and airy enough to wear even in hot locales.
This fall, the brand added a new Stretch Canvas line.
Photos: DUER
It has already worked its way to the first of what I grab for anything remotely outdoorsy. I put the new 7 Pocket Utility Pant on ahead of a weekend camping trip in August and they mostly stayed on until I made it back home (the main exception being a kayaking excursion, for which my Cotopaxi river shorts were obviously a better option). Also new this season: an ultra-soft henley and two new Performance Denim fits with all the same stretch and comfort that made me fall for DUER’s No Sweat pants.
Plenty of pockets for rock collecting. Photos: Nickolaus Hines
The new options from DUER, same as the stand-bys, are all the more appealing for the sustainable ethos at the brand’s core. Plant-based fibers have been DUER’s focus since the start. Today, DUER’s fabric collection uses 85 percent plant-based fibers with a “Final 15” goal to stop using synthetic or plastic fibers that make up that last 15 percent by 2028. Recycled material has been a beneficial stop-gap until then, as 95 percent of the fibers DUER uses are plant-based or recycled.
DUER has worked its way into my luggage for all kinds of trips, from city streets, to vineyards and breweries, to outdoor adventure. These new staples in the fall line are no exception and will likely be getting just as many miles as my No Sweat pants.
Stretch Canvas 7 Pocket Pant
Photo: DUER
Unlike the other pants I have from DUER, the only meetings these will be making it to are ones that involve nature. The hardy canvas stood up to some light bushwacking and firewood collection with ease, even for someone like me who tends to snag pants just as fast as I can walk out the door. As the name suggests, the pockets define the style. All are roomy while staying tight enough to my body to not feel like I’m wearing an over-the-door shoe hanger. DUER markets the pants as the “lightest and most flexible workwear/utility style on the market.” I haven’t tested the whole market, but these are indeed designed to stretch in ways that I can’t. The relaxed fit is perfect for long days that extend into long nights around the campfire.
Materials: 93 percent cotton, 5 percent LYCRA T400 polyester, 2 percent Elastane
Features:
- Stretch fibers
- Durable Water Repellency (DWR) treatment
- Gusseted crotch
- Seven pockets, including thigh pockets with buttons and back patch pockets
Performance Denim+ Straight Fit
Photo: DUER
DUER took its signature performance denim and swapped in a heavier 12-ounce fabric for more structure (yet still stretch). They fit just right (I’m 6 feet tall and 185 pounds, with chicken legs) without being so tight or so loose as to already be countless trend eras ago or out of trend next year. Which follows the DUER method of design: styles that won’t go out of fashion, so the only reason they’ll need a replacement is when you manage to eventually wear through them. These have quickly become what I swap in for the No Sweat pants when I want jeans rather than black pants on. With the heavier denim, they can stand up to warm days and cold nights. Needless to say, they also have stretch and a gusset for a wide range of motion. If you want more room around the hips and tighter on the lower leg, go for the more relaxed taper fit, which is also a little more breathable.
Materials: 40 percent conventional cotton, 30 percent organic cotton, 28 percent COOLMAX® All Season EcoMade Polyester, 2 percent Lycra EcoMade Spandex
Features:
- Stretch fibers
- Moisture managing performance fibers
- Gusseted crotch
- Antimicrobial treatment
- Reinforced pockets
- Triple-stitched seams
PurePima Vintage Henley
Photo: DUER
Call me a Charmin bear, but I’m not all that picky about the more casual shirts that I wear except when it comes to one thing: softness. This new henley uses 100 percent Pima cotton — an extra-long-fiber variety originally from Peru that is comparable to the feel of Egyptian cotton that’s also durable. It’s also more wrinkle resistant. DUER puts the fabric through a garment dye process that adds a worn-in vintage finish, and it truly does look as good as it feels. It won’t make long flights in economy less cramped, but it is nice to have something on that is at least soft on the skin. Plus, it can easily be quickly layered for going straight from the airport to the city.
Material: 100 percent Pima cotton