Men - How many pairs of pants do you have?

[disneysteve]

The bar in my closet is sagging and I've been working on thinning things out a bit. I figure the heaviest stuff is pants and I have definitely accumulated a bunch over the years. My problem is I tend to almost never get rid of pants. When they get worn, they get relegated to use for hanging around the house, working in the garage or yard, etc. I believe I've got right around 24 pairs of pants (not counting suits) between dress pants and casual pants. Is that a lot? Too many? Not enough? I did get rid of 4 or 5 pairs a month or so ago when I first started trying to cut down what was in there. There isn't anything in there that I don't wear periodically with the exception of one pair of white slacks that I really only wear when we travel to tropical locales but I do use them then. All the rest are in regular rotation.

[bjl584]

This post makes me think that I need to get rid of some of my pants as well. I have 4 pair that I rotate through for daily wearing. 2 more that I use for working around the house. 2 more for dressing up. And probably 12 more that hang in the closet for no reason.

[kork13]

I grew up on a tropical island, so shorts are more my style (regardless of location or season)... So I'm lighter on pants. If I remember my closet correctly, I've got 3 different styles of jeans (plus one pair for yard work), 2 sets of cords, 1 pair of khakis, and 4 pairs of slacks (not counting 3 suits). So I guess 11 pairs of pants in all? But then, I probably have nearly another dozen pairs of shorts in various styles...

[scfr]

My husband is a clothes horse; his clothes take up almost twice as much space in our closet as mine do. He has 20 pair of pants total (incl suits), and half of those he never wears. Some are more than 20 years old. Wish I could convince him to get rid of some. So, kuddos to you for being willing to shed some.

The key may be to limit the number of "work around the yard or garage pants" to just one or two pair. I would think that 10-12 "good" pair and 1-2 "work" pair would be more than enough.

[JoeP]

Jeans: 3-4 with holes in various locations for changing oil and doing yard work, 2 that are good enough to wear to work

Casual: about 12, with only about 8 that fit well

Dress: 3 for use with a suit or sport jacket

A few sweat pants, maybe 5-6 shorts of varying length and condition

My biggest problem is having a ton of shirts that are faded, stretched, or just don't look good any more. I really have to donate the ones that still have life and throw out the rest.

[disneysteve]

The key may be to limit the number of "work around the yard or garage pants" to just one or two pair.

That is part of the problem.

only about 8 that fit well

This is part of my "problem". I still wear the same size I wore in high school over 30 years ago, so I never "outgrow" my clothes.

[GREENBACK]

This is part of my "problem". I still wear the same size I wore in high school over 30 years ago, so I never "outgrow" my clothes.

That describes me as well. I have no idea how many pairs I have but I purposely go through my clothes a couple times a year and relegate old clothes or things that I rarely wear to the "Goodwill Pile". I feel good about it and it clears the closets up a bit.

[jIM_Ohio]

I don't own 24 pair, but I do need a new casual wardrobe...

Here is a closet trick

Take every pair of pants on a hanger and turn the hanger backwards. Clean the closet in 4 months, and any hanger which is still backwards, those pants get tossed.

I rotate my closet (shaped like an L), the clothes I wear most are on front rack, clothes I use least are on back. When I wear something, I put it on front rack once its washed. If front rack is full, I just take the hangers and put them to the right side of back. That means the items to the left of the back are what I wear the least.

[feh]

I usually have 5 in the regular rotation: 2 pairs of jeans and 3 pairs of business casual. I have 2 more of each category that are rarely worn and sitting in drawers.

[disneysteve]

Take every pair of pants on a hanger and turn the hanger backwards. Clean the closet in 4 months, and any hanger which is still backwards, those pants get tossed.

Good idea. I don't have my pants on individual hangars but rather pants hangars that each hold 4 pairs but I could leave the ones that I know I wear regularly on those and temporarily put the questionable ones on individual hangars.

[humandraydel]

5 pairs of khakis for work (3 I wear regularly, the other 2 I only wear if the other 3 are dirty)
3 pairs of North Face hiking pants (convertible between pants and shorts - this is what I wear outside of work)
2 pairs of jeans (1 old pair for painting, yard work and 1 good pair)
6 pairs of pajama pants (LOVE lounging around the house in these)
1 suit

So, not counting pajama pants I would say I have 10 pairs of pants (5+3+2). For me that's a perfect number - personally I wouldn't want more.

[snafu]

DH is a clotheshorse and puts effort into grooming and wardrobe. His closet is a tad bigger than mine but he knows each of the [2] rods hold 12 hangers per ft. Since moving to a condo we've agreed to the 'new item in - old item out, policy. We also need to change out garments seasonally. DH donates garments that he hasn't worn during the season.

If you have space and wear all the slacks, what's the problem? If it's the sagging rod, you might consider rejigging the closet, upping the existing rod and shelf and adding a 2nd rod. There is an inexpensive, easy to install kit that gets cut to measure at the big box stores. If you choose a vinyl covered wire unit, use wall anchors and restrict the weight.

[HappySaver]

I still wear the same size I wore in high school over 30 years ago, so I never "outgrow" my clothes.

Anything that's over 10-15 years old, unless you are particularly attached or know you still wear it regularly around the house, should just go.