Under 5’10 Lightweight Stretch Chinos Review
A warm weather look for the shorter people..
Under 5’10 Lightweight Stretch Chinos Review Introduction
Under 5'10 is back at it again. New season, new releases that are geared more towards the Summer and warmer months. New fabrics, new short sleeves, etc. So far, I’ve been a fan of quite a few of their products and kind of live in their jeans and cords in the cooler/colder months. You can read my review for those as “travel pants” here: Under 510 Pants Review as well as my Corduroys Review.
One of those new products to come out this season is their take on a lightweight chino pant. These are their Lightweight Stretch Chinos.
This is my review of the Under 5'10 Lightweight Stretch Chinos. I own three of the color options. As the weather warms up, I’ve been rocking these quite a bit for both travel and work so I have a good feel of the versatility and how they perform.
As always for full transparency, I purchased the dolphin gray with my own money and after that Under 5’10 was nice enough to provide me with two other colors to check out. This is not sponsored, and I was not paid for this review. I do use affiliate links which help to support the site if you decide to use them to make a purchase, but you’re under no obligation to do so and there’s no additional cost to you. Thanks for stopping by!
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Lightweight Stretch Chinos Overview
As these are a relatively simple product idea and are not travel focused/tech pants (my usual bread and butter for reviews) - this is going to be relatively easy. These are cords. No kidding!
Backyard gatherings? Check.
Generally speaking, there won’t be a lot of “features” to go over vs. my usual travel-built reviews. These are styled like a classic chino. Button closure with additional hidden button tab, side slant pockets, etc. Under 5’10 describes the taper as a gentle taper from knee to ankle and I’d say that’s accurate.
Another feature to mention however, is what makes these a little more special: tencel. Tencel is a fabric that starts out originally as wood pulp. So while it does need a chemical process to be usable, it’s not a petroleum based product. That might be important to some folks. Mostly, it means that this increases the lightweight qualities of the pants, helps with the breathability, and therefore allows them to be targeted for warmer weather. It’s also very soft.
On top of that, 2% spandex has some “give” to it which is meant to add to the comfort. Very common today in modern men’s pants vs. back in the day. I’m here for that.
Here’s the full list from of details the site:
54% Cotton, 44% Tencel, 2% Spandex
Lightweight cotton twill with lots of stretch
Perfect for warm weather
Modern fit is comfortable with a gentle taper from knee to ankle
One button closure, with hidden button tab closure, and zip fly
Side slant pockets
Welt pockets on back
They retail for $67.00 USD list price as of June 2025 - but they often run sales when overall inventory runs low. This is just an inventory management technique, not an indication of their quality, don’t worry.
The Fit of the Under 5’10 Lightweight Stretch Chinos
So like all their stuff, these are designed with the shorter folks in mind. In case this is your first time reading about them, what does that mean? That means the patterns that they cut to make the pants, as well as the inseams, are all geared to not warp or fit shorter people in a weird way. They are meant to fit properly. Think - no more getting the proper waist but then having the legs be baggy or bunched and fit like you’re taller. None of that nonsense here.
Because of that, these pants are going to have much nicer rises, better “fall” at the ankles, and in my opinion, better tapers. These aren’t cut to be “skinny” pants. But they are cut to have a proper leg taper and aren’t supposed to look baggy or boxy. For me, they nailed it. That said, I’m not into “straight cut” and like slim cuts on my pants so this is always personal.
Here you can see a couple shots showing the fit while out and about. Perfectly suitable for weekend food shopping in Chinatown, too, lol.
The Good
The close up.
After two years of using and buying many of their pants, the obvious “good” here for me is the fit. That’s just the main thing. I love the fit, and being able to find a length that I love, not just a length that I’m “accepting”. Who wants to “accept” the fit of something you buy? You should be into it and it should make you feel good, not self conscious. So per usual, I’m a fan of their fit. They look good and fit like proper chinos and aren’t too baggy or bunched up.
Comfort is also a win here. I’ve worn various colors probably 5 days a week for the past 3 weeks and the stretch is perfect on them. The tencel also makes them nice and lightweight so they are great for the warming months here in NYC. Which oddly, have had a few hot ones already.
Because of that, these are regulars on trips with me, too. They pack nice, I can wear them to work in other cities, on vacation around town with sneakers, to dinner with shoes, or on the plane and still be comfy. Good marks there for the short traveler.
Pricing. One thing Under 5’10 is doing is targeting a nice price point. I’d put them in line with GAP sale pricing on many things. On top of that, they run a few sales themselves which makes it easy to grab another colorway or be a psycho like me, and buy a backup or two for when you wear out your main pair. Stop judging.
Speaking of colorways, they offer the greatest hits here, and I like the choices, especially the “dolphin gray” - that’s a good choice for versatility.
The Bad
It’s not all perfect, because like that scholar Bret Michaels once said, “Every rose has its thorn.” That’s right - in no way am I above quoting a Poison song on this site.
With the slightly lighter weight fabric, I did find these can wrinkle a bit easier than thicker gauge fabric. That’s a trade off I’m willing to make, but it’s something to note. These days, I really never find myself in a travel scenario where I don’t have access to an iron. My $20.00 a night hostel nightmare days are looooong behind me. Just pointing it out for the sake of honesty.
For the Navy, I did find them to attract some lint. Now, find me a pair of navy cotton blend pants that don’t, and I’ll eat my proverbial hat. Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, so keep that lint roller handy before you leave the house. Granted that’s why lint rollers exist.
One more thing to note, I did have a bit of an issue with the hidden button and the thread breaking on one pair. This is an easy QA fix if Under 5’10 is listening, and I think with a bit stronger sewing there it’s nothing to get worried about. Everyone has lost a button, it happens. In my case the thread is starting to break, so it’s also possible I caught it on something in the wash, but I think it’s just from general wear.
That’s all I got!
Final Thoughts On My Under 5’10 Corduroys Review
Some guest cameos from Bellroy, Matador, and Evergoods.
OK that wraps up another review of some solid pants from Under 5’10. I have to be honest, I’m really liking the fact that I have an entire wardrobe of pants that fit me exactly right in length. Just as I want them to or envision the look I want in my head. It’s a great feeling. I’m going to re-use this next part because it’s a general thought on clothing and not these specific pants, but I don’t think I can keep re-saying it any better so I’ll paste it here from my last review:
“Let’s be real for a minute. A person’s individual confidence can be greatly affected by the way they look. More specifically, how their clothes FIT. It’s about how you’re presenting yourself to the world. And for people that do not fit the “middle zone” - and this includes very tall people too, I see you! - it’s a great source of personal anxiety when buying clothes or putting outfits together. Being able to represent the image that was in your head to the real world feels so good. And for years, short folks really had a hard time doing that. We’d unintentionally look sloppy because clothing wasn’t really made for us. Under 5'10 is one of the brands helping to make that a thing of the past.”
This remains completely true in the case of the Lightweight Stretch Chinos. I found the fit really great, the comfort was also great due to the stretch and also the tencel being added for the warmer weather. They are a perfectly versatile pair of pants which makes them great for traveling (or everyday use - but that should be obvious).
They could maybe work on strengthening up the sewing on things like the buttons, but that only happened once to me, so I can also chalk it up to chance.
In general, these pants are going to give me some great options for flexible warm weather travel outfits based on the colorways offered, and I’m looking forward to putting them in my test luggage!
You can only get them direct, so head on over and check them out and see if they are right for you, too.
Wander more - and wander smarter everyone.
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