How to Fold and Store Pants (2023 Organization Guide)

Want to know the best options for folding and storing your pants? You’re in the right place. Read on to learn more.

Clothing storage and organization is an important part in any man’s style journey. Without a good system in place, you can waste time and damage your clothes, not to mention that your living space probably won’t be very tidy. 

In this installment of our series about folding and storing clothes we’re going to be talking about pants and shorts. 

How to Hang Pants in a Closet

Some guys hang up all of their pants. If you have the closet space– go for it. If your closet is bursting at the seams, at a minimum you should hang up your pants that have a crease. 

Creased pants are usually more formal than the uncreased variety. Hanging pants up allows them to “air out” between wears (I’m referring to pants made out of  “dry clean only” fabrics that won’t get washed as frequently). It also helps to let the fabric “rest.” The downward force of gravity will naturally pull out some minor winkles.  

You might be wondering what kind of hanger to use for storing pants in a closet? Here’s the advantages and disadvantages of using each of the common types of hangers. 

Hanging Pants on Wire Hangers

Wire hangers can damage your clothes. Period. 

This is as true for pants as well as shirts. However, there is one caveat. 

If you’re really on a tight budget know that wire hangers that have a cardboard tube on the bottom section probably won’t hurt your pants. That’s because the cardboard tube provides a greater surface area on which your pants rest than having the weight of your pants rest on just a thin metal wire. 

Pant’s Storage Tip: Don’t store your pants inside plastic bags (the kind that most dry cleaners provide) long term. The plastic prevents the garment from breathing and the plastic chemicals can harm the fabric over time. 

Hanging Pants on Plastic Hangers

Plastic hangers will work fine in a pinch. They aren’t the best option for hanging pants though because of the way they are made. 

As plastic is pressed into a mold, a small, sometimes sharp, ridge is formed on the hanger’s  vertical axis. When you slide your pants off of the hanger they can get snagged on this tiny ridge. 

Granted, the chances of harming your pants from using a plastic hanger are very slim, but there’s still a possibility.  

Hanging Pants on Wooden Hangers

Getting some wooden hangers is an inexpensive way to upgrade your clothing storage system. They help to prevent damage from occurring and look much better than plastic or wire hangers. 

Wooden hangers are a great option for hanging pants. The only complaint I have about wooden hangers is that when I hang up pants I’ve noticed that they can easily slide off of the smooth wooden bar.

If you do go for this option, I’d recommend getting wooden hangers with a vinyl or rubber sleeve on the bar which will help to combat this issue.

Hanging Pants on Hangers with Side Clips

This is the kind of hanger that you’ll see pants hanging on in most stores. That’s because they really hold the garment firmly in place as it is being moved around by customers and employees. Side clip hangers are available in a variety of materials and sizes. 

As you might imagine, the best way to hang up pants is to use hangers made for, you know… pants. However, if you’re like me you’ve made due with using just wire, plastic, or wooden shirt hangers in your closet. 

Getting hangers with side clips or clamps (which we’ll discuss next) will help you to keep your pants from falling onto the ground and from getting dirty and/or wrinkled in the process. 

When you’re using hangers with any kind of clips, it’s best to attach the clip(s) to the waist instead of folding your pants and clipping near the knees.

Hanging Pants on Hangers With Clamps (Wide Clips)

Selecting hangers with clamps (aka wide clips) is probably your best option for hanging pants. 

The advantage of having wide clips or two small side clips is that your pants can hang on a larger surface area, which can help prevent wrinkling or otherwise marking your trousers in the long run. 

Many pants hangers feature a clamp that has a felt liner which helps to keep your pants looking nice. Fortunately, these premium types of pant hangers are available for about the same price as ordinary wooden hangers. 

How to Store Pants and Shorts in a Drawer

You’re likely already storing most of your casual pants and shorts in a drawer. 

Avoid overstuffing drawers. Overflowing dressers are downright frustrating because they can make it nearly impossible to find what you’re looking for. Also, very tightly packed drawers are hard to open and close. 

Your dresser might seem full because you aren’t folding your clothes very efficiently. Or it’s full because you simply have more clothes than it can store. 

When a dresser is getting full, try reorganizing each drawer. If that doesn’t cut it, start finding another place to store your clothes (or better yet, get rid of clothes that you don’t need). 

4 Ways How to Fold Pants

Here are four ways to fold pants. 

How to Fold Pants with a Crease for Storage  

Pants with a crease are best stored hanging up instead of folded. However, if you are traveling you’ll probably need to fold your creased pants. 

Lay the pants on a hard, flat surface.

Line up the crease of both legs until they perfectly overlap (to do this you may have to fold in the waistband near the fly and rear of the trousers). 

 The side of the pants should now be facing up. 

From this point your pants are ready to be hung (if you don’t have enough space to hang from the waistband) or to be folded. 

With your pants in this position, finish folding for storage in a drawer or for packing for a trip using either of the next two methods. The only difference is that with creased pants you can skip the first three steps. 

How to Fold Pants: The Simple Fold

This is the most simple way to fold pants. In fact, chances are you already are familiar with this fold. 

Start by laying the pants down on a flat surface. Flatten them as much as possible. 

Fold the left leg of the pants on top of the right.

Line up the top leg until it completely overlaps the bottom leg. Be sure to match up the hems. 

Fold the pants in half. 

Fold them in half again. 

A completed simple fold. 

How to Fold Pants in Thirds

This folding method is very similar to our last example. Only the last couple steps are different. 

In my opinion, folding pants in thirds is better than the simple fold because I find it folds pants into a size that is easier for storing them in drawers. 

Here’s how you fold your pants in thirds: 

Lay the pants on a flat surface. Flatten them as much as possible. 

Fold the left leg of the pants on top of the right.

Line up the top leg until it completely overlaps the bottom leg. Be sure to match up the hems. 

Fold the bottom of the leg up ⅓ of the length of the pants. 

Fold them up another third. 

Fold them up to the top of the waistband. 

A completed fold. 

This fold makes pants easy to store in drawers. 

How to Ranger Roll Pants

You can Ranger Roll just about any piece of clothing. Pants are no exception. This is a good method to use when you’re folding your pants prior to packing for a trip as this compact fold allows you to make good use of limited space. 

Begin by laying the pants on a flat surface. Just as in the last two methods, try to get them as flat as possible as large creases will get in the way.

Turn the waistband of the pants inside out about 3 inches.

Flatten out the pockets as much as possible. 

Turn the pants upside down. 

Fold both pant legs in towards the center until they overlap roughly 2-3 inches. 

Now, starting from the bottom of the pant legs, start rolling towards the waistband. Try to keep the roll as tight as you can. 

Stop rolling once you reach the bottom of the inside out hem.

Turn the waistband back “right side out” over on top of the roll. 

Tuck in the roll.

A completed Ranger Roll. 

Now you’re ready to pack!

How to Fold Shorts 

Hanging, folding, and storing shorts is the same as folding pants. 

You can follow any of the methods above for folding shorts. 

Time To Get Organized

There are many ways to fold and store pants and shorts, and it’s hard to say which one is best. Using any of these methods should help you stay organized.

Questions? Comments? Leave them below!