One issue you need to address is how good you are supposed to look. If you're in management in a industry where appearance is very important, Dockers and the like can look pretty basic. There are any number of higher end chino pants that have higher fabric quality, better drape, and will wear longer. Most of those, however, are dry clean only unless they are very casual. J. Press is a good brand, as is Biill's. Sid Mashburn is a a very good high end pant. Orvis actually has some pretty decent trousers at modest prices, as does LLBean.
Originally Posted by TexTushHog
+1 on what he said
I find Docker's, especially the darker colors to not wear very well. Now if you are doing work that you might damage the pants (crawling, outdoors, non-exclusively desk work), then Docker's when on good sale at Penney's or the like would be a good choice. If that is not the case, I am a big fan of Bill's Khakis and LLBean are good quality for value. When I can find my size, Nautica at an Outlet store (Allen is closest I believe) can be a good value too.
And most every brand has a no-iron version these days. Just a hint, I find that if pull them out of the dryer immediately and hang up, there is no need to toss in the dryer again before wearing. I will choose to pull them when still a little damp rather than letting them finish and not be there to immediately take them out. If you let them sit in the dryer for hours after drying, the no-iron are hardly any better, even if you fluff them up before wearing. Once you have let them wrinkle, only a rewash and redry gets them right.