Men's Cargo Shorts

Cargo shorts add a pocket to the outside of each thigh, cut with pleated sides so it expands as you load it. On a short leg that pocket lands very close to the hem, which is why length matters more here than on any other pair. A 9 inch inseam leaves room for the pocket to sit above the hem. In contrast, a 7 inch inseam squeezes it and the pocket ends up hanging past the leg opening.

Weight is the problem to solve. A pocket carrying a phone, keys and a wallet pulls on one side of the waistband. Shorts have less fabric and less friction than pants to resist that pull. Better pairs use a wide waistband with belt loops set close together, a heavier cotton twill or ripstop around 6 to 8 ounces per yard, and stitch the pocket into the outseam so the load travels into a seam rather than into the leg panel. Cheaper ones float the pocket on the panel and the fabric distorts within a month.

Chino shorts run the same twill with clean legs and pass in a restaurant, which cargo shorts do not. Denim shorts are heavier and stiffer with pockets set inside the seam. Athletic shorts trade all storage for airflow and a liner. Compared with full-length cargo pants, the shorts push the same idea into a garment with half the surface area, and that is precisely why they are harder to make look deliberate.

Yard work, fishing, festivals and travel days put the pockets to use daily, especially if you carry tools or a camera in real heat. Taller wearers handle the 9 to 11 inch lengths better, since the same hem sits higher on a long leg. Nothing smart works with them, and empty pockets are worse still, because bellows that never get filled just flap and add width. Solid olive, tan and black keep them plain, while extra flaps, straps and rings push them toward costume.

Load both thigh pockets in the store and walk the length of the floor. If the waistband drops or the hem swings out, the pockets sit too low for that inseam. Feel the corners of each pocket for bartacks, the dense blocks of stitching placed at stress points, since that is exactly where a loaded pocket tears away first. Empty every pocket before washing, because a forgotten key in a swinging pocket will abrade a hole through cotton in one cycle.