Carhartt Men's Relaxed Fit Ripstop Cargo Work Pant

First of all let me assure those nay-sayers, I don't give a 5 star rating lightly. I'm a field biologist and have tried scores of outerwear pants over the years. True these pants aren't cheap, but nothing of quality is cheap. My review doesn't factor in cost....I need quality & comfort in the field, and am more than willing to spend $45-60 per pant to get it.These pants not only look great no matter what you might be doing on a given day, but they are indeed very rugged pants and definitely withstand ripping & puncturing. I've taken these through very thick blackberries, prickly ash, and inadvertently swiped barbed wire with some force without feeling a thing or scuffing/tearing the pants. I've only had them for a couple months, so my 5-star rating is provisional pending another 12 months testing in the field, but so far they've withstood the worst I can throw at them and still holding up and protecting me.These pants also seem to be fairly good at shielding from cold winds with the tight ripstop weave.Thus far shrinkage from washing has been minimal, thus doesn't look like that will be an issue. These pants, as well as the dark chocolate I've purchased, also seem to be relatively color fast, although I expect after many more washings, wear & tear over time, and depending on your water hardness, might well show fading in the future, especially along hard & worn edges.The pants have very easy access pockets (thanks Carhart)....none of that velcro crap for this field guru. Snaps on side pockets are easy to open and close. Cell phone pocket is perfectly sized for iPod and most cell phones and I've had no problems with phone popping out of the pocket no matter what I'm doing.Cargo pockets are generously sized, but not overly so and work great for notebooks, small field guides, gloves, and a variety of misc gear and tools. Accessory pockets on the outside of the cargo pockets are quite useful, although Carhart could have added a flashlight accessory pocket that was a little wider & 1-2 inches deeper for large "billy-club" like flashlights such as large 2-3 cell MagLights.The pants are extremely comfortable, even when wearing long-underwear, but they are not so relaxed/baggy that they look bad or get in the way and catch whatever you're working around. Belt loops are many & are sturdy. Cordura lined pockets and pocket edges are very nice addition to improve long-term sturdiness.The inside of the main side/hand pockets seem to be solidly constructed, but are not as rugged as the rest of the pant, thus are not the types of pockets you want to put abrasive/sharp items or tools in. There is some room for improvement here if they can be made to not interfere with comfort.After testing 1 pair, I purchased another 5 (have 3 each of moss and coffee color all told). Of these, one pair has a zipper that functions, but not smoothly....all other pairs work flawlessly. Only improvement here would have been to go with button-fly (such as Levi's 501's) instead of zipper in the event the zippers give out before the rest of the pants do.I honestly feel there are few pants on the market that can equal these unless you want to go with very heavy & thick cotton canvas or the heaviest denim, although those materials don't always wear well either. And, other Carhart models don't appear to wear as well or protect you as well as these do. The cotton ripstops will now be my go to everyday pant regardless of occasion/situation. After many years searching for the most functional work/field pant, that also look acceptable when in the office or meetings, these are it. Very few improvements can be made here.January 2013 update - these pants still performing well. Shrinkage has been very minimal. Also some minimal fading from washing and wear, but overall holding up better than expected. Due to their durability and good looks, I really have no reason to wear any other pant except during extremely formal occasions.

My husband likes Carhartt cargo pants tremendously. They have pockets everywhere and it's the answer to his dreams for hiding his wallet instead of in his back pocket where it has slipped out in the past. He also loves the ability to specify the exact waist he prefers of a 35, as most pants follow the even number routine and do not allow that odd middle number for a waist choice. The durability of these pants are amazing, as his first pair is over two years old and he wears them likely 4 days a week, and they are just now showing some rubbing of wear and tear on the pockets. These are the Mack Trucks of working pants, and definitely worth the cost for a top of the line product that holds up beautifully. We would definitely recommend these to anyone who does a blue collar job, is on their hands and knees a lot (my husband is an aviation NDT inspector and looks for cracks in the nooks and crannies of jumbo jets, so he squeezes into tight places all of the time with these pants). He also uses them when he does his own truck maintenance as well, plus we are ranchers and haul a lot of hay and do a lot of range work with wiring. He wears these pants due to all the pockets that he can throw wrenches, wire cutters, etc. into. Just loves them! I'd be interested in a pair if they had a women's version!

I was recently working on a new television series where the wardrobe notes asked for the kind of clothes people who work outdoors wear. It turned into a real festival for us, as so many actors were glad to show up in our favorite Carhartts and various kinds of hiking and work boots. In the midsts of this ‘show and tell’ I saw one actor wearing these pants that I had never seen before. Of course I had to have them, and ordered them immediately, right there on set.PROS:The ripstop cotton is lighter than the duck cloth, and while the duck cloth—particularly the double front pants—are awesome, I’m pretty sweet on this military grade ripstop material as well, for both durability and comfort.I ordered them in ‘coffee’ color rather than the signature brown, tan, or green. Coffee is a nice addition to the Carhartt color lineup.Reinforced pocket area for my multi tool!! Thank you Carhartt!!! I typically can’t put my multitool on my right pocket where it belongs because it will wear a hole in my pants. This solves the problem. Sure, it’s basically a pocket protector, but I like it, a lot.CONS: Only one. There are a lot of great pockets on both sides, perfectly sized for all sorts of tools and accessories, but no just plain phone pocket. Sure, I can put my phone in one of those pockets, but it’s not ‘quick draw’ accessible. On the other hand, my phone fits in the pocket nicely without sliding around, and the closure, even while unsnapped, keeps it from jumping out when I do a little run or jump—which is a problem with other mobile phone pockets.BOTTOM LINE: This is a whole new kind of pants for Carhartt, and it’s obviously the result of listening to their customer base rather than catering to pop culture the way so many great brands like Timberland and FOX Racing have done. Thanks for keeping it real Carhartt.